Church is ‘heart of the Armenian community’: St. Gregory celebrates 75th anniversary
by Glenn Kauth, The Standard
The Standard (St. Catharines, Ontario)
May 30, 2005 Monday
Final Edition
The chants were long and sombre, but the prayers and blessings
heralded an important milestone for St. Gregory the Illuminator
Armenian Apostolic Church in St. Catharines.
During the service, the congregation sat quietly as a choir of deacons
and church members sang a series of prayers as part of the church’s
75th anniversary celebrations.
At one point, the choir rose to chant a prayer for all the church
members who have died, during which the primate of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of Canada, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, went behind a
red velvet curtain covering the church alter.
Following the prayer, the primate reappeared and members of the
congregation approached the alter to take communion from him.
The Carlton Street church has played an important role in the Armenian
Christian faith in Canada. A group of local Armenians established it in
1930 as the first Armenian church in Canada. Many of them had escaped
from areas of present-day Turkey during the Armenian genocide in 1915.
“This church is the heart of the Armenian community,” said Georgina
Sarkisian, a member of St. Gregory for 52 years.
In fact, Armenians from across Canada come to the church every August
for the blessing of the grapes ceremony. The blessing is a pilgrimage
for Armenians, who come with their prayer requests and their cases
of grapes to receive the holy benediction. They then share the grapes
with others.
Over the weekend, the church held a series of events, including an
anniversary gala and the general assembly for the Canadian diocese
of the church. During Sunday’s service, several long-time members
received holy scrolls from His Holiness Karekin II, the supreme
patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Armenia. Most of the
honoured members are dedicated volunteers or generous donors.
Over the years, the church has faced challenges. A decade ago, vandals
broke in and set the church on fire, forcing the congregation to
relocate to St. John Ukrainian Catholic Church on Lakeshore Road.
While the church is bustling, Sarkisian worries about future
generations. “Will this church 75 years from now still be
flourishing?” she asked.
It still has 80 families active as members, but, Sarkisian said,
“When you marry a non-Armenian, there’s where you’re losing ground.”
With time, she worries that younger people will drift away from
the church.
As director of Christian education at St. Gregory, she’s working
to make sure that doesn’t happen. In Sunday school, for example,
children learn the Lord’s prayer in both English and Armenian. That
way, she said, “they learn to be good Christians, but they also get
the Armenian flavour.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress