Canadian Parish Marks 45 Years With Mortgage Burning Ceremony
After decades of moving from place to place, an Orthodox parish in Kingston finally owns its church debt-free.
KINGSTON, ONTARIO — Parishioners of St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church celebrated a major milestone on May 10 as His Eminence Abp. Irénée ceremonially burned the parish mortgage after the church fully repaid its loan to the archdiocese. The parish is part of the Orthodox Church in America's (OCA) Archdiocese of Canada.
The event took place during the Archbishop’s annual pastoral visit and coincided with the 45th anniversary of the parish’s founding. The celebration also marked the successful conclusion of the four-year “What Can You Do For God’s Kingdom?” capital campaign, which raised funds to repay the remaining $230,000 loan used to purchase the parish’s current property in 2022.
Following the hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Archpriest Andrew Anderson presented a history of the parish, tracing its origins to 1981 when it was founded by Abp. Sylvester of Montréal as an English-speaking Orthodox outreach to students at Queen’s University. For decades, the community worshiped in temporary locations including homes, university chapels, storefronts, and rented spaces before acquiring its present church building and cemetery property on Sydenham Road.
The celebration also included the tonsuring of Rdr. Michael Cochrane during the liturgy. Parish leaders expressed gratitude to God, the Archbishop, and the archdiocese for helping the community finally secure a permanent and debt-free church home.
Previously, the UOJ reported that a ROCOR parish in Kentucky is seeking support to restore a new church building.
