Montreal, October 29, 2025
Photo: mospatusa.com
Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral (Orthodox Church in America), the oldest Orthodox church in Montreal, celebrated its centennial over the weekend of October 25-26.
The anniversary celebrations began Saturday evening with an All-Night Vigil served by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with His Grace Archbishop Irénée of Ottawa and the Archdiocese of Canada, along with numerous clergy from Canada and the United States, reports the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA.
Following the service, the cathedral sisterhood prepared a fraternal meal for the visiting clergy.
On Sunday morning, the cathedral was filled to capacity as Met. Tikhon and Abp. Irénée celebrated the festal Divine Liturgy together with clergy from throughout North America. Both hierarchs conveyed their blessings and greetings to the faithful following the service.
Photo: mospatusa.com
The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America presented the cathedral with a gramota honoring the centennial anniversary.
Also present was Fr. Joshua Genig, Dean of the Central States and Rector of St. Innocent of Irkutsk Parish, who represented His Grace Bishop Matthew of the Patriarchal Parishes. Fr. Joshua read a letter from Bp. Matthew marking the anniversary and the shared history of Orthodox Christians in North America. The letter recalled that the cathedral’s foundation was laid by Holy New Martyr Alexander Hotovitzky, who was the first priest to celebrate Divine Liturgy in Montreal and later became founder and first rector of the Cathedral in New York.
“The glorious jubilee now being celebrated, together with all the stages of the founding of Saints Peter and Paul parish, reminds us of our common history, which spiritually unites all Orthodox Christians on the North American continent,” Bp. Matthew’s letter stated.
Photo: mospatusa.com
In his words following the Liturgy, Abp. Irénée noted that a parish is said to be alive when it produces clergy, and many have come from the cathedral over the past century.
The anniversary services were livestreamed on the cathedral’s YouTube channel:
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The cathedral was founded in the early 1920s by Russian and Ukrainian immigrants who had arrived in Canada before and after the 1917 Revolution, seeking to preserve their Orthodox faith in the New World. The parish initially met in smaller quarters before purchasing the current building from an Anglican congregation in 1924 to accommodate its growing membership. The first Divine Liturgy in Montreal was celebrated by Holy New Martyr Alexander Hotovitzky.
Photo: oca.org
Throughout the decades, the parish was sustained by waves of immigration. The original pre-Revolutionary immigrants were joined by refugees from the Russian Civil War in the 1920s, followed by a significant influx of displaced persons after World War II in the late 1940s and 1950s. These newcomers brought fresh energy and helped reverse a decline in parish membership. The parish maintained active organizations including the St. Catherine Sisterhood and various charitable efforts, with members regularly organizing concerts, fundraisers, and cultural events to support both the church and relief efforts abroad.
Under the leadership of Archbishop Sylvester from 1963 until his retirement, the parish experienced a period of particular stability and growth. The archbishop was known for his charitable work, including the John of Krondstadt Charity Fund which sent aid to Christians in the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, a third wave of immigration from Russia brought new parishioners to the cathedral, ensuring the continuation of its traditions into the next century.
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