Parishes

Reminder of Archibishop Gabriel regarding special collection to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Reminder

To all the rectors of the parishes of the Canadian Diocese
As the great holiday of Palm Sunday (the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem) approaches, all the parishes of the Canadian Diocese are reminded of the annual plate collection to be taken to benefit the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. This collection should be made both during the Vigil (March 26/April 8) and the Divine Liturgy (March 27/April 9), to be preceded by a few words on the asceticism of the members of our Mission under very difficult circumstances, as they preserve and protect the holy sites and relics, welcoming multitudes of pilgrims and representing our Church in the Holy Land.

Collections should be forwarded to our diocesan treasury (Diocesan Treasury, 99 Stonehurst Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4R6) with the designation: “For the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission”.

Gabriel, Archbishop of Montreal & Canada

Pastoral Retreat & Assembly Of the Priests & Clergy of the Diocese of Montréal & Canada March, 2017

Resolution of the Clergy of the Montreal and Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Toronto, Ontario

March 22, 2017

The clergy of the Montreal and Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, with our Hierarch, Archbishop Gabriel at our head, gathered at the Church of the Life-giving Trinity in Toronto, greet all of you, our beloved parishioners, with the mid-point of Great Lent.

At the beginning of the fast the Church sang the following words:
“Come, ye faithful, … let us cast away every unjust accusation against our neighbour, … Let us lay aside the pleasures of the flesh, and increase the spiritual gifts of our soul. Let us give bread to those in need, and let us draw near unto Christ, crying in penitence: O our God, have mercy on us” (Stichiron at “Lord I have cried” on Friday of the first week of Great Lent).

These words remind us that Lent is a time to rededicate ourselves to Christ and to excel in Christian virtues. We pray that you will take these words to heart and spend the remaining days of the fast in spiritual struggle.

One hundred years ago, a new atheistic world order descended on humanity with the godless Communists seizing power in Russia. This new world order spread hatred and death throughout the Russian Land and after the 2nd World War enslaved many other lands and peoples, including most of the Orthodox world.

We support the recent Epistle of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia on the 100th Anniversary of the Tragic Revolution in Russia and the Beginning of the Godless Persecutions. The bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, as in the past, continue to speak out according to their conscience and the traditional standpoint of our flock, even when our position may be unpopular or politically incorrect.

During this dark time, the Russian Orthodox Church was persecuted most fiercely. “Countless new-martyrs and confessors, holy hierarchs, royal passion-bearers and pastors, monks and layman, men, women and children… blossomed in the spiritual meadow of Russia,” refused to compromise their faith and willingly suffered a martyr’s death for Christ (Troparion to the new-martyrs of Russia).

Many of these saints, before their martyric death, participated in an historic event, the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918. This council (August 28, 1917 – September 20, 1918) of 564 delegates included not only the hierarchs of the Church, but also elected representatives of the married clergy, the monastics and the laity. Such a comprehensive gathering, full of so many saints, had never before been convened in Russia, nor has such an authoritative council been held since.

Time after time this gathering of saints, through the documents and decrees produced at the All-Russian Council, called all the faithful to participate fully in the life of the Church. This meant that the laity, both men and women, was invited: to participate in the administration of the parish by serving on the parish council, to teach in parish schools, to perform missionary work, and to participate more fully in the liturgical life of the Church.

We are grateful that this year we will mark the tenth anniversary of the union between our Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia.

On the 15th of July 2016, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church instructed the Synodal Theological Committee to study the documents of the Pan-Orthodox Council held on the Island of Crete in 2016. We hope to soon be able to read this report.

It is our fervent hope that you, brothers and sisters, will strive to live a holistic Orthodox Christian way of life. This comprehensive Christian life includes becoming true spiritual children of the new-martyrs of Russia able to courageously withstand all of the temptations of our age. It also embraces an active participation in all aspects of parish life.

30th anniversary of the passing of Mitred Protopriest Matthew Andruschenko, Jr. (+ October 27, 1986).

Protopriest Matthew Andruschenko was born in the Poltava Region in Ukraine in 1899 and is buried at York Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario. Protopriest Matthew was the founding priest of the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Toronto.

Report and Resolution from Pastoral Retreat of the Priests & Clergy of the Diocese of Montréal & Canada March, 2016

Resolution of the Clergy of the Montreal and Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Outside of Russia

Montreal, Quebec

March 23-25, 2016

This year, we, the clergy of the Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, gathered in our cathedral church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra and Lycia in Montreal, Quebec under the chairmanship of our diocesan hierarch, Archbishop Gabriel. We greet all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, our parishioners, scattered throughout our vast diocese and pray that each of you will use the time of Great Lent to worthily prepare for the great feast of Pascha.

