I’m proud to welcome my son Aleksandar Rakocevic who’s here in support of his father today for his Orthodox Christian week bill.

I am proud and honoured to table my bill to recognize Orthodox Christian Week in Ontario each year, commencing with Orthodox Christian Easter as observed on the Julian calendar. Passing this bill would recognize the long-standing history, presence and contributions of Orthodox Christians in our great province.

I am humbled by the many who have joined us today to support this important recognition, including Orthodox Christian clergy and community members. I thank you. As well, Speaker, countless more have helped spread the word, signed petitions and advocated for the passing of this bill. I thank you all very much. Your help has been instrumental in reaching this important moment.

Speaker, there is a rich and diverse tapestry of people who make up our great province of Ontario. They come from many backgrounds, cultures and nations. They practise different faiths. They have many different histories and tell their own unique stories. And they were all drawn here to make Ontario their home, to live in our multicultural and multi-faith society where diversity is celebrated and welcomed. Here, they can remain true to their different faiths, cultures and ancestries while being proud Canadians.

Within this diverse mosaic here in Ontario are many cultures within the Orthodox Christian faith. Although a minority faith here in Ontario, Orthodox Christianity is, collectively, the second-largest body of Christians in the world, with a history that goes back nearly 2,000 years and whose faith is shared by people of many different nations and languages. Often, when people think about Christianity in Canada, it is not uncommon for them to consider only the Roman Catholic church and various Protestant denominations, but for more than a century, Orthodox Christians have been arriving on these shores, not only bringing distinctive forms of Christian faith and practice but also making a tremendous contribution here and adding to our cultural mosaic.

Orthodox Christianity emerged in the Middle East, where Christianity has its roots. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity, in AD 301, 12 years before the Roman Empire adopted Christianity through Emperor Constantine’s edict of Milan in AD 313. Traditionally, there are two distinct families of Orthodox Christians: those belonging to the Eastern Orthodox family and those belonging to the Oriental Orthodox family. These two families of Orthodox Christians share many close similarities in faith, rituals and life, though they took different paths in the fifth century over certain dogmatic interpretation.

The Eastern Orthodox churches include four ancient patriarchates of early Christianity, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, as well as a majority or significant populations of Orthodox believers in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and others. The Oriental Orthodox family includes the Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syrian and Indian Malankara churches and others. There are also sizable Orthodox Christian communities in countries throughout the world.

Now, Speaker, I must take a moment to state that Orthodox Christians have faced persecution in different places and at different times in history, ranging from the repression and erasure of their faith to forced migration, ethnic cleansing and even genocide. Unfortunately, this is not just the history of long ago, as Orthodox Christians in certain part of the world still face threats and persecution to this very day. And so, over the years, many Orthodox Christians travelled to Canada and Ontario to seek safety and freedom, like so many other newcomers to our great country and province.

Of course, many Orthodox Christians came here simply in search of new beginnings and new opportunities, bringing their diverse cultures, traditions, languages and faith, which they cherished as their identity and as their links with their homeland hearths, families and ancestral heritage. They are an important part of our diverse multicultural mosaic and, over the generations, they have proudly contributed greatly here in our province and across our country.

Speaker, it is believed that the earliest Orthodox Christians who set foot on this land were three Orthodox sailors who accompanied Champlain in early 17th century as he explored the St. Lawrence River valley. It would take until the late 1800s, however, for the Orthodox Christian faith to take root in this country with the arrival of missionaries, monks and priests to support Orthodox Christians emigrating here, particularly in western Canada, where they played a major role in developing farming and railroads across the prairies.

The conditions for spreading the faith were challenging. Clergy travelled on foot, by horse and carriage, and by rail to reach small pastoral communities and to establish places of worship. The first Orthodox Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Canadian soil in June 1897 on a farm in the village of Wostok, northeast of Edmonton.

At the turn of the 20th century, Canada was still a young country. Although the federal government had invited European immigrants to come to work the land, there was resistance to these foreign arrivals in many segments of society at the time. When the prominent Orthodox Bishop Tikhon from the US had made a proposal to the Canadian government in 1902 for federal support to have an Orthodox bishop in this country, some honourable members in Parliament resisted, possibly out of apprehension or unfamiliarity. The bill did not pass.

But Speaker, times began to change. By 1909, St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church was established on Bond Street in Toronto. And by 1916, in the middle of World War I, there were more than 60 Orthodox churches across Canada. Often recognized by traditional domes and their distinctive multiple crosses, Orthodox church architecture varies in the Canadian setting. Today, there are approximately 700 or more Orthodox parishes across Canada and some 225 in Ontario, including several monasteries, and the number is growing. In fact, most Canadian Orthodox parishes are found in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

It is difficult to state with precision the total number of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians in Canada, but one can estimate that the total number of persons with an Orthodox Christian heritage, and those who actively practise the faith of their ancestors in Canada, exceeds a million. These people share a feeling of gratitude to Canada, where they have been able to practise their faith in freedom without fear of persecution, and to contribute to the development of our multicultural country and our provinces.

For believers, faith is central to one’s identity and culture. To this day, Orthodox churches across Ontario and Canada not only serve as a place of faith and worship, but also as vibrant community centres where language and heritage are preserved and passed on to future generations of proud Canadians.

Over the years, the Ontario Legislature has rightfully honoured numerous faith groups, cultures and ethnic communities by acknowledging a heritage month, week, day or historical events of significance to those respective groups. These formal annual recognitions by our government celebrate our diversity and commemorate our history. Speaker, the distinct faith and cultures of Orthodox Christians are an important part of our diverse cultural mosaic. Given that they have been here for more than 120 years, their collective contributions to our province and country are immense, and their recognition is long overdue. They are part of our history, our present and our future.

And so, the time is now. Let us all unanimously recognize the important presence of Orthodox Christians in Ontario and their contributions to our great province. Let us acknowledge and celebrate their distinct faith and cultures. Let us learn their histories and hear their stories. And with your collective support, each year, let us proclaim Orthodox Christian Week in Ontario, beginning every Orthodox Easter Sunday. The time is now.

I want to thank all my MPP colleagues across both sides—all parties, everyone. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support today in support of Orthodox Christian Week in Ontario.

I want to recognize those who spoke today, members from Toronto–Danforth, Sudbury, Oakville North–Burlington, Mississauga–Erin Mills, Scarborough–Agincourt, and although she didn’t speak—a new Orthodox Christian in this chamber—the member from Mississauga Centre.

I want to thank Father Geoffrey Ready, Deacon Daron Halajian and Diane Draga Dragesevic for your help in drafting my speech today, and the many who have helped to make this day possible with your strong support in spreading the word of this important recognition.

And finally, I thank all of you who are here today, including my son Aleksandar, and all of you who are watching from home, including my family. None of this could be possible without all of your strong support.

Representation is important. As an Orthodox Christian, I am proud to have spoken here today on behalf of my hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters across our great province. We are here—here in the seats of the Legislature, here in the galleries today. We have been arriving here for over a hundred years. We are born here. We are a part of Ontario’s history, present and future. We are an important part of our province’s diversity.

Today, we have taken a large and important step in recognizing Orthodox Christians in Ontario. I invite you all to continue on this journey together so that Orthodox Christian Week will be formally recognized every year in Ontario. And God willing, if we all work together, this can happen soon—maybe even to celebrate this very year.

Thank you all for your support today.