Saint George Orthodox Church of Montreal
Since its founding in 1905, Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church of Montreal has been a community that has looked over the well-being of its members at all stages of their lives. It’s a home where Orthodox Christians come to receive spiritual and ethical guidance based on the teachings of the Orthodox Christian faith, to the receive the Sacraments, and heed the call of Christ,
“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“That ye love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).
We are blessed to have several ministry and volunteer programs, giving all members the opportunity to live fully in the life of the Church through worship, witness, service, and fellowship, and be shining examples of the New Commandment given to us by our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Constitution & Purpose
The purpose of Saint George Church is to maintain and preserve the spiritual well-being of its community members, keeping them united, coordinate religious work or activity with the intent of propagating, practicing and forever perpetuating Orthodox Christian religious worship services.
Our Church Building
A major work of the architect Joseph-Raoul Gariépy and interior designer Emmanuel Briffa, the church was constructed in 1939 to serve Canada’s oldest and largest Syro-Lebanese Orthodox community. St. George is the home of many community organizations involved in humanitarian activities, which importantly illustrates the continuity of a cultural tradition within a Canadian context.
Saint George Church was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1999 as a significant symbol of the history and traditions of the Syro-Lebanese community in the country.
When the original wave of Syro-Arab immigration began in Québec in the 1890s, the newcomers associated as one community. Like immigrants everywhere, their first order of business was to establish an organization that would maintain a sense of community and assist new immigrants in establishing themselves. To that end, a “Syrian Benevolent Society” was founded by Rt. Rev. Raphael Hawaweeny in 1896. One of the earliest priests to serve the Montréal community was the Rt. Rev. Ephraim Deebs (later Metropolitan of Akkar).
From 1899 until the early 1900’s, the Orthodox community worshiped under the patronage of St Nicholas, as in New York City. As the population grew, differences led to the separation into two distinct parishes: “St. Nicholas Orthodox Church of Montréal” (founded in 1905 and incorporated in 1910 and later re-named St. George) and “St. Nicholas Orthodox Church of Canada” (which later became St. Nicholas).
Today, 300 million people throughout the world are Eastern Orthodox Christians. The 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches are independently administered and conduct services in dozens of native languages, yet, whether in Athens, Moscow, or Montreal, all Orthodox Christians share the same teachings, sacraments, and liturgies.