We are pleased to see that the exterior reconstruction of the cathedral in Montreal has been successfully restored and hope that with God’s help the interior will soon be completed as well.

This year, an important anniversary for all Orthodox Christians living in the diaspora will take place; the fiftieth year of the repose of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. The life and struggles of this man of God should inspire each of us to work to preserve our Russian Orthodox faith and tradition in our families and parishes, while at the same time spreading the Word of God as expressed by the One Holy Orthodox Church to the people of Canada. The Holy hierarch John helped bring to the true faith many people, including Fr. Seraphim Rose.

Clinging to these traditions, we reaffirm a commitment to the moral, intellectual and spiritual formation of the faithful and repeat, as in last year’s resolution, our worry and pain with the legalization of euthanasia in Canada. Once more we confirm that euthanasia is suicide and an immoral act for which there is no repentance. All Christians are called to remember the patience and suffering of the saints and all pious and Orthodox Christians and to emulate them throughout our lives.

Each family living in Ontario, must take note of the recent changes to the provincial school curriculum and guard their children against the indoctrination of immorality.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the repose of Metropolitan Vitaly, the fourth first hierarch of the Church Abroad and Archbishop of Montreal and Canada for almost forty years. We call on everyone to keep him in their prayers.

As a diocese we want to address the subject of the upcoming “Great and Holy Council” in June of 2016 in Crete. Joining our voices to the many bishops, theologians, priests, and faithful around the world, we want to express our concern with certain pre-conciliar texts. We urge the adoption of theological terminology that is unequivocal about the Orthodox Church’s self-identity as the “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church,” which remains ever undivided, though many have separated themselves from Her.

Dear brothers and sisters let us strive for a life of purity and holiness as demonstrated by St. Gregory Palamas, the ascetic and pillar of the Church, who’s memory we celebrate on the second Sunday of Lent, and to put into practice the words which the Church sings yearly on the Sunday of Orthodoxy:
Let us now set out with joy upon [the time] of the Fast; and like Elijah… let us fashion for ourselves … a fiery chariot from the four great virtues; let us exalt our minds through freedom from the passions; let us arm our flesh with purity and our hands with acts of compassion; let us make our feet beautiful with the preaching of the Gospel; and let us put the enemy to flight and gain victory. (Stichira at ‘Lord I have cried’ at Vespers of the first Sunday of Lent)

Changes in the Pilgrimage program to Holy Land

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land has always been, is and will be the greatest dream for every
Orthodox Christian. To be able to venerate sites blessed by the presence of the Saviour, Our Lord
Jesus Christ Himself, His Most Pure Mother, and the Holy Spirit Which descended on Sinai on
Pentecost, is an honour and a gift from God. The forth pilgrimage to the Holy Land for parishioners of the Canadian Diocese
will take place from

MAY 26-JUNE 11, 2016

The Canadian Pilgrimage will be led by our own Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada.
At this time our pilgrimage will includes the holy places of the Holy Land. The group will fly non-stop Toronto
to Tel-Aviv on Air Canada (We will return to Toronto from Tel Aviv). Connecting flights from New York, Ottawa,
Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and other cities are being arranged. The group’s itinerary for the
Holy Land is being planned by the nuns of the Gethsemane Convent, who have been organizing such visits for
North American pilgrims for many years. Participants will stay at the Mount of Olives Hotel, which is near the
Convents of the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane.
THE COST OF THE TRIP IS US $3,600 AND INCLUDES:
– Airfare from Toronto to Tel Aviv and from Tel Aviv to Toronto
– Ground transportation throughout the Holy Land
– All scheduled visits to holy sites and services, accommodation and
meals

Parishioners interested in joining the pilgrimage are asked to contact
Peter Antonoff (410–2855 Bloor St. W., Toronto Ontario, M8X 3A1)
Mobile – 416-407-1102 E-mail: pantonoff@rogers.com
Please mail your deposit cheques for US $500 payable to the Montreal and
Canadian Diocese to Peter Antonoff’s address (410–2855 Bloor St. W., Toronto
Ontario, M8X 3A1)

Pilgrimage announcement 2016

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land has always been, is and will be the greatest dream for every Orthodox Christian. To be able to venerate sites blessed by the presence of the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, His Most Pure Mother, and the Holy Spirit Which descended on Sinai on Pentecost, is an honour and a gift from God.

