Archbishop Apostolos of Canada made his inaugural pastoral visit to the Greek Orthodox Church of Sts. Panteleimon, Anna and Paraskevi in Markham, Ontario, on Sunday, October 11, 2026. During this visit, he led Orthros and officiated at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
The Archbishop was accompanied by parish priest Fr. Christian Vela and Deacons Christos Bourolias and Spiros Bozikis.
He received a warm welcome from members of the Parish Council, the Philoptochos Society, and many parishioners. Children dressed in traditional Greek attire greeted him at the church entrance while the congregation welcomed him with chants of “Axios!”
Among those present were Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate George Dimitrakopoulos, Andy Seretis, and Ted Papadatos, along with representatives from the Greek Canadian media.
In his sermon, Archbishop Apostolos spoke about the Parable of the Sower, stressing how vital it is to nurture God’s word and hand down the Orthodox faith to future generations.
On this Canadian Thanksgiving holiday weekend, he urged everyone to express gratitude to God for His blessings and commended the parish for its dedication to youth ministry and Greek Orthodox education.
The Archbishop also pointed out how important parents and grandparents are in passing on faith and traditions from the Church. He emphasized that having Christ in family life brings peace, love, forgiveness, and hope.
Mentioning unity within the Church, he said: “This is not my Church. It is our Church. And we must be united.”
Toward the end of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Apostolos offered a special prayer for eight young altar servers whom he blessed with permission to serve at the Holy Altar.
Afterward, Fr. Christian Vela presented an icon featuring the parish’s patron saints as a gift from the community while children and young people handed him a signed welcome card.
The Archbishop expressed his gratitude toward Fr. Christian for his pastoral efforts during this time of Thanksgiving wishes while distributing commemorative icons of Christ Pantocrator to those present.
A reception followed that was organized by Philoptochos Society under its president Elisavet Paravantis.
Durng this gathering Mayor Frank Scarpitti welcomed Archbishop Apostolos to Markham describing how significant this church is for their city as he presented him with a commemorative certificate.
The visit wrapped up with Archbishop Apostolos giving his blessing along with Thanksgiving wishes to everyone in attendance at the parish community.
