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Armenian pontiff works on Habitat for Humanity homes in N.O.

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  • Armenian pontiff works on Habitat for Humanity homes in N.O.

    New Orleans CityBusiness (New Orleans, LA)
    October 17, 2007

    Armenian pontiff works on Habitat for Humanity homes in N.O.


    His Holiness Karekin II, leader of the Armenian Church and supreme
    patriarch of all Armenians, rolled up his sleeves in New Orleans
    today to help build a home in Habitat for Humanity's Musicians'
    Village.

    The 56-year-old pontiff visited New Orleans as a gesture of goodwill
    from Armenia, which is still recovering from the devastating 1988
    earthquake that left 500,000 people homeless and inspired his work
    with Habitat for Humanity.

    The pontiff has worked with Habitat for Humanity in Armenia by
    planting trees, painting walls and hammering nails while helping
    build more than 70 homes.

    In April 2006, the Armenian Church and Habitat for Humanity signed an
    agreement of long-term cooperation to create His Holiness Karekin II
    Work Project.

    The pontiff personally spearheaded efforts to build 37 homes across
    Armenia, giving witness to the ancient Armenian tradition of charity,
    volunteerism and social concern as part of the His Holiness Karekin
    II Work Project in 2007.

    In September 2006, Habitat For Humanity Armenia drew together more
    than 300 volunteers from Europe, the United States, Armenia and other
    countries to help build a 24-unit condominium building.

    The pontiff presides over the Supreme Spiritual Council (the Armenian
    Church's governing college of bishops and lay persons). He is the
    leader of the world's 7 million Armenian Christians.

    The pontiff worked on Musicians' Village, a community for musicians
    and other families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Conceived by New
    Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis, Musicians'
    Village is being constructed in the Upper Ninth Ward, where an 8-acre
    parcel will hold 70 single-family homes built by volunteers, donors,
    sponsors and low-income families.

    Since groundbreaking in March 2006, 40 homes have been completed.
    Elder-friendly duplexes are being readied for senior members of the
    community and the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a 150-seat
    performance space with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, a
    recording studio, classrooms and rehearsal spaces. The facility will
    be available to Musician's Village residents, students and artists
    citywide.
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