A cross to share
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published June 27, 2007
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/27/Neighborhoodtimes/A_cross_to_share.shtml
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.
Waveney Ann Moore can be reached at 727 892-2283 or moore@sptimes.com
'Fast Facts:
'About the cross'
Dimensions: Installed, it is 8 by 5 feet.
Materials: Two 5-by-10-foot sheets of aluminum plates, 3 1/2-inch diameter
structural aluminum pipe.
Time to make: One week.
Weight: 200 to 300 pounds.
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