CANADIAN DIOCESE: 21 October 2022
Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada visits the Canadian capital

On 14 October, 2022, the feastday of the Protection of the Most-Holy Theotokos, the Russian Orthodox Church in Ottawa celebrated its parish feast day.

His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada made a pastoral visit to the parish and officiated at the festive divine services. On the eve of the feast Archbishop Gabriel, assisted by the parish clergy and guests from the neighboring parish of St Xenia, served all-night vigil.

On the feast itself, Archbishop Gabriel celebrated Divine Liturgy. He was assisted by Archpriest Oleg Mironov, rector of St Xenia church in Kanata, Priest Alexis Pjawka, Acting Rector of the Protection church in Ottawa, Priest Ephraim Willmarth, cleric of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, Protodeacon Vasily Milonow, cleric of St Xenia church in Kanata, and Protodeacon Alexander Zakharov. During Divine Liturgy Fr Alexis was raised to the rank of archpriest. After the singing of "It is truly meet," subdeacon Andrey Anishchenko was ordained a deacon. The choir sang prayerfully under the direction of the parish choir director, Julia Krukovskaia. After the service, Archbishop Gabriel addressed the faithful with a sermon and congratulated the parishioners with the feast. Following the sermon, a moleben was served with procession around the church.

After the conclusion of the Liturgy, a festive meal, prepared by the parish sisterhood, was held in the church hall.

On Saturday and Sunday, October 15-16, His Eminence led divine services at the Church of St Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg in Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa. The archpastoral visit to this church, which turned a quarter of a century this year, was of particular importance. As already reported, the parish of the Church of St Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg on the Nativity of the St John the Baptist this summer, after many years of belonging to an uncanonical entity, returned, by the grace of God, to the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and again became part of its God-saved Canadian diocese.

During the Saturday all-night vigil and at the Sunday Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel served with the rector of the Church of St Blessed Xenia, Fr Oleg and Protodeacon Vasily. In his sermon at the end of the Liturgy, Archbishop Gabriel first congratulated all clergy and parishioners of the Church of St Blessed Xenia on their return to the bosom of ROCOR, and also noted that he reported on this important event to the Council of Bishops, which was held in September in New York. This message evoked joyful responses from all the participants in the Council. Thanking the Lord, they, in turn, asked to convey their greetings to the priest and all parishioners. Archbishop Gabriel dwelled in particular on the necessary condition for our salvation: the presence within the enclosure of the Holy Apostolic Church.