📢 Save the Date – Community Open House!Although it’s still early, summer is flying by, so we wanted to give everyone plenty of notice!This year’s Community Open House will take place on Sunday, September 20, immediately following the Divine Liturgy. By hosting it after church, we’ll have the greatest opportunity for parishioners and visitors to discover everything our ministries and programs have to offer.Each ministry will have a kiosk set up in the hallway behind the banquet hall. This allows those attending memorials or coffee hour to remain comfortably inside, while everyone coming from church can easily browse the displays, meet ministry representatives, and learn how to get involved. We believe this new format will be much more effective than holding the event in the evening.🗓 Mark your calendars: Sunday, September 20, 2026, immediately after the Divine Liturgy. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
August 23 - Our Holy Father Irenaeus, Bishop of LyonsThe Holy Hieromartyr Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor about the year 120, and in his youth was a disciple of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Saint Irenaeus was sent to Lyons in Gaul, to be a fellow labourer of Pothinus, Bishop of Lyons (celebrated June 2), who had also been a disciple of Saint Polycarp. After the martyrdom of Saint Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus succeeded him as Bishop of Lyons. Besides the assaults of paganism, Irenaeus found himself compelled to do battle with many Gnostic heresies, against which he wrote his greatest work, A Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So Called . He was also a peace-maker within the Church. When Victor, Bishop of Rome, was prepared to excommunicate the Christians of Asia Minor for following a different tradition celebrating Pascha, Irenaeus persuaded him to moderate his zeal, and mediated peace. He made Lyons an illustrious bastion of Orthodoxy and a school of piety, and sealed his confession with martyrdom about the year 202, during the reign of Septimius Severus. He is not to be confused with Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Sirmium, also celebrated today, who was beheaded and cast into a river in 304 under Diocletian.
🇬🇷 NOW REGISTERING FOR THE 2026–2027 SCHOOL YEAR! 🇬🇷Give your child the gift of the Greek language, culture, faith, and lifelong friendships at the Mississauga Hellenic Academy.Whether your child is just beginning their Greek language journey or already speaks Greek, our program provides a fun, welcoming environment where students can grow in confidence while connecting with their heritage.📚 Our program includes: 🇬🇷 Greek Language (Reading, Writing & Speaking) ⛪ Greek Orthodox Faith & Traditions 🏛 Greek History & Culture 🎶 Music, Dance & Celebrations 🤝 A Strong Sense of CommunityChildren of all Greek language levels are welcome!📍 Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church 📝 Registration is now open!🔗 Register today: hellenicacademy.ca/registrationLet’s help the next generation speak our language, embrace our faith, and celebrate our culture.Our Language. Our Faith. Our Future. 💙#MississaugaHellenicAcademy #GreekSchool #GreekLanguage #GreekCulture #GreekOrthodox
12 NEWLY ILLUMINED ☦️On the great Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, we had the incredible blessing of receiving 12 adults into the Holy Orthodox Church through Baptism and Chrismation at Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Mississauga.After a journey of catechism lasting anywhere from six months to a year, these 12 catechumens entered the waters of Baptism and began a new life in Christ. What a beautiful witness to the fact that the Orthodox Faith continues to call people home!A heartfelt thank you to our catechism team, godparents, volunteers, and the entire Prophet Elias community who walk alongside our catechumens throughout this journey. Reception into the Church may happen in a single day, but it is the fruit of months of prayer, teaching, worship, relationships, and commitment.May God grant His newly illumined servants many blessed years in His Holy Church!Δόξα τῷ Θεῷ πάντων ἕνεκεν!Glory to God for all things! ☦️#OrthodoxChristian #HolyBaptism #GreekOrthodox #ProphetElias #OrthodoxChurch
August 15: The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin MaryConcerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has received from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God.With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim. But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the Theotokos, which was the source of Life. *More info in the comments*
