A CROSS TO SHARE
By Waveney Ann Moore
Tampa Bay, FL
imes/A_cross_to_share.shtml
June 27 2007
PINELLAS PARK – Men, women and children tilted their heads skyward
Sunday as a blue and white crane hoisted a giant aluminum cross atop
the dome of the new St. Hagop Armenian Church.
They cheered as the mechanical arm set the cross in place and again
as nearly two dozen doves – symbols of the Holy Spirit – were released.
Sunday’s ceremony was an important step in a long journey that began
more than 30 years ago with a handful of intrepid Armenian families who
dreamed of building not only a church, but also a cultural touchstone
for thousands.
While the 250-seat church is not yet complete, parish leaders already
are planning for the next step – a historic October consecration.
The event will have both local and national significance. Present
for the ceremony in Pinellas Park will be His Holiness Karekin II,
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. Karekin, who will
travel from Armenia, is scheduled to consecrate the church during
his pontifical visit to the United States. Parish leaders say it
will be the first time in recent memory that their world leader will
consecrate a church on American soil.
The consecration will take place almost 10 years later than hoped.
Back in 1997, Karekin’s predecessor promised to consecrate St. Hagop’s
new church during his 1998 visit. Construction, though, didn’t begin
until last fall.
"It’s been many years since this congregation has worked and talked
and struggled to build a house of worship for the Armenian community
on the west coast of Florida, " said the Rev. Mardiros Chevian, who
traveled from St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City to officiate at
Sunday’s cross raising ceremony.
The ceremony, attended by about 200 parishioners, many trying to
capture the historic event with cameras, began with a procession
out of the unfinished church, over makeshift ramps and through the
sandy construction site at 7050 90th Ave. N. Chevian, robed in ornate,
embroidered vestments, blessed the giant white cross with holy oil and
incense before it was lifted by crane to the church’s reddish-brown
roof. Awaiting the giant Christian symbol were George Apostolou,
owner of the Tierra Verde construction company that’s building the
church, and Al Carr of Al’s Mobile Welding in St. Petersburg. Carr
crafted the traditional Armenian cross from aluminium sheets and
aluminum pipe. As the congregation watched with rapt attention below,
the two men secured the cross on a steel pipe and bolted it in place.
It was a significant moment in the community’s life, said Arsen
Bayandrian, chairman of the parish council and a member of St. Hagop’s
since 1985. The church has always been a religious, educational and
cultural center for Armenian people, he said.
"Armenians like to be where there is an Armenian church, " the
Clearwater resident said, adding that families moving to Florida have
chosen to settle in towns such as Boca Raton and Hollywood because
of their thriving churches.
"Now I think we can see a growing population here in this part of
Florida because of this structure, the sanctuary we’re building now
… . We have people come here from as far as Lakeland, " Bayandrian
said. "We hope we can open the doors to everyone and give this
community a better understanding of who the Armenians are."
The new church represents a new beginning, said George Kamajian,
a member of the parish council from Indian Shores.
The congregation, drawn from throughout the Tampa Bay area and beyond
to Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties, had its beginnings with the
Armenian-American Society of the Suncoast, which was formed in 1974.
The church itself began as a mission in the 1980s.
The congregation’s first service was held at St. John’s Episcopal
Church in Clearwater. Services were held for a while at St. Thomas’
Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg. In 1997, the congregation began
worshiping in a small chapel on the 10-acre property it purchased
off Belcher Road. Through the years, though, members continued to
turn to St. Thomas’, St. Stefano’s Greek Orthodox and Sacred Heart
Catholic churches when a large facility was needed.
The congregation’s spacious church is being built in traditional
Armenian architectural style. The dome on which the cross stands is
pointed rather than round. The altar faces east. As well, the stucco
exterior will be covered with pink tufa stone mined in Armenia.
"To our knowledge it will be the first Armenian church outside of
Armenia to be so ‘wrapped, ‘ " said Dr. Hagop "Jack" Mashikian, a
retired psychiatrist and vice chairman of the church’s parish council.
"This is going to be a tourist attraction, " he said.
Besides the new place of worship, the congregation is planning to
build multipurpose and cultural centers.
The Pinellas Park parish is part of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
which traces its beginning to the first century, when the apostles
Thaddeus and Bartholomew preached in Armenia and were martyred. St.
Hagop’s is among the denomination’s three largest parishes in Florida.
In September, the parish will get a permanent priest, the Rev. Hovnan
Demerjian. It’s another reason for church leaders to be optimistic
about St. Hagop’s future.
"We’re seeing more children and younger adults, which is our hope,
so that the next generation takes over and continues our heritage,"
Mashikian said.