MONTREAL – On the evening of August 14th, Montreal Hellenism had a double celebration. On the one hand, the Feast of the Megalochari, the so-called “Easter of the Summer” for Orthodoxy, and on the other hand the reopening – just after 853 days – of the Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, also known as “Panagitsa” in Parc-Extension.
The Panagitsa was completely destroyed by a fire that broke out on Easter Monday, April 13, 2015. The old church was demolished and four months later, a completely new building was built using the same architectural plans.
Hence, the great thrill for the thousands of Greeks who had crowded the streets around the church beginning early in the afternoon. They were reasonable impatient to see the interior of the new Holy Church.
It was an important moment not only for Hellenism but also for the whole city. On Monday evening, the Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, accompanied by the Mayor of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-
“I was here when the church was destroyed by the flames. I remember the fire breaking the windows and going up the roof and people crying on the sidewalk across the street. The Virgin Mary blessed me to be here today, this brilliant day and venerate the icon again,” Georgios Christogiannis, 67, told The National Herald. Although he does not live in Parc-Extension, Christogiannis visits the area almost every day.
“The Panagia performed a miracle,” Metropolitan of Toronto and All Canada, Sotirios said allegorically for the reopening of the church. Metropolitan Sotirios presided over the Great Vespers.
“Hellenism and Orthodoxy have always shone, continue to shine, and will always shine,” he added, addressing the faithful. Encouraging them to strengthen – “with what they can give, and me first” – the effort to raise money for the completion of the church.
Panagitsa is, after all, not yet ready. The church opened for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on Monday evening – and on Tuesday morning – and will cose again to complete the last phase of the work.
“Even so, however, this corner on St. Roche is a sacred place, a great part of the family history of all of us who have spent most of our lives in Canada,” said Chrysoula Apostolopoulou, grandmother to nine grandchildren, originally from Nafpaktos, while patiently waiting to worship the flower-decked icon of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
The waiting time for entering the church exceeded twenty minutes while the police had shut down all the roads around Ogilvy Street from 7 PM onwards to facilitate the faithful.
At 8:25 PM in the evening, with mild weather, the procession of the icon of the Virgin Mary began with the participation of more than 8,000 faithful, according to the estimates of the church leaders. To a large extent, young people, second-generation and third-generation expatriates, participated along with their children.
Following the icon was Metropolitan Sotirios and the presiding priest of Panagitsa Fr. Nikolaos Papageorgiou together with other priests, Mayor Coderre and the local government officials, the Consul General of Greece in Montreal Nicolas Sigalas, the president of the Hellenic Canadian Congress of Quebec John Theodosopoulos, the Executive Vice-President of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal – representing President Nikos Pagonis – Andreas Crilis, Laval Municipal Councilor Aglaia Revelakis, Regional Council of Laval Chairman Dennis Marinos, members of the board of directors of the Community, representatives of community associations and volunteer networks, etc.
The construction of the new church cost about $2.7 million Canadian and many of the faithful noticed the building has a modern fire detection and fire protection system so that the catastrophe similar to 2015 will not happen again.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, in his brief communication with Metropolitan Sotirios and with Theodosopoulos and Crilis congratulated them on the new church, but also for the quick reaction that the leaders of the Greek community of the city and the Holy Metropolis showed after the fire.
The Panagitsa, according to the plans of the Hellenic Community, will be officially opened in September, after completion of work on the central façade and part of the interior of the church.
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