Save as PDFArchpastoral Greeting on the 50th anniversary of St Mary’s Church
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Very Reverend Rector Fr. Igor, dear Mr. President and Board Members, dear brothers and sisters. I congratulate you with today’s festive service on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the blessing of this temple named after the “Nativity of the Holy Theotokos“ in Nisku!
The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary
The birth of the future Mother of God, which we are beginning to celebrate, is not only a simple appearance of just another person on earth. It is also the arrival on earth of the first real temple of God. The first temples of the Old Testament, notably, the movable temple (or tent) in the Sinai desert, and the stone temple in Jerusalem, built by Solomon, were only mere images of the Virgin Mother of God.
The Holy Virgin Mary became the first, among living people, Temple of God. This is a very great miracle on earth: the little holy girl bui8lt a temple inside Herself into which entered a limitless God. With great difficulty She prepared inside of herself a place for God. With the help of Her parents Joachim and Anna, She continually embellished Herself with purity, holiness, love, and obedience to the will of God. At the moment of ‘Annunciation’ the Holy Spirit blessed the physical temple of the Pre-Eternal Virgin in which God the Saviour Himself entered. The Son of God found the best place, inside of Her womb before His own nativity on earth. Since then, the day of the birth of the Virgin Mary has become a source of great eternal joy for Venerable Joachim and Anna and all Christians!
Those parishioners who built this temple and were present of the day it was consecrated, also felt great joy on that day. This joy was not only felt by the Russian Patriarchal Church of Canada, but on a world scale, like the joy felt by Joachim and Anna the parents of the Virgin Mary. Another House of God in which people became ‘children of Christ’ was added on earth.
When people live with God according to His teachings, then according to His promise, they happily and joyfully “fill the earth” (Gen.1,28). So, in reality, it was after the arrival of our pioneers from the ‘Old Country’ into Canada. Very quickly the first church became crowded necessitating the building of a new larger temple for worshiping.
St. Mary’s Russian Greek Orthodox Church. Nisku. May 23, 1965-June 19, 1966,
This temple was built and blessed at a complicated time for the Russian Church. When, in our homeland, the atheistic government once again began to close and destroy temples. Fifty years ago, the building and blessing of this temple served as proof of Christ’s truthful words “that the gates of hell could not prevail over His Church“. The building of this church, as In all good deeds, was not an easy task. The temple was built not only from revenues acquired from donations bu also form sales of cakes and cabbage rolls made by the sisterhood of this parish. The most important fact is that the parishioners built this temple peacefully and with strong faith. The Church constantly prays for them during the liturgy calling them “Blessed Builders“.
Today, all those from neighboring Jaroslaw in Galicia, who lye here in the parish cemetery, celebrate with us the 50th anniversary of the blessing of this temple. It is also their feast! At the beginning of the 20th century, they founded the first temple on grounds donated by Theodor Fuhr. Bishop Tikhon, later Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, blessed them and gave them certificates of recognition. All builders of God’s temples and even their children receive eternal rewards from Christ Himself in Heaven. These rewards are the following: Eternal Life, God’s Blessing, Spiritual Happiness and Benefits.
This temple was blessed on June 19th, 1966, by the first Hierarch of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada, his Eminence Archbishop Panteleimon, who after his passing is laying facing the entrance doors of this temple and always blessing all those entering to participate in the liturgy.
Today in this temple, let us renew God’s temple in our soul with the help of holiness and cleanliness. Let us embellish our temple as did the Virgin Mary who constantly found Herself in Jerusalem’s temple in order to pray and learn the Scriptures. While building a new temple in our life, let us with all our mind and thought serve God. Our life must become a constant service to God. May the Holy Trinity always reside in the temple of our soul: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in this wonderful temple celebrating its anniversary may there appear new parishioners to serve God till the end of this century. Amen. С праздником!
Iov, Bishop of Kashira, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada.
Nisku, September 18th, 2016.