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Article: Church remains central to their lives
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- October 8, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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GLOBE WEST 1 / PEOPLE
When an earthquake killed 25,000 people and left 500,000 homeless
in Armenia in 1988, Thomas Babigian bought a ticket and flew to
Spitak to help rebuild.
"It was pretty gut-wrenching," said Babigian, who was 28 at the
time.
For five weeks, he worked 11-hour days erecting homes while living
in a tent. The trip was arranged through the Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America and the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church.
The Watertown church -- now marking its 75th anniversary -- has
played a pivotal role in Babigian's life and that of the large
Armenian community in Boston's western suburbs.
This year, Babigian, his twin brother, Peter, and younger brother,
Vasken, ...