Friday, October 5, 2012, was a special and memorial day for the St. Garabed Church parish community of Las Vegas, as faithful witnessed the blessing and mounting of the Church dome. H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, presided over the ceremony.
As previously reported, the Prelate departed for Las Vegas on Thursday, October 4, to oversee the progress of the Church construction. On the same day, the Prelate met with Parish Pastor Archpriest Fr. Avedis Torossian, Parish Council Chair Mr. Adroushan Armenian, and Ms. Lindy Schumacher, who is the Nevada director of the Dream Fund at UCLA.
On Friday, a group of Parish representatives and members gathered at the construction site where the Prelate presided over the blessing of the dome and the mounting of the cross atop the dome. The cross was consecrated by H.H. Catholicos Aram I during his Pontifical visit in October of 2011. Church benefactor Mr. Larry Barnes participated in the special ceremony. Mr. Barnes had made a generous allocation for the realization of this endeavor in memory of his wife Seda Der Garabedian-Barnes. Executive Council member Mr. Vahan Bezdikian, Ms. Lindy Schumacher, and Prelacy sponsor Mrs. Arda Yemenidjian were also in attendance.
The Prelate blessed those who had come to witness the historic occasion. He highly commended the members of the Parish Council and Building committee who work diligently to ensure that the project goes forth smoothly and in a timely manner. His Eminence also once again expressed his gratitude to Mr. Larry Barnes, Dream Fund representative Ms. Lindy Schumacher, and all sponsors for their generous benefaction which is contributing to the realization of the community’s long-standing dream to have a Church and Cultural Center. He wished that the project progresses as efficiently as it has been thus far, and for its successful completion in the near future.
With the singing of the “Oorakh Ler” hymn, the frame of the dome was lifted and placed atop the Church structure. The ceremony came to a close with the Prelate’s benediction.
After the completion of the Church, the adjacent hall, which is currently used for religious services, will be transformed into a cultural center for youth and adults alike. The center will feature an Armenian language and history learning center equipped with interactive and modern state of the art learning tools geared towards children and young adults, as well as a modern library equipped with Armenian books, newspapers and magazines both from national and international sources. The Center will also house local sister organizations.
