Archpastoral Message of His Grace Iov (Job), Bishop of Kashira, Administrator of the patriarchal Parishes in Canada on the occasion of 100 anniversary of St. Onuphrius Russo – Greek Orthodox Church in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

I congratulate you on the 100th anniversary of our Patriarchal parish! 

Today we have gathered together in a beautiful place on the Canadian prairies to celebrate the birth of our parish – of St. Onuphrius the Great. To celebrate our Patronal Feast and the centenary of our Church.

We lift up to God, Giver of all good things, our common prayers of thanksgiving for this wonderful temple on behalf of many generations of people who received it’s spiritual consolation and eternal life with God. 

A difficult century has flown in the memory of this temple. The Twentieth Century was one of the most tragic centuries in human history. Only faith in God and God’s churches have helped our people to survive in the old Country, and here in the new location in Canada.

During the World Flood, the prototype for the first temple on earth was Noah’s ark of salvation. Today, any church is a ship, sailing in a stormy sea of life, in which we reach the kingdom of God.

In the temple, as in the kingdom of God, we must and can only enter through the narrow gate of faith and love for our Lord. Maybe this is why the temple has a small population. But the temple of God can never be empty. From the time of consecration it is the keeper of the Holy Altar – a holy angel. If the congregation does not come to church, if church worship seldom takes place, the church will always be filled with angels – Guardians of the souls of the parishioners. 

Your ancestors came to Canada with an enormous treasure. This treasure is the Orthodox faith! With this faith, they built the most beautiful buildings in Canada – the temples of God!

Glory of the temple is not in wealth, but according to its purpose – to create the best environment for prayer, to make different people – God’s people. 

And this temple was consecrated in honour of the prophetic Onuphrius the Great, a wonderful saint, worshipped from ancient times in Russia. Onuphrius was one of the great ascetics of the desert monastic lives. Within 60 years he had worked in solitude and silence in the desert … Only one day before his death he saw his people: it was the venerable Pafnutius reproduced here by suggestion of God, to hear the story about the extraordinary life of the ascetic and the angelic burial of his body .. .

St .Onuphrius is very revered in Western Ukraine. In honor of this saint was founded the 400 year old monastery on the border between Poland and Belarus. The monastery was founded on the spot where, out of nowhere sailed a human-size icon. On the icon is seen St. Onuphrius – with an unusually long beard and leaf-covered hips. 

We believe St. Onuphrius helped our first pioneers arrive in Canada, helped them to truly love the land, to build this beautiful temple and keep the Orthodox faith safe – the faith of their fathers and grandfathers. 

During the consecration of the church, we pray: “Lord, strengthen the holy temple that is even before the end of the century.” God grant this holy church will always have liturgy celebrated in it, always have the Word of God preached in it and the believers taking the Fairest gifts of Christ in it – Holy Communion and receive in it prayer to God, help and joy.

Heartfelt thanks to the parish priest of this temple – to Father Igor Kisil and to the Parish Council, who did their utmost to ensure this celebration took place today. 

Once again, I would like to congratulate on this occasion and to thank all our parishioners, benefactors, pious people during this holiday that we today are experiencing in our hearts. May the Lord bless you with happiness, health and welfare for many blessed years!

Job,

Bishop of Kashira, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada

June 25, 2010