Diocese: Archdiocese of Canada
Deanery: British Columbia Deanery
Address
75 East 43 Ave
Vancouver, British Columbia V5W 1S7
Canada
Website: holyres.org
Office: 604-325-1922
Parish Contacts
Vancouver, BC V5W 1S7
Directions
From Downtown Vancouver
Take the Skytrain to Joyce Station, then Bus #41 westbound to Main St. Church is at the corner of 43rd Ave and Quebec St, 1 block west of Main St and 3 blocks south of 41st Ave.
Schedule of Services
The parish uses English and Slavonic (50/50) and is on the New Calendar.
on the FIRST Saturday of the month, 6:00 PM after Vespers, Akathist to the Mother of God.
Saturday Evening
6:00 PM Great Vespers.
Saturday Evening
10:00 AM Divine Liturgy.
Sunday Morning
6:00 PM Vigil.
Eves of Great Feasts
10:00 AM Divine Liturgy.
Mornings of Great Feasts
For a complete list of upcoming services, please visit the Schedule of Services on the parish website.
Parish Background
The first service of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy was conducted by the then Archimandrite Antonin (Pokrovsky) in the local YMCA premises, on September 14, 1924. After this service, a meeting of a group of devoted Orthodox believers was held therein to discuss the possibility of establishing an Orthodox parish in Vancouver. They elected a committee of three members: Nicholas Romar, a Romanian, and two Russians—Alexander Shipunov and Vladimir Pitalyov. The spares were Frank Styler and Vladimir Kazansky. The Committee decided to rent a house which would provide both the place for worship and quarters for the priest.
Archimandrite Antonin began to search for a suitable house. The choice fell upon a house with an addition big enough to accomodate both functions. It was decided to purchase this house which was for sale for $2500. The community was not able to raise a downpayment of $200. This sum was donated by Mr M Aayvazov, a great benefactor of this first Orthodox Church in Vancouver. The Mayor of the city was also helpful by granting permission that for one day a cash collection be made on the streets of Vancouver for the benefit of this new church. It resulted in a sum of $468 being collected. Thus, the house was bought and Holy Resurrection Church in Vancouver was founded. The Church was dedicated to the memory of the Foundation of Holy Resurrection Church in Jerusalem (335 AD).
The local Greek community also responded with love to the beginnings of the church. They came to the church and used the services of the priest for their spiritual needs as baptisms, weddings and funerals. In November 1925, a Greek-Russian Brotherhood was founded so that the needs of the Orthodox Community of Vancouver could be met.
During the first four years of its existence, the Church was visited by hierarchs Bishop Theophilus of Chicago and Bishop Arseny of Winnipeg.
By early 1928, the community began thinking about building a new church. In 1924, only 20 families were members, but by 1928, the parish already numbered 80 families. The initiators of the new church were M/M M Aayvazov (the Russians) and Mr M T Bancroft and his sister Mrs A Todos (the Greeks).
The new church was built on 7th Ave and Fir St. It was consecrated by His Eminence, the Most Rev Platon, Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada on August 9, 1929. Concelebrants were: Archbishop Arseny of Winnipeg, Archimandrite Anthony from Edmonton (Dean), Archpriest Nicholas Metropolsky from Seattle, WA and Archimandrite Antonin (Pokrovsky), the Rector of the new church. He later became the Archbishop of San Francisco.
During the Depression of the 1930s, Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church experienced a crisis because of general unemployment of its membres. It was impossible to meet the obligations of payments on the mortgage. The $4500 debt on the newly constructed church was for that time enormous. When the creditors didn’t receive the payments on time, they locked the church and wanted to put it up for sale. To rescue the church, the Russian Orthodox Society of the city of Vancouver was founded under the leadership of Mr Vasili A Mironoff. The Society negotiated with the creditors and was successful in purchasing the Church building under reasonable terms. Thus, the church was rescued at this time.
The end of WW II brought to Canada and to Vancouver a new wave of Orthodox believers from Europe and Asia. Many of them needed support and nurturing and found it in Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church. The Church provided the spiritual care and the Russian Orthodox Society helped socially and, upon occasion, materially. It appeared the the difficulties of the Community were left behind, but new problems arose again.
The City Council decided to construct the Granville Bridge. The end of the off ramp edge interfered with the Church site. The City offered to appropriate the property from the Society and to provide for a new building site on 43rd Ave. The new church was designed and built at this site during 1953-1954.
In May of 1954, the new Holy Resurrection Church was consecrated by His Eminence, the Most Rev Leonty, Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. The Rector of Holy Resurrection Church at that time was Mitred Archpriest Peter Kurzemnek.
The past four decades at the present site of Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church in Vancouver have seen growth in the Orthodox Faith. There have been quite a number of converts and substantial influx of new faithful Orthodox from the now defunct Soviet Union. To accomodate the old generation, the young generation, and the new immigrant generation, services are conducted in an equal combination of English and Slavonic.
In 2004, the Russian Orthodox Society was dissolved, and was incorporated into the parish of Holy Resurrection Church.
The parish looks forward to spiritual growth and the growth of Orthodoxy in North America in this new Millenium.
More detailed history and information of church activities within the parish and the community is available at the Holy Resurrection Church web site: WWW.HOLYRES.ORG.