By Sophia Minassian, 2024
My name is Sophia Minassian and I am a Girl Scout from Basking Ridge, New Jersey. I recently created the history section of the Indian Orchard St. Gregory Armenian Church website for my Girl Scout Gold Award Project. My great-grandparents, grandparents and mother grew up in this church and I have been a frequent visitor. Therefore, preserving its history is important to me.
My section of the website centers around the history of St. Gregory Church and the special community of Armenians that settled in the Springfield area. The small but unique group of Armenians prospered in America and made a name for themselves in many Springfield industries. Their one constant throughout the decades has always been the church, which has served as an important reminder of where this group of people came from and what they have accomplished together. St. Gregory Church arose as a symbol of unity and survival after the Armenian Genocide (1915) and continues to do so today.
This year marks the 90th Anniversary of the groundbreaking ceremony for St. Gregory Church, which took place on May 28, 1934. What began as a modest 24×44 ft brick building, constructed by members of the Indian Orchard Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), is now a landmark at the corner of Goodwin and Mazarin Streets. Over the past 90 years, the church has welcomed many important clergy, politicians, business leaders, and people of all faiths and backgrounds. St. Gregory Church congregation is a unique and close-knit community, loved by all for the unconditional acceptance bestowed upon those who come through her doors. However, as each successive generation grows up in the church, many have decided to leave Springfield for various reasons. So, the Armenian community there is becoming smaller and the lack of access to historical records has become a concern. My historical section of the website addresses this by highlighting the importance and preservation of the church and its members, and is dedicated to the Armenians of St. Gregory Church, both past and present.
My hope is that this historical section of the church website will be a place where Armenians who live in Springfield or whose ancestors once did, will contribute their stories, diary entries, pictures, recipes and more, whether it be in written, audio, or video form. I encourage you to visit my historical section of the church website at https://saintgregoryarmenianchurch.org/about-us and then participate in my survey after reading through the information in the site. You can access my survey with this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LYNV7TR. Your valuable input and contributions will continue to help St. Gregory Church prosper. Thank you for participating in my project!
Pioneer Valley History Network 