Doors Open

On June 3, 2012, the Day of the Holy Trinity, His Eminence Iov, Bishop of Kashira served a Divine Liturgy in the Holy Trinity parish in the Wostok area.

After congratulating the parishioners Bishop Iov mentioned that this church became a place of God’s Revelation and Invitation to become a member of the Authentic Holy Orthodox Church for the many immigrants from Ukraine.

The wooden church of the Holy Trinity is the first Orthodox church in Canada. It was consecrated on September 8, 1901 by St. Tikhon, who later became the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus. From that time the Parish of the Holy Trinity became the center of religious life in the Western Canada.

This day was the final day of the traditional Doors Open action, which took place from June 1 till June 3. 7 Parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate, which are located in the Lamont county took part in this cultural event.

Many parishioners volunteered to show and explain to visitors the Orthodox Christian tradition and Church teaching, including theology and iconography. They explained that the first Ukrainian settlers aimed at building and decorating a church with an utmost beauty and splendour to glorify and thank God for His rich mercies. They often named a newly built church in Canada the same name as the church they belonged to back in Ukraine.

This year as much as 37 churches participated in the Doors Open event. An informative guide was printed and distributed in order to help all those interested in visiting the churches during the days of the event.