Sunday of the Orthodoxy celebrated in Montreal
in a pan-Orthodox context
March 13th, 2022
It has become a real tradition in recent years for Sunday of the Orthodoxy to be marked by a pan-Orthodox Vespers in which the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada is involved. And this year, under the auspices of His Grace Ioan Casian, the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada, the tradition (interrupted only by the pandemic) was continued.
The host of the event was this time the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral "Saint Sophia" in Montreal, pastored by Archpriest Volodymyr Kouchnir. Starting at 6:00 pm, the service of the Vespers was performed by the HG Bishop Ioan Casian, surrounded by a group of priests belonging to several Orthodox Sisters Churches, followed by the procession with the Holy Icons.
The hierarch also gave a sermon (in English and French) in which he spoke about the importance of icons in the Eastern tradition, highlighting the defining aspects of the iconoclastic dispute and emphasizing the patristic perspective on the veneration of the Holy Icons. Also, at the end of the service, several prayers of repentance, specific to the liturgical period we are going through were recited, but also prayers for peace.
The Romanian hierarch thanked His Grace Andrei, the Ukrainian Orthodox bishop whose jurisdiction the "Saint Sophia" Cathedral belong to and transmitted a greeting message on his behalf to the participants on this occasion.
The moment ended with a fraternal agape, during which the participants in the service, Romanians, Ukrainians and local believers of other nationalities from the Montreal area had the opportunity to socialize and discuss various topics of a spiritual nature. Thank God for everything!
Notes by Protos. Dr. Maxim Morariu
