Ottawa ON Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg Russian Orthodox Church 1988

Ottawa, Ontario, Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg Russian Orthodox Church, 1988

Prehistory

In 1988, a group of about 50 adults and children, most of whom lived in the western part of the National Capital Region, with the blessing of Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov), formed an Orthodox mission in the region of Kanata, Ontario, Canada (a western suburb of Ottawa). Initially, reader’s services were held in parishioners’ homes.

Then, the Priest Gerasimos Kambites returned from Uganda, Africa, where he had been working since 1981 as a missionary priest and physician in Uganda. At that time, Sunday and festal Divine Liturgies were able to be served (as much as his busy schedule permitted).

Founding the parish ; Temple and rectory, 1989

In August, 1989, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in New York City gave the blessing for the community to operate as a regular parish. Services were held in a small, temporary chapel in Father Gerasimos’ basement. It was here that the community, which earlier had been tentatively named in honour of the Holy Transfiguration and later the New Martyrs of Russia, definitively chose its name. Parishioners sought a patron saint, but they could not agree on a saint or feast. When they were asked to submit suggestions, 17 were proposed. The solution was to write each of the names on a slip of paper and place the slips into a spare chalice, which stood on the Altar-table during the Divine Liturgy. At the end of the Liturgy, the celebrating priest, the late Father Alexis Guerbilsky of Montréal, Québec (who often served in this parish), invited the youngest member of the parish, a little girl of about 2 years of age, to pull a name from the chalice. The name that Father Alexis read out was that of Saint Xenia. There was a gasp, a silence, and then tears of joy, and of simple concord.

Not long after this, the growing parish began to rent the historic “Old March Town Hall” in northern Kanata for Sunday morning Divine Liturgies. Each week, setting up and taking down its temporary iconostas and other church furnishings was required. Although the premises were comfortable, they were not “home”, and the arrangement proved to be difficult. After searching the west end of the city, the parish, in the autumn of 1990, negotiated, with a federal agency, a very favourable lease on an abandoned one-room schoolhouse. This property, while modest, had an office, an attached trailer which was to house a parish hall and kitchen, and sufficient grounds for parish events such as picnics, and for parking.

With each parishioner contributing his or her own talents, the classroom was quickly converted into an accommodating chapel. The walls were adorned, an iconostas built (which is still in use at the temporary Montréal cathedral in Lachine, Québec), and icons, books, furnishings and vessels were collected and brought into the little Temple. The parish received assistance in the form of gifts of church items from neighbouring parishes in London, Toronto, Ontario, and Montréal, Québec. The first services were held for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in 1991.

Full-time priest

As the parish and its liturgical needs grew, it became clear that a full-time priest was required. With the agreement and blessing of Archbishop Alypy (Gamanovich), Father German Ciuba, then serving in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was invited to become the rector. Father German arrived during Great Lent of 1991. Under his spiritual leadership the parish flourished. There was now a full cycle of services ; the choirs, including mixed, men’s, and children’s, became very proficient. They sang not only at Saint Xenia’s, but also from time to time were invited to sing in other churches. Father German organised a parish school for the children.

The parish began its tradition of the annual “Bliny” fundraiser (a pre-Lent pancake-dinner), which became the primary source of outside income. The sisterhood embarked on many ambitious fundraising programmes (such as church picnics), which were aimed at beautifying the little church. A parishioner-iconographer, originally from Russia, began to paint icons in the traditional style, using egg tempera paints.

Although the little schoolhouse Temple had a very prayerful and warm atmosphere, it was becoming inadequate for the parish’s expanding needs. At the same time, it was quite an old building with fundamental maintenance problems which the government did not wish to correct. The parish repaired the furnace and replaced the roof, but more could not be afforded.

Therefore, in 1994, a building committee was formed in order to consider alternatives including construction of a new church. However, the latter alternative was at that time beyond the realm of the parish’s realistic possibilities.

One very cold evening in late January, 1995, there was a great tribulation. In the middle of the night the alarm went off, and when parishioners arrived at the Temple, they found that the plumbing had frozen and then burst, and water and other effluent had flooded the building. While they laboured to clear the debris and limit the damage, one of the older members began to pray through his tears,

 'Saint Xenia, you have not abandoned us in the past.  Please help us now ! We need a new church where we can 
 glorify God and praise you fittingly !'

Saint Xenia heard this prayer. Less than 2 weeks later, a man miraculously came into a very large amount of money, which he immediately pledged to cover the cost of the construction of a new Temple.

