InternationalCape Cod Armenian parishioners persevere
A vision etched in stone
Published: Tuesday October 27, 2009
front, from left, Ellen Ishkanian, Alice Hagopian, chairman, and Linda Topalian-Pegnato. Rear, Ara Ishkanian, Mark Hagopian and Fred Pegnato.
Mashpee, Mass. - Which comes first, the Armenian Church or the community?
That's the dilemma facing a small coterie of dedicated Armenians on Cape Cod who've been trying desperately to establish their own church since the 1980s, but to little or no avail.
As for the community, that appears to be fully entrenched with some 450 names in a database, including 150 full-time residents. Phone books get a workout. Word-of-mouth is another source.
A webpage contains a schedule of events, photographs, recipes, prayers, and sharagans. A list of other Diocese churches with pictures of their choirs is also available. There's a move now to go totally online.
They have pot luck suppers, dances, Genocide commemorations, and monthly prayer services from a visiting priest at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Osterville.
They've got a sizeable bank account, leadership, direction and a lot of panache. And they've got the land – some 3-1/2 acres within steps of Mashpee High School and Mashpee Commons, on a major road very close to Falmouth and Sandwich.
A marker with an Armenian cross designates the spot – "Future site of the Armenian Church and Cultural Center."
Much as they've tried, the sanctuary remains a perpetual vision for these folks with no specific timetable. But it's become a vision that's etched in stone.
"It took five years for the people in Framingham to start their church," said Alice Hagopian, parish council chairperson. "Unfortunately, it's taking us a lot longer. We've come too far to give up now and some day, our dream will become a reality."
Alice and her husband Mark reside in Eastham and are catalysts in the project, joined by 11 other Parish Council members. Not long ago, they welcomed Archbishop Khajag Barsamian to their community. The Primate was more than generous in his praise. He encouraged them to persevere.
Services take place the first Saturday of each month. Celebrating the Badarak is Rev. Khachatur Kasablyan, pastor, Sts. Vartanantz Church in North Chelmsford, who is often joined by his wife and child. A coffee hour follows.
Their mission statement is all-encompassing: to provide its community with spiritual and social opportunities to celebrate the rich heritage and culture of the Armenian people. Coordinating the Mission Parish Program is Der Tateos Abdalian from the Diocese.
There is no organized choir. The congregation chants the sharagans. Since the average age of its constituents is 72, the possibility for a Sunday school is even more remote.
"We don't just attend Badarak, we create it," emphasizes Ms. Hagopian, who spent 33 years as a social-studies teacher in Westfield before retiring. "We form our own choir from the pews."
Of unusual consequence is the fact that many of the faithful are non-Armenians who have learned the Badarak rituals. One, in particular, is Ellen Ishkanian, who taught herself to sing the Badarak with a pristine soprano voice.
She and husband Ara are originally from White Plains, N.Y., and have settled in Wellfleet. Ellen remains bullish about the endeavor.
"It's been a work in progress," she said. "Those of us who are committed to this project have deemed it a labor of love. We'll continue to venture forth until this goal is realized."
Ms. Hagopian is quick to admit that without a viable community, there could be no church. It would be the cart before the horse in her opinion.
"There's the business element to consider," she maintains. "Building a church requires expenses, maintenance, insurance costs, and all the other necessary expenditures it would take to keep it active, including a Der Hayr's salary. Right now, we don't have a steady income or endowment for that."
The community side is as active as ever. They hold up signs and organize a silent vigil every April 24 at the Mashpee rotary. People drive by and render a "thumbs-up" at the demonstration, including other Armenians waiting to be introduced.
The group then proceeds to a garden area in Mashpee with a list of names containing people who were Genocide victims. Flowers are placed around gravesites and a service follows as people hold hands singing the "Hayr Mer."
"It's an emotional surge," says Ms. Hagopian. "Because we're so very few, we're very tight with one another. The people who are seeing this project through are not concerned with profit, rather community-building."
Dr. Shakeh Setian teaches a class on the Armenian Genocide at Cape Cod Community College.
They've donated Armenian books to libraries, made house calls, visited with the sick and infirme at nursing homes and hospitals.
Like a veritable "welcome wagon," whenever they hear of an Armenian newcomer on the Cape, off they go on a recruiting mission.
Two years ago, the group sponsored a dance and received coverage from a local newspaper. The editors were so impressed, they sent a reporter and photographer to Ms. Hagopian's house for a layout on Armenian cooking.
For years, Ms. Hagopian, nee Aghababian, penned a cooking column for an Armenian weekly that evolved into a publication. Good as she is, Alice lost out to a younger relative (Sandy Topalian) during a recent choreg bakeoff to determine the best choreg baker on Cape Cod for 2009.
It's that kind of conviviality that keeps the group intact.
Had you been at the pot luck supper, tables were sagging with food as people wined and dined in hearty fashion. A guest speaker encouraged them remain committed to their dream. On this night, hand-crafted tavlou boards were up for auction.
"The people who are involved with this are dedicated Armenians," added Ms. Hagopian. "It's part of our heritage. You can't take that away from us. Somehow it's respect toward my parents and grandparents. My father (Vahe) was a genocide survivor. When we keep this community alive, it's for people like themselves whose history remains entrenched. I cannot let that drop."
