Ontario Celebrates Inaugural Orthodox Christian Week

OCP News Service – 25/04/2025

Queen’s Park – Toronto:  Ontario is celebrating its first annual Orthodox Christian Week, a newly established week of recognition that coincides with Orthodox Bright Week. The commemoration became official in December 2024 following the unanimous support for Bill 167: Orthodox Christian Week Act, introduced by Serbian Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Tom Rakocevic.

The purpose of Orthodox Christian Week is to “share awareness of the faith, and knowledge of the contributions its followers have made here in Ontario and worldwide,” according to ontariondp.ca. MPP Rakocevic highlighted the significance of the nearly one million Orthodox Christians in Canada, most of whom reside in Ontario, stating, “We are part of the rich cultural mosaic of our great country, and are now recognized. I deeply thank all who worked with me to make Orthodox Christian Week a reality.”   

To mark this inaugural year, Orthodox clergy from various jurisdictions gathered at Queen’s Park, the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, on Tuesday, April 22,2025. Representatives from the Georgian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church in America, Romanian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Constantinople), Serbian Orthodox Church, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Malankara (Indian) Orthodox churches were recognized.  

The passage of Bill 167 underscores Ontario’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, acknowledging the vibrant role and contributions of Orthodox Christian communities to the province’s cultural landscape. This new legislation is expected to foster community events, programs, and interfaith dialogues, further enriching Ontario’s multicultural society.

Source: OCP News Service