The forth pilgrimage to the Holy Land for parishioners of the Canadian Diocese will take place from

MAY 23-JUNE 11, 2016

The Canadian Pilgrimage will be led by our own Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada.
At this time our pilgrimage will includes the holy places of the Constantinople (Istanbul) from 24th to 27th of May. The group will fly non-stop Toronto to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines (We will return to Toronto from Tel Aviv). Connecting flights from New York, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and other cities are being arranged. The group’s itinerary for the Holy Land is being planned by the nuns of the Gethsemane Convent, who have been organizing such visits for North American pilgrims for many years. Participants will stay at the Mount of Olives Hotel, which is near the Convents of the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane.

THE COST OF THE TRIP IS US $3,975 AND INCLUDES:

Airfare from Toronto to Istanbul, from Istanbul to Tel Aviv and from Tel Aviv to Toronto
Ground transportation throughout the Holy Land and Constantinople
All scheduled visits to holy sites and services, accommodation and meals

Parishioners interested in joining the pilgrimage are asked to contact
Peter Antonoff (410–2855 Bloor St. W., Toronto Ontario, M8X 3A1)
Mobile – 416-407-1102 E-mail: pantonoff@rogers.com
Please mail your deposit cheques for US $500 payable to the Montreal and Canadian Diocese to Peter Antonoff’s address (410–2855 Bloor St. W., Toronto Ontario, M8X 3A1)

Parish Feastday in Hamilton, Church of the Protection of the Mother of God.

Photo Gallery

Parish Feastday in Ottawa

On October 16-18, a triple celebration took place at the the Protection of the Mother of God Parish in Ottawa: the parish celebrated its parish feastday, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the parish, and the 1000th anniversary of the blessed repose of St. Vladimir, the baptizer of Russia. To mark these special events two large icons had been commissioned – one of Sts. Vladimir and Olga, the other – of the Life-Giving Trinity.
The participants of the parish celebrations were blessed by the presence of the miracle-working icon ‘Softener of Evil Hearts’ at all the festive church services, beginning with an akathist on Friday night.

His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, along with Archbishop Gabriel, presided over the services on Saturday and Sunday. They were assisted by the parish clergy Fr. Alexis Pjawka and Protodeacon Fr. Vasily Milonow, as well as visiting clergy: Fr. Vladimir Malchenko from Toronto, Ontario, the dean of eastern Canada; Fr. Peter Perekrestov from San Francisco, California; Fr. George Lagodich and Fr. Valery Chemsky from Montreal, Quebec; Fr. Peter Boitchuk from the Moscow Patriarchate parish in Ottawa; Fr. Protodeacon Victor Lochmatow from Jordanville, New York; and Fr. Deacon Denis Lvov from New York. The choir sang under the direction of Julia Krukouskaia.

A moleben and procession took place after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, despite some snow flurries. After the service, a banquet and concert were held in the Pushkin Cultural Centre. The children’s choir of the parish sang the troparion to the Protection of the Mother of God in both Church Slavonic and English and a women’s trio performed several sacred pieces and Russian folk songs. Concluding the concert was the performance of young parishioner and accomplished pianist Leonid Nediak, who delighted the guests with his interpretation of Rachmaninoff.

The parishioners of the parish thank God for the many mercies He has shown the faithful in Ottawa throughout the parish’s history, and pray that He continue to bless the parish in the future.

A photo report of the parish feast can be viewed at: www.facebook.com/pokrovottawa.

Resolution of the Pastoral Retreat & Assembly Of the Priests & Clergy of the Diocese of Montréal & Canada March, 2015

Resolution of the Clergy of the Montreal and Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Outside of Russia

Ottawa, Ontario

March 9-11, 2015

We, the clergy of the Diocese of Montreal and Canada of the Russian Orthodox Church, gathered together in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, at the parish of the Protection of the Virgin Mary, under the chairmanship of his grace Archbishop Gabriel. It is meaningful that in 2015, when the Church is celebrating the 1000-year anniversary of the repose of St. Vladimir, the baptizer of Russia, we held our annual clergy retreat in the Ottawa parish whose church was built as a memorial to the baptism of Russia.

The Church beautifully sums up how we should spend our time during this Lenten season in the following hymn: “Come, ye faithful, … let us cast away every unjust accusation against our neighbour, … Let us lay aside the pleasures of the flesh, and increase the spiritual gifts of our soul. Let us give bread to those in need, and let us draw near unto Christ, crying in penitence: O our God, have mercy on us” (Stichiron at “Lord I have cried” on Friday of the first week of Great Lent). We thank God that during our gathering we were able to put some of these words into practice by cleansing our souls through the sacrament of confession and growing spiritually through prayer at the divine services and Communion of Christ’s Body and Blood at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. We call upon our flock to remember the central importance of the Divine Mysteries in our spiritual lives and to prepare for Communion accordingly, through fasting, prayer both at home and at church and heartfelt confession.

