WELCOME TO THE WEB SITE OF BLESSED SAINT XENIA OF PETERSBURG PARISH IN KANATA (SUBURB OF OTTAWA, CANADA)
Blessed St. Xenia pray unto God for us
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
You are invited to the 20th annual Maslenitsa Festival!

The traditional annual Ottawa
Maslenitsa Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
You are invited to celebrate
it with us, with traditional bliny, live music, auction of Russian
art and a lot more!
Full details are available here.
Nativity Epistle of the Most Reverend Andronik, Archbishop of Syracuse and
St. Nicholas
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The angels of God sang these praises on the night of the Nativity of Christ.
Filled with the same gladness, I, your unworthy servant, congratulate you, my
friends, with the glorious feast day of the Nativity of Christ.
Christ was born to restore the being of the fallen, since mankind in the person
of Adam sinned and lost its original state. The Wisdom of God set forth that the
promised Messiah was born of the Virgin Mary as an ordinary person, but His
birth was extraordinary – without a father and therefore sinless. This is a
hidden secret, exceeding the reason of man, the mystery of incarnation, which
things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12).
In this way, God, through the incarnation of the Son of God, gave us the
opportunity to become the children of God.
What shall we sinners give Him in return? Firstly, to be faithful to Him as He
said in the Apocalypse: be faithful to the end and I shall give thee a crown of
righteousness. Secondly, to correct our sinful lives. Thirdly, to be merciful.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (From the Sermon on the
Mount of our Lord Jesus Christ.)
Once again, I congratulate all you pastors, monastics and brothers and sisters
with the glorious feast day of the Nativity of Christ.
+Andronik
Archbishop of Syracuse and St. Nicholas
Honorable archpastors and pastors, dear brothers and sisters!
The Holy Fathers proclaimed that it is not possible with our inadequate words to
describe the grandeur and significance of the arrival in this world of the
Savior, to Whom the angels sing and Who brings spiritual gifts on earth that are
more valuable than those given by anyone in the human race. What can compare to
His Benevolence, which is a priceless gift for our life in this temporal world
and a promise of eternal life among the angels, praising God?
All of our worldly concerns and all that we possess, our earthly values, hopes
and joys, are nothing compared to this Divine Destiny. We are asked only to love
the incarnate God with all our heart and accept His Divine Providence for us,
while subduing the human will and pride in ourselves.
The Lord cried out with anguish, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chicks under her
wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37) Our duty is to accept without fail
this invaluable desire of God, which concerns itself with our unity with Him and
with each other, so that we do not hear these words of our Savior at the Day of
Judgment in denunciation of us.
So let us do away with our decrepit infirmity and open the doors of our heart to
welcome the Christ Child born in this world, and may our spirit join in angelic
song, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men“
(Luke 2:14).
I congratulate you all, my dear fellow archpastors and pastors and brothers and
sisters with the Nativity of Christ!
+ Agafangel
Metropolitan of Eastern-America and New York,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
Odessa, Nativity of Christ, 2009
Interview
With Metropolitan Agafangel
You may find the interview of
Metropolitan Agafangel at Radio Canada International
here.
Weekly Workshop on Church History and Catechism.
Please be reminded that the
autumn series of workshops lead by Fr. Oleg continues every Monday at 7:00. pm
in the Parish Hall. All interested are welcomed to attend. Please express your
interest to Fr. Oleg in person, at 613.599.9367 or fr.olegmironov@gmail.com
Fr Oleg MIRONOV,
Parish Council and Sisterhood
THE BEATITUDES
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.
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