COMMUNITY TO BUILD NEW CHURCH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE IN LAVAL
Par John Fasciano

Courrier Laval, Canada
March 6 2007

Construction of $5.5 million project to start in spring of 2007;
completion expected for early 2008

Armenian Community to build new church and community centre in Laval
Construction of $5.5 million project to start in spring of 2007;
completion expected for early 2008

The weather may have been very frightful on the streets of the Greater
Montreal area this past Wednesday but that didn’t deter representatives
of Holy Cross Armenian Church of Laval from holding a press conference
in Montreal to announce the good news that the Armenian community
would soon have a new church and community centre of their own on
Laval island.

Among those present at the announcement was His Eminence, Bishop
Bagrat Galstanian, the Primate of the Armenian Church of Canada. "The
new church and community centre will be built to better serve the
ever-growing needs of the Armenian community in Laval," the bishop
stated.

Explaining that the Armenian community in Laval has been blessed with
substantial growth and expansion during the last decade, the bishop
made it known that it was time to build a new spiritual and social
centre that could and would more effectively respond to the needs of
the community.

"The existing facility in Laval can no longer adequately
accommodate the spiritual and social needs of our community,"
Mr. Vicken Darakdjian, member of the Parish Council and chairman
of the fund-raising committee told Courrier Laval Weekly News in a
telephone interview.

Mr. Darakdjian also cited several other reasons for the launching
of this $5.5 million project expected for completion in early 2008,
with the first shovel hitting the ground this coming spring, at a
site on Souvenir Blvd. in Chomedey.

"The Armenian Churches in Montreal are too far from Laval. People
who may want to attend these churches are dissuaded by the distance,
especially in the wintertime. Many of these people told us that because
of this, it wasn’t very appealing for them to be part of the Armenian
Church and to take part in the Community’s activities, so for these
and many other reasons the Diocesan Council decided that the Armenian
community in Laval should have its own separate religious, social,
and cultural facilities close to them on Île-Jesus," Mr. Darakdjian
elaborated.

Only the beginning Mr. Taro Alepian, vice-chairman of the Diocesan
Council, pointed out that the church and community centre project is
the first step in a long-term plan to expand the services offered
the Armenian community in Laval. "It is only phase one of a vision
for the future that will see the eventual building of an auditorium,
a seniors’ residence, a low-income housing project, a Genocide Memorial
Museum and a gymnasium," Mr. Alepian specified.

But for now, the new church and community centre will be built to
provide a new home for the Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church,
presently serving its faithful at 4464, St-Martin Blvd. West, in
Chomedey, Laval.

"It was a simple decision, really," stated Mr. Darakdjian. "We wanted
a new home in which to better serve the religious, social, cultural,
and educational needs of the 12,000 Armenian residents of Laval and
in the process also enhance the humanitarian services and facilities
we presently offer, all of which, we sincerely believe, will improve
the quality of life of the members of the Armenian community.

The plans Once built, the new church will have place for 250 seated
attendees, with standing room for 100 others in the Nakhakavit. The
Mezzanine will have place for 50 choir members.

The activities and facilities envisaged at the new church include a
children’s glassed-in playroom adjacent to the Mezzanine, a Memorial
Wall in memory of the departed, a Church Choir, Sunday School and Bible
Study, a Women’s Auxiliary, a Professional Day Care Centre, a Youth
Centre (with Internet access, games and TV), a Seniors Activity Hall
(exercise programs, bingo, card and Tavli tournaments, TV, Bible
reading and outings), a Lecture and Exhibition Room (fully equipped
with projection and sound systems, adjacent to small kitchen for
catering services), a Library, a reception hall with a capacity for 365
(300 in main hall + 65 with moveable wall and moveable dancing stage,
state-of-the-art kitchen and accessories), and furnished conference
rooms.

The preliminary conceptual design for the new church and community
centre, which was was produced by architect Mardiros Baygin, was
made public by Mr. Hagop Seradarian, the president of the Holy Cross
Parish Council.

For more information, feel free to contact Mr. Vicken Darakdjian at
(514) 889-8100 or the Church office at (450) 687-5355.

–Boundary_(ID_Fl0K5ZmDS8kNa0lnyi0clg)- –