With sorrow we observe that the conflict in eastern Ukraine has not completely subsided and that Orthodox Christians as well as other peoples continue to suffer both physical and spiritual hardships. We fervently pray that our Lord grant not only peace to Ukraine, but also that He strengthen the canonical Church in that land.

The recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada to strike down the ban on assisted suicide brings pain to our hearts. At the church services of Great Lent, we are constantly reminded of the physical and spiritual struggles that the martyrs endured for Christ. We call upon all God-fearing people to cherish life, the most precious gift given to us from God, and to emulate the holy martyrs by enduring until the end any suffering that the Lord may send us. Only in this way will we show our spiritual courage and defeat the devil.

Despite these sad, events the Church, including our diocese, continues to be like that candle on a candlestick that gives light to the whole house (Matthew 5:15). With joy we see that our St. Tikhon Patriarch of Moscow Russian Orthodox parish in Waterloo, Ontario has acquired a new and permanent church building. It is fitting that this has happened in the year when we celebrate the 90th anniversary of St. Tikhon’s blessed repose. We are optimistic that, with God’s help, our new communities in Red Deer, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan will continue to grow and with time will flourish, just like the parish of St. Tikhon in Waterloo. We also give thanks to our Saviour and His most pure Mother that this year our parish in Ottawa, Ontario is celebrating 50 years of existence, while the parish of All Saints in Calgary, Alberta is marking its 85th anniversary. We also note that the annual music conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia will be held in Calgary this year.

Finally, we ask that all faithful members of the Russian Orthodox Church join us in praying for the health of our beloved first-hierarch Metropolitan Hilarion.

May the Lord God bless all of you and give you the strength to complete this lenten season in a spiritually profitable way and joyfully meet the bright feast of Pascha.

23 item(s)

Notice of the Pastoral Retreat & Assembly Of the Priests & Clergy of the Diocese of Montréal & Canada March, 2015

Notice
You are hereby informed that, between 24 February/9 March and 26 February/11 March (Monday-Wednesday) 2015, at the Protection of the Holy Virgin Memorial Church, (99 Stonehurst Ave., Ottawa, Ont. K1Y 4R6), the Yearly Clergy Conference and Annual Pastoral Lenten Retreat will be held under my presidency, in conjunction with the annual Lenten Retreat of the Clergy of the Diocese of Canada.

The annual meeting of the Brotherhood of St. Job of Pochaev will take place later in Montréal (Quebec).

Participation in both the Conference and the Clergy Retreat are obligatory for all clergymen of the Diocese. If, for some important reason, it prove impossible to travel to Ottawa on the designated days, we ask that you inform us well in advance, in writing, at the address of the Diocesan Administration, detailing such reasons.

All the questions regarding arrival may be discussed with Diocesan Council Secretary Fr. Alexis Pjawka, tel. 613-316-98; e-mail: fr.alexis@memorialchurch.ca, or with the administrator of the Diocesan Chancellery and my personal secretary, subdeacon Yuri G. Miloslavsky at the above address, phone number, and e-mail address of the chancellery of the Diocesan Administration in Montreal.
We remind our clergy that they should bring with them vestments of a lenten color (black or, if black is unavailable, purple).

Below find a tentative agenda for our meeting in Ottawa
Monday, 24 February/9 March
4:00 PM Gathering of the participants at the Protection of the Holy Virgin Memorial Church
4:30 Coffee/Tea
5:00 Prayer & Convocation of the Conference
7:00 Supper
7:30 Great Compline

Tuesday, 25 February/10 March
8:00 AM Morning Prayers
8:30 Breakfast/Coffee/Tea
9:00 Continuation of the Conference’s Deliberations
1:00 PM Luncheon & Break
3:00 Resumption of the Conference’s Work
5:00 Coffee/Tea
5:15 Resumption of the Conference’s Work
7:00 Supper
7:30 Matins & Confession

Wednesday, 26 February/11 March
8:00 AM Greeting of the Bishop; Hours; Hierarchal Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
12:00 Luncheon
1:00 PM Prayer & Departure

Participants will be informed in greater detail of the sequence of sessions.

+Gabriel, Archbishop of Montréal & Canada
18/31 January 2015