Building the Temple, 1995

A serious building committee was formed. Their first task was to obtain the metropolitan’s blessing. The committee visited Vladyka Vitaly (Ustinov) in Montréal, Québec, where he received them warmly and approved the building of a new Temple. His conditions were that it be in the western part of the capital region, and that it have one helmet-shaped dome in the tradition of ancient Russian church architecture.

A suitable plot of land (about 1.25 acres in size) was found in an undeveloped area which was slated to become part of the new city centre of Kanata. Because of many stipulations from the area’s developers and city government, the purchase took a long time to complete. In the meantime, the committee considered design ideas which would meet Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov)’s conditions. The iconographer of the parish suggested that the Temple be modelled on Saint George’s Sobor in Yuriev-Polskoy, not far from Moscow. Originally built in 1230-34, it is a stone church with two prominent features : its massive cupola, and its carved exterior, the most ornate of all Russian churches, being completely covered in bas-relief. In 1471, the upper part of the structure collapsed and was rebuilt several times over the next decade, resulting in the Temple as it stands today.

This design was accepted. Once an architect considered capable of rendering the church was found, he worked closely with the committee to ensure that the design of the new Saint Xenia Temple would retain the main proportions of Saint George’s church, including the dome and wings, while incorporating contemporary design, material and colour requirements, accessibility features (ramps, washrooms), and a parish hall and kitchen below. Because the parish valued its choral tradition, great care was taken to ensure that the acoustical properties of the Temple would be worthy of the building itself.

The autumn and winter of 1995-96 were anxious ; but the land purchase finally went through, as did the approval of the final design by the City of Kanata and, most importantly, of Metropolitan Vitaly.

The site was blessed in May, 1996, and construction on the Temple and rectory began immediately. In mid-summer, Metropolitan Vitaly presided over the “Service of the Blessing of the Foundation-stone” ("zakladka"), during which the metropolitan placed the Holy Relics of the Holy New-Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth into the stone. Another important event during the construction was the blessing and raising of the Cross and dome in September.

By the time the cold weather arrived, the exterior had been completed and the Temple was sealed. Work continued through the winter on building systems, drywall, flooring and finishing, and the iconostas. The congregation finally got the news in January that the move into the new the Temple could take place in a few weeks. In the last week of January, after the final service at the old Temple, parishioners began to remove, with great sadness, all the church-related items. This sadness turned to joy as they were carried into the new building. The first services were held in February, 1997.

It was interesting to note that the parishioners and priest, who had visited the site nearly every Sunday after the Divine Liturgy since the beginning of the construction, were in awe of their new surroundings. For the first time, it was clear that this was not just a building site but a Temple. After the first beautiful Vigil, Father German remarked, “I neither knew in which church I was serving, nor recognized which choir was singing”.

Since 1997, parish life has continued apace. Beautification of the Temple has continued. The icons for the iconostas were all pledged and they were completed. The screen itself was then decorated with iconographic ornamentation. New candle-stands and analogia were built. There was consideration about having the entire interior frescoed in the future.

The congregation had by then nearly tripled in size. To raise funds, the sisterhood organised not only the Bliny fundraiser, but also picnics, the Pelmeni festival and bake sales. They also published a cookbook, “From our Russian Roots”. The choir continues to be one of the joys of the parish, and gave a concert at the church in 1997, a recording of which is available. That same year, the parish hosted the Eleventh Annual Russian Orthodox Musicians’ Conference, with the voices of over 125 attendees filling the Temple with their beautiful chanting at the Divine Services.

In late 1997, Father German returned to the USA, where he was assigned to the parish in Old Forge, Pennsylvania. Father Mark Burachek was then assigned to be the rector of this parish. He came from Paterson, New Jersey, and served as the priest for 6 years. In the winter of 2004, Father Mark was transferred to Lady of Kazan Church in New Jersey. Father Viatcheslav Davidenko came from Atlanta, Georgia to replace him, but he left in 2007.

Temple exterior

Iconostas

Separation from the ROCOR, move to the ROCA, 2007

By this time, the parish had moved from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (a schism from the ROCOR). After a short period of uncertainty with respect to long-term priest assignments, Father Oleg Mironov from Voronezh in Russia was assigned to be the priest. Archbishop Andronik (Kotliaroff) elevated the status of the Temple to a cathedral by choosing it as the seat of the Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.

The Parish of Saint Xenia was honoured to host its second major Orthodox gathering when it welcomed young Orthodox Christians to the Saint Herman’s Youth Conference in December, 2000, the first time this conference had been held in Canada.

The Parish of Saint Xenia considered herself to be a loyal parish of the remnant Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, which strove faithfully to preserve a visible presence in Canada’s capital city.

