Montréal, QC
The first thing I want to do is to say thanks to everyone that came, and especially to the clergy who concelebrated with us today, and that are visitors. It is a special blessing, from my point of view, that everyone came from such distances. One came particularly far to participate in this celebration, and I want to thank Vladyka Iov for coming specially for this feast. Most of all, I want to thank His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, for taking the time in a very busy life to come here to Montréal, and to lead this celebration. It makes all the difference in the world for this one hundredth anniversary that His Beatitude is leading all the events.
The city of Montréal, I often am saying, is truly the heart of Canada. Much of Canada does not necessarily understand or recognise that Montréal is the heart of Canada, but it has been that for about 400 years, so Canada should get used to it. More than that, we have to admit, too, not with any grudge (but with enthusiasm on my part), that where we are right now is the original Canada, and everything else is only an extension. Therefore, if we want to use the expression “the rest of Canada”, that is everything else outside of Québec. I want to say also, that wherever I go, I meet many people who sing the praises of this city because it is a special city. It has a particularly good character although it is not without its problems. No place is without its problems. Human beings are human beings. However, this city is very special in itself. People even like to come here from the States. People come here from everywhere because of the warmth, and the positive character and characters of Montréal.
A long time ago, in the earliest days of Canada, Montréal used to be both the heart and the bank of the country. Then there was a time of troubles when people were “chicken”, and took their money out of Québec. It went to a certain other city on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Much of the money went there, so Montréal lost some of the bank department of the country (although it did not all go away, thank God). Montréal is still partly the bank of Canada. However, even though it lost some of the bank of Canada, it never lost being the heart of Canada, and that is my strong opinion. I will argue with anyone who says that I am wrong.
As for this parish celebrating its 100th anniversary, it is in its own way an expression of the city, and what it is to the rest of the country. This parish has been one of the warmest places in the whole country to me from the first day that I came to this parish (and that is a long time ago). The hospitality of this parish has always been warm, and very Christian, and I am grateful to God for that. I am grateful to God that you are like that. This parish, being 100 years old, is, as we have heard, the first Orthodox parish in Montréal. Thus, this parish is the mother of all the Orthodox churches in this city. By this time, about thirty or so parishes in this region have come from this mother parish of Saints Peter and Paul. In all likelihood, almost everything in eastern Canada comes from this parish. Many more parishes farther west have also sprung from this root.
This cathedral parish has fostered life in the rest of Canada. That was particularly the case in those days when this diocese had very hard times. Twenty, thirty, as much as forty years ago, the diocese was having all sorts of difficulties in its life. However, the glue of the whole diocese was Vladyka Sylvester and this parish together. For many years, this cathedral parish produced the only newsletter that the whole diocese had, because Vladyka Sylvester cared about the diocese, and so did you. Your service to the diocese has been long-standing in many ways as well. Not just a few priests have come from this parish to serve the diocese.
I am grateful to God that so much renewal of life has been happening in this parish as has been described. I am grateful for the potential that this parish has for future service in supporting other work in the diocese. The Lord is renewing your life for a purpose to do even more good work. God bless you all. God protect you all. God save you all.