Ten thousand Greek faithful parade through Chomedey streets

By Robert Frank, September 19th, 2012

Perfect summer weather drew nearly half of Laval’s large Greek community out in force for a series of liturgical celebrations at Holy Cross Church last week.
Police closed du Souvenir street, Sept 14, to permit more than 4,000 members of the Greek Orthodox Community of Laval to attend an evening vespers service.
Afterward, the faithful paraded the congregation’s icons through Chomedey night-time streets, led by Canada’s Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Sotiros and a dozen priests, including the parish’s spiritual leader, the Very Reverend Neatarios Mostratos.
The following day, another celebration, at noon, Sept 15, drew an additional 6,000 adherents to a standing-room only service that spilled out of the church -- which can only seat 600 parishioners – and was followed by another procession.
Many members of the congregation volunteered to supplement Laval police to ensure that the event proceeded safely and securely.
“This was the most people who ever attended,” Father Mostratos told The Suburban. “It was a very special liturgy.”
Each year, the end-of-summer ceremony, which celebrates the church’s eponymous feast of the holy cross, attracts increasing numbers of people from Laval’s thriving Greek community.
Laval’s other Greek Orthodox congregation, St. Nicholas, also on du Souvenir about 2 km away, conducts its annual feast day in December, when typically inclement Canadian weather makes outdoor activity less appealing.
Holy Cross Church’s festivities continued through Sunday, Sept. 16, when the ladies benevolent society hosted a luncheon celebration for more than 400 people.n