Montreal, October 7, 2024
Photo: spc.rs His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church traveled to Canada to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Montreal this past weekend.
The Patriarch arrived on Thursday, October 3, and was welcomed at the Montreal airport by His Eminence Metropolitan Mitrofan of Canada, local clergy, and a group of children parishioners, the Serbian Church reports.
His Holiness was welcomed at Holy Trinity Church the next day with a solemn doxology service.
On Saturday, October 5, Pat. Porfirije presided over the Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity, which has been the home for the Serbian Orthodox in Montreal since 1954. He was joined by Met. Mitrofan, His Eminence Archbishop Irénée of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and His Grace Bishop Nikon, vicar of the Serbian Patriarch, and numerous clerics from various Local Churches.
Following the Liturgy, a banquet was held in honor of the church’s anniversary and the visit of the Serbian primate.
Photo: spc.rs
His Holiness offered the community words of encouragement:
I pray to God that you never turn your backs on one another, but always remain together as a community, just as you are now, and that you share everything you have, especially your inner experiences and inner contents, even when things aren’t going well, when you need each other, as the Apostle Paul said. No one can say they don’t need others. We all need one another. Therefore, share everything you carry within you, as well as what you have and receive to share among yourselves. Blessed are the hands that give. God always gives to the hands that give and to the heart that gives.
His Holiness also visited America earlier this year, and in 2023.
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The Serbian community in Montreal has existed for just over a hundred years. Since 1954, Orthodox Serbs have gathered around the Church of the Holy Trinity. In the unique context of Quebec, where there are two official languages—French and English—the establishment of the Church-School Community has been of exceptional importance for preserving the Orthodox faith, language, and culture of the Serbian people. From its founding to the present day, the Church of the Holy Trinity has represented a second home for Serbs in Montreal. It is a gathering place for Serbs, where the spirit of their homeland prevails, and the Orthodox faith, language, and culture are proudly nurtured and passed on to younger generations.
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