Change of jurisdiction : return to ROCOR, 2022

During the summer of 2022, there was a general meeting of the parish, in which it was proposed that the parish leave the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) and return to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). The proposal was accepted at the meeting.

When Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia agreed to this return and blessed it, the parish was formally accepted back into the Diocese of Montreal and Canada of the ROCOR.

Metropolitan Nicholas (Olhovsky) of Eastern America and New York sent formal Greetings to the parish of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg in Kanata on its Altar Feast-day (23 September, 2022).

Archpastoral visitation, 2022

On Saturday and Sunday, 15-16 October, 2022, Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montréal and the Diocese of Canada led divine services at the Temple of Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg in Kanata. The archpastoral visit to this parish, was of particular importance, because this parish (on the Feast of the Nativity of the Saint John the Baptist on 24 June, 2022), after many years of belonging to an uncanonical entity, had returned, by the Grace of God, to the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and it again had become part of its Canadian diocese.

During the Saturday All-night Vigil and at the Sunday Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Gabriel served the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy along with with the rector of the parish of Blessed Saint Xenia, Father Oleg Mironov, and and with Protodeacon Vasily. In his homily at the end of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Gabriel first congratulated all the clergy and parishioners of the Church of Saint Xenia on their return to the bosom of ROCOR. Then he pointed out that he had reported on this important event to the Council of Bishops, which was held in September in New York. This message had evoked joyful responses from all the participants in the Council. Thanking the Lord, they, in turn, asked Vladyka Gabriel to convey their greetings to the priest and all parishioners. Archbishop Gabriel dwelt in particular on the necessary condition for our salvation : to be present within the enclosure of the Holy Apostolic Church.

Parish Sisterhood of the Myrrh-bearing Women, 1988

The Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg parish has an invaluable and active sisterhood. The sisterhood’s purpose is to help support and maintain the parish and to contribute to its life in general. The patron saints of the sisterhood are the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, whose memory is kept on the second Sunday of the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha.

Some of the responsibilities of the sisterhood include the maintenance of the clerical and church vestments, occasional cleaning and decoration of the Temple in advance of great feast-days and the operation of the bookstore. In order to help raise funds, the sisterhood also provides lunches for parishioners after Sunday Divine Liturgies during the school year. Together with the parish council, it also organises several important parish fundraising events such as a Christmas bazaar, the annual "bliny" pre-Lent dinner, and other events throughout the year.

Particular parish information

This parish is a part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The bishop is Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov).

This parish follows the Old (Julian) Calendar.

The Altar Feast-day is the Feast of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg, 24 January/6 February.

In 2023, the pastor of the parish is the Archpriest Oleg Mironov.

Address :

Saint Xenia Russian Orthodox Cathedral Church

2, Colchester Square

Kanata, Ontario

K2K 2W9

Telephone : (613) 599-9367

Web-site : http://www.stxenia.ca

Facebook

Directions :

By car :

From Ottawa, drive westwards along Highway #417, "The Queensway". After the exits for Pinecrest and Bayshore, keep to the right. (Do not take the exit for Highway #216 south.) Continue straight on westwards along the Queensway until the exit for Eagleson Road. Take this exit, and at the intersection, continue straight on (do not turn) on Campeau Drive. Follow the second exit left onto Colchester Square. The Temple is on the left.

By bus :

Consult OCTranspo. Bus #62 stops near the Temple.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov

Telephone : 613-599-9367

E-mail : fr.olegmironov@gmail.com

North-side view

References

Original article

Additional information :

Kambites, Dr. Gerasimos I, "Tears on the Equator" (Ottawa : Gerasimos Kambites, 2014)

Makovetsky, Archpriest A V, “History of the Russian Church Abroad” (Moscow : Publishing House Peter, 2009). ISBN : 978549807-400-9. (in Russian)

Seide, Gernot, "History of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia from its Beginnings to the Present : Part IV, Chapter 1.9 – The Dioceses in Australia and New Zealand" (rocorstudies.org)

......, "History of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia from its Beginnings to the Present : Part IV, Chapter 1.5 – The Dioceses in Canada" (rocorstudies.org)

Shchukin, Archpriest Sergei, “A brief History of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, 1922-1972”.

Young, Father Alexey, “The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia : A History and Chronology”

Parish web-site

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia web-site

Wikipedia article about the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)

Montréal and Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia web-site

Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA)

Orthodoxwiki article about the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (ROCiE)

Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (Abroad) Diocese web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Orthodox Church of Russia

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev)

Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov)