Montreal was the site of the first Armenian Catholic Church in Canada. The parish was founded in 1966 as collaboration between His Beatitude Ignatius Peter XVI Batanian Catholicos Patriarch of all Armenian Catholics of Cilicia, and His Eminence Cardinal Paul Gregoire, Archbishop of Montreal. In 1966, Very Rev. Edward Kurdi known as Father Kortikian was appointed the first Pastor of the Montreal parish.
The first ten years were a most difficult period, as the clergy worked diligently to locate and unite the Armenian Catholic Community, most of whose members were dispersed among the Melkite, Latin and Apostolic Churches, without an Armenian Catholic pastor in Canada. The Armenian Catholics were in danger of losing their ethnic and religious identity.
By 1967, Father Kortikian, successfully attracted 200 families to the Armenian Catholic Church in Montreal. Simultaneously, he established a committee known as the Armenian Congress to facilitate the immigration of an additional 150 Armenian Catholic families, most of whom originated from Egypt.
For many years, Father Kortikian officiated his liturgical ceremonies in a variety of churches. In 1980, he organized another committee to oversee the construction of an Armenian Catholic Church in Montreal. The new parishioners embraced the ambitious goals of their vigorous pastor and worked faithfully to realize their dream to see an Armenian Catholic church in Montreal.
In 1983, His Beatitude John Peter XVIII Kasparian consecrated the newly built church and dedicated it to Our Lady of Nareg. In the same year, Father Kortikian brought the Armenian Catholic Sisters to the region where they established an Armenian Catholic elementary school.
The Very Rev. Edward Kortikian passed away in 1989, after successfully constructing the church’s social hall and elementary school. Father Paul Kazanjian, principal of the elementary school since 1988, assumed responsibility of the parish until the appointment of a new pastor in 1990—Reverend Father George Zabarian.
At the time, the Armenian Catholic community in Montreal had grown to 1000 families, consisting of 60% Arabic-speaking Armenians and 40% Armenian-speaking Armenians. To satisfy the community, Father Zabarian officiated two masses each Sunday, one in Arabic and one in Armenian. Additionally, once a month he celebrated mass in French, the local dialect of Montreal. The parish had two organizations: one known as Sacred Heart, for Arabic-speaking members and one known as Armenian Catholic Union, for Armenian-speaking members. In this manner, Father Zabarian assured the sustainability of the spiritual, social and cultural tradition of the Armenian Catholics in Montreal.
Rev. Father Zabarian, with the assistance of his committees, renewed the 25- years old parish and the church with the addition of two additional altars, one dedicated to the Beatitude Maloyan, who was massacred during the Armenian Genocide, and the second a setting for a beautiful baptismal font. In addition to church repair and decoration, Father Zabarian enriched the parish with a library as well as with a memorial stone, dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, placed in the courtyard of the church.
Our Lady of Nareg Church in Montreal, having the active and vigorous Father George Zabarian as its Pastor, became a center of spiritual, social and cultural activities for the local Armenian Catholic community. As such, the parish members perpetuated their own identity with enthusiasm and a strong sense of attachment.
Father G. Zabarian was also a benefactor to the Armenian Sisters in Armenia, who
work conduct charitable work for orphans and needy families. He also helped the orphanage of Aynjar in Lebanon, and the convent of Bzommar, among other places.
Our Lady of Nareg Armenian Catholic Church in Montreal with its Parish Council, Cultural Committee, Ladies Guild, St. Rita’s Sisterhood, St. Anna Elderly Group, Alemshah and Groung choirs, Sunday School and its elementary school, makes an important impact in the lives of Armenians in Canada.
Recently the Armenian Catholic Church of Montreal celebrated 17 centuries of Armenian Christendom, 16 centuries since the invention of the Armenian alphabet, and 10 centuries since St. Krikor Naregatsi’s “Madian Vokhperkoutian.” It hosts a very informative internet site and the publication of an Armenian newspaper. Msgr. George Zabarian remains most active and friendly in his relations with theApostolic and Roman Catholic church clergy.
