Gatineau QC Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Church 2007
Gatineau, Québec, Romanian Orthodox Church of Saint Mary, 2007
Preparation
The Nativity of the Theotokos parish, known as "The Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox parish in the City of Gatineau, Québec, Canada, was founded in autumn, 2007, following the initiative of a group of faithful Romanians in the National Capital Region of Canada. Thus, on 20 October, 2007, after a biannual meeting of the Eastern Canada Deanery (which was held at the Holy Resurrection Church in Hamilton, Ontario), the priest Teofil Arsene received the blessing of Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) to study the possibility of creating a mission-parish in the Outaouais region of Québec.
Founding the parish, 2007
On 28 October, 2007, the Priest Teofil Arsene convened a meeting of Romanians in Gatineau in the conference hall of the Hotel "Les Suites Victoria" in Hull (Gatineau), in order to explore the possibility of creating a Romanian Orthodox parish in this area. After the discussions, those present at this meeting (11 families) felt favourable about the establishment of a parish in Gatineau. The steps stipulated in the Statute of the organisation of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas about the establishment of new parishes were followed. On 20 December, 2007, following the decision of the Archdiocesan Council of the archdiocese, the group received the blessing to begin this mission. The Archpriest George Chişcă (of the Saint John the Baptist parish in Montréal) sent words specifying that it was the 33rd parish founded in Canada in the archdiocese.
Services begin
The first service of the new mission was offered on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, 25 December, 2007, in the Roman Catholic church of Saint Jean Bosco in Gatineau (Hull). Amongst those attending was Her Excellency, Elena Stefoi, the Ambassador of Romania in Canada.
On 17 January, 2008, the mission received a charter from the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas that the parish being developed would be named "Saint Mary : Birth of the Mother of God" (that is, the Temple of Saint Mary, with the Feast-day of the Nativity of the Theotokos). On 1 April, 2008, the mission of Saint Mary was registered according to the Law For Religious Corporations of the Province of Québec under the name : "Église orthodoxe roumaine Sainte Marie / Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Church". In the summer of that year, the mission received the legal recognition of the Federal Government of Canada, through the Canada Revenue Agency, thus giving them the right to issue tax receipts for donations.
From the beginning, the members of the new mission had the desire to have a Temple of their own in which to pray and to glorify God. They wanted to bequeath it to their children as a sign of their desire to preserve their values within the religious, cultural and national multi-cultural mosaic in Canada. Thus, even in the first months after its establishment, the mission members made 2 offers to purchase the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical complex of Saint Jean Bosco and Saint Raymond, but the offers were rejected by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hull. Then, by the careful spiritual labours of Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) and Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru), the efforts towards finding a space to build or to arrange an Orthodox church continued with ardour.
Purchase of the Temple ; renovating the building, 2010
In August 2010, the papers were signed for the purchase of the former Roman Catholic church "Saint Jean Bosco" (where the mission was founded and where the first Divine Liturgy was served) as a place of worship for the Saint Mary parish. In fact, the ecclesiastical complex "Saint Jean Bosco" (church and buildings) had been sold by the Roman Catholic diocese in March, 2008, to a businessman who transformed the office of the church, classrooms and other spaces into a day centre for the elderly. He then decided to sell the church itself and the accompanying community hall. The initial price asked for the church, community hall and parking was $375,000 whereas the price negotiated by the parish council and accepted by the seller was $350,000. To qualify for a bank mortgage, the mission members made special efforts by donating considerable sums. In the first phase, over $90,000 was gathered in just a few weeks. The Viorel family and Mariana Hudema guaranteed the bank loan with their property.
Immediately afterwards, under the guidance of the Priest Teofil Arsene, work was initiated for the transformation and beautification of the building. These projects were culminated in the summer of 2013 with the installation of a beautiful iconostas and other church furnishings crafted in solid oak, which had been purchased in and transported from Romania. These items were the work of the wood-carver (sculptor) Ionut Hantar of Grumazesti, in Neamţ County. In the spring of 2014, 3 electric chandeliers were installed, along with other items necessary for the proper development of Orthodox worship.
Attached to this building at the east end (facing rue Booth Street) is the "John Bosco Residence". Also at the east end of the building is an entrance to the basement "Saint Vincent de Paul" thrift store.
Sanctification of the Temple, 2014
On 11 May, 2014, the service for the sanctification of the Temple of Saint Mary in Gatineau, Québec was led by Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) and Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru), who were surrounded by a group of priests and a large number of believers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and their surroundings. This sanctification happened during the tenure of Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, during the archiepiscopate of Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) and of his Vicar-Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru) of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas, during the mandate of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, and during the presidency of Traian Băsescu of Romania.
O Lord, remember in Your Kingdom the founders, servants, heirs and benefactors of the Holy Temple of the Nativity of the Mother of God.
Various exterior views
Various interior views
Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, 2016
Through a decision of the Archdiocesan Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, which was held in Hamilton, Ontario, on 1-3 July, 2016, the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada was established. This decision was then approved and blessed by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church at its session of 28-29 October, 2016.
In October, 2016, the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Americas was elevated by the Holy Synod of Bishops in Romania to the status of a Metropolis.
On 30 April, 2017, Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) was formally enthroned, and he was elevated to the dignity of metropolitan. At the same time, the Canadian deaneries were blessed by the Holy Synod of Bishops in Romania to become a diocese. Therefore, all the parishes in Canada became parishes under the omophor of Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru), and a part of the new Canadian diocese.
