On Sunday January 26th, 2014, St. George Church in Montreal, Quebec, Canada celebrated “Godparents’ Sunday”. It is a special day where Godparents, parents and grandparents get together with all the children for a special procession and blessing during Liturgy, followed by a get-together elongated coffee hour.
At the invitation of Economos Antony Gabriel, Pastor of St. George Church, his worship Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montreal, attended the Divine Liturgy on this special day. The mayor was accompanied by Mrs. Anie Samson, Mayor of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension Borough; Aref Salem City Councilor of St. Laurent Borough; and Joseph Daoura, City Councilor of Town of Mont-Royal. They were warmly received by a full attendance. At Fr. Antony’s request, the Mayor read the Epistle in French and then delivered a short speech in which he thanked the pastor and the parishioners for their kind hospitality, stressing that with hard work and perseverance, the city will improve its performance in attending to the interests and needs of its citizenss and in fighting corruption.
Mayor Coderre selected St. George as his first visit to any Church since becoming mayor of Montreal. In honor of this friendly visit, Fr. Antony presented his worship an Icon of the Virgin Mary as a symbolic gesture in appreciation of his presence as well as a sincere confirmation of mutual friendship for years to come.
in the future, the mayor will host a luncheon to discuss the annual Christian/Jewish/Muslim Action for Peace gathering, which is organized by Economos Antony Gabriel.
Also in attendance were Mr. Nicolas A. Sayegh, the media secretary of St. George church; and Mr. George Saad, editor in chief of the magazine “The Voice of Egypt and the Arab world in Canada”.
At the end of the Liturgy, Mayor Coderre and his colleagues greeted Fr. Antony and his assistants, apologizing for their speedy departure due to another previous engagement, and hoping that a similar visit can be repeated so that they can meet with the parishioners and listen to their concerns.
 |  |
Nicola Sayegh
Press secretary – St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church Montreal