Archbishop Irénée Burns the Mortgage at St Gregory of Nyssa in Kingston, ON

To the glory of God, and with thanks in their hearts, the parishioners of St Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church in Kingston, Ontario, on Sunday, May 10, 2026, were happy to watch His Eminence Archbishop Irénée burn their completely paid-off mortgage.

The annual archpastoral visit by Vladyka Irénée marked the 45th anniversary of the founding of the parish, and simultaneously marked the end of the four-year "What Can You Do For God's Kingdom?" capital campaign.

Following the hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, the luncheon in honour of the archbishop was the venue for a presentation given by the rector, Archpriest Andrew Anderson, in which he detailed with pictures the 45-year history of St Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church. 

Founded in 1981 by His Eminence Archbishop Sylvester of Montréal as an English-speaking outreach to the students of the University of Queens, the fledgling mission spent the next 40 years "wandering in the desert" looking for a permanent church home in Kingston. It moved from a house church, to the university chapel, to more house churches, to a storefront, to a rented basement in an Anglican building, until the present facility became available for purchase in 2022 for the amazingly low price of only $290,000.

The historic red brick (originally Methodist) colonial era building and three acre Loyalist Burial Ground cemetery were purchased on June 15, 2022, via a gracious loan from the archdiocese assisting the parish's own large down-payment. In gratitude to God, the parish moved "across the Jordan River into the Promised Land," which in their case was just across the street to 965 Sydenham Road. 

In 2022 the Parish Council launched the "What Can You Do For God's Kingdom?" capital campaign to repay the $230,000 loan back to the archdiocese. And now, after four years, the loan has been completely repaid via the generosity of many donors, mainly parishioners. 

Therefore on Sunday everyone had the joy of watching Vladyka Irénée burn the promissory note, signifying the conclusion of the mortgage and the capital campaign.  Also, the parish was excited to witness the tonsuring of Reader Michael Cochrane earlier in the day at the hierarchical Divine Liturgy. 

The Parish of St Gregory of Nyssa in Kingston is grateful to God Almighty for this completely-paid-for property, and also remains grateful to the archbishop and the archdiocese for their help and support.