Holy Trinity Armenian Church Welcomes Very Rev. Fr. Apgar Hovakimian
Primate of the Armenian Church Canadian Diocese
Press Office
The Holy Trinity Armenian Church Pastor, Parish Council, Diocesan Delegates and the faithful parishioners welcomed the recently elected Primate of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Canada, the Very Rev. Fr. Apgar Hovakimian to Toronto over the weekend of July 5 & 6, 2014.
On Saturday, July 5, the Primate met with the Parish Council members during a warm gathering hosted by the Chairman, Mr. Ohan Ohanessian and his family.
On Sunday, July 6, the Holy Trinity Armenian Church was filled with parishioners, among whom were representatives of the Armenian organizations and associations of Toronto. Primate Hovakimian celebrated Divine Liturgy, assisted by Rev. Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian, the Parish Priest, Deacons and Acolytes. Rev’d Canon Harold J. Nahabedian of the Anglican Church attended the Divine Liturgy as guest clergy. The church choir, conducted by Mr. Shahe Altounian, added even more joyous spirit to this happy occasion.
On behalf of the Parish Council, Auxiliary Committees and the faithful, Fr. Zargarian welcomed Primate Hovakimian to Holy Trinity Armenian Church, congratulated the new Primate on this latest calling in his ministry, and expressed their solidarity as he embarks on leading the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese of Canada. Then he invited the Primate to deliver his sermon.
The Very Rev. Fr. Apgar Hovakimian praised the Lord for guiding him to this path and appreciated His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians for this opportunity given to him to lead the Armenian Church Diocese of Canada.
During his uplifting and positive sermon, Primate Hovakimian reminded the faithful of the long and challenging road the Armenian Apostolic Church has been through over the centuries and how the Church has been a precious tool for our people to pass on the Christian faith from one generation to the next. In this long journey, the Primate stressed, the Church and the faithful continue to overcome the numerous tests and trials and become stronger and more resilient by working together, following the Lord’s path and allowing Him to empower us for whatever stands in our way.At the end of his speech, Primate Hovakimian highly praised the devotion of Fr. Zargarian as well as his love and care towards the Holy Trinity Armenian Church. He appreciated the hard work and dedication of the Parish Council members, the Deacons, choir members, all committees and auxiliary bodies, whose unconditional input towards the betterment of the church mission makes it possible to serve the community in spiritual, cultural and humanitarian areas.
During the Liturgy, a vast number of parishioners received Holy Communion from Very Rev. Fr. Hovakimian. The graduating class of the Church’s St. Sahag – St. Mesrob Armenian Saturday School attended the Divine Liturgy with their teachers and received special blessings. Rev. Archpriest Fr. Zareh Zargarian will be leading the grade eight graduate students and their three teachers on a pilgrimage to Motherland Armenia from July 8 to 23.
All present were invited to a reception in honour of Primate Hovakimian, prepared by the members of the Parish Council and their spouses. There the parishioners had an opportunity to meet and congratulate the Primate and wish him well in his mission. Click here for more photos