On 7 May, 2017, Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru) was enthroned as the ruling Bishop of Canada of the new Romanian Diocese of Canada. The Enthronement Divine Liturgy was served at the Church of Saint George in Saint-Hubert, Montréal, Québec. This Temple became the cathedral of the new diocese.
Episcopal visitation, 2019
On Sunday, 8 September, 2019, the Altar Feast-day of the parish was marked and celebrated under the leadership of the diocesan hierarch, Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru). On this occasion, many of the Faithful wore their traditional national attire.
The services began as usual with the serving of the festal Matins, which was followed by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru) served, and he was assisted by Priest Teofil Arsene, and by Priest Gregory Tapuc (rector of the Holy Evangelist Matthew parish in Ottawa, Ontario).
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Ioan-Casian led the service of prayer for the children and youth who were beginning their annual school classes. After the prayers, they were each given a blessing by the bishop as they began their studies. This service was followed immediately by a Memorial Service for the Departed.
The services were followed by a "fraternal agapé" meal in the parish hall.
Parish shop
In the "Church Store" section of the building, the parish offers for sale various religious products for the faithful. These products can be purchased (cash or credit) from the kiosk inside the Temple. The resulting funds are used to support the parish and to diversify the products. Books, icons, devotional aids and other items are made available.
Parish church goods kiosk
Priest Teofil Arsene, 1982
Teofil Arsene was born in 1977, in Iaşi, Romania, the only child of the Priest Basil and Irene Arsene. Raised in the family of a priest, he was inspired from childhood with faith and love for God and for others. He studied in a city school in Suceava. Then, between 1992-1997, he attended the Bishop Dosoftei Theological Seminary in Suçeava. In 1997, he entered the Dumitru Staniloae Orthodox Theological Faculty of Iaşi, in the Department of Pastoral Theology. In 2001, he received a degree in theology. His thesis was about moral discipline.
In 1999, he married Paula Pavel, and they now have 4 children.
In December, 1999, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Metropolitan Daniel (Ciobotea), who later became the patriarch, in the parish "Saints Constantine and Helena" in Netezi, in the deanery of Târgu Neamț in the Neamţ County. This was a newly-founded parish, in which he received the task of building a church.
In August, 2006, Father Teofil came to Canada with his family, and they settled in the city of Gatineau. Being in obedience to the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas, he received the blessing of Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) to attend the parish of Saint Matthew in Ottawa, Ontario. In the following year, he received the present assignment.
In early 2020, the Covid-19 virus made its appearance in Canada, and it quickly became a world-wide pandemic. Because of the rules governing gatherings that were laid down by the provincial and city governments, the parish stopped any further services after 8 March, 2020. Including the rules regarding social distancing, the decreasing numbers permitted for any gathering, and the considerations regarding the health of all concerned, this and other parishes were required to close for a time.
As elsewhere, there was some controversy about the legal requirements.
Particular parish information
This parish is a part of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, in the Romanian Orthodo Metropolis of the Americas. The bishop is Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru).
This parish follows the New (Revised Julian) Calendar.
The Altar Feast-day of this parish is the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, 8 September.
In 2022 the pastor of the parish is the Priest Teofil Arsene.
Address :
Saint Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church
45, rue Saint-Jean Bosco
Gatineau, Québec
J8Y 3G3
Web-site : http://www.sfantamaria.ca
Telephone : 819-684-9999
Fax : 819-684-9944
Directions :
From Ottawa :
From central-west Ottawa, drive across the Chaudière Bridge from Preston/Booth Streets to Boulevard Maisonneuve, turn left on Boulevard Alexandre Taché, and drive to Route #105. Turn right (north) onto Route #105. Drive to Rue Saint-Jean-Bosco and turn left. Drive to Rue Scott. The Temple is on the left.
From central-east Ottawa, drive from Saint Patrick Street across the Alexandra Bridge. Drive straight onto Boulevard des Allumettières (Route #148), past Highway #50 to Route #105. Turn left (south). Drive to Rue Saint-Jean-Bosco and turn right. Drive to Rue Scott. The Temple is on the left.
Office (mailing address) :
Saint Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church
71, Chemin de la Paix
J9B 1A7
46, Guilford-Booth
Gatineau, Québec
J9H 7E8
Telephone : 819-684-9999
Web-site : http://www.sfantamaria.ca
E-mail: tarsene@sfantamaria.ca
References
Original article (Romanian)
Parish web-site (Romanian)
Parish web-site (English)
Parish web-site history (English)
Additional information :
Bugea, Eleanor, “Romanians in Canada” (Michigan : Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, 2009). ISBN : 978-1-929200-14-6.
Pacurariu, Mircea, ‘Romanian Christianity’ in “The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity” (Oxford : John Wiley & Sons, 2007). ISBN 10 : 0631234233 ; ISBN 13 : 9780631234234.
Tarasar, Constance J, ed., "Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America" (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE
Metropolis web-site (in English)
Metropolis listing (in English)
Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada web-site (in English)
Romanian Diocese of Canada web-site news (in English)
Diocese listing (in English)
Orthodoxwiki article about the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas
Wikipedia article about the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas
Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Romania
Metropolitan Bartolomeu (Anania)
Metropolitan Nicolae (Condrea)
The Establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, Hamilton, Ontario (2 July, 2016)
Enthronement of Bishop Ioan-Casian (Tunaru) (7 May, 2017)
The Mother of God honoured as the Patron Saint of the Romanian parish in Gatineau (13 September, 2019)
Canadian Encyclopaedia article about Romanian Canadians