Montreal, Qc - Under the Auspices of His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a divine wake was held at the Sourp Hagop Armenian Apostolic Cathedral for the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide, on the evening of April 22.

Among the clergy present for the service were, Very Reverend Father, Georges Zabarian, Vicar General of the Armenian Catholic Church of the United States and Canada, Reverend Mher Khatchigian and Reverend Movses Jimbachian of the Armenian Evangelical Church, as well as, Archpriest Rev. Fr. Armen Ishkhanian, Rev Fr. Karnig Koyounian and Rev. Fr. Hraïr Nicolian.

The Sourp Hagop Vartkes & Astghik Sarafian Elementary School choir also performed during mass, after which, a candle-lit procession followed the clergy to Prelacy grounds for the official opening ceremony of the monument dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The monument, a "douf" cross on a grey granite slab, was carved by Varaztad Hampartsoumian, a "khatchkar" artist from Yerevan, Armenia, and donated by Levon Sargsian and Levon Varjabedian of Armenia.

The monument was bestowed to the Armenian community from Sarkis and Seta Tabakian on behalf of their daughter Nanor. Special thanks are also extended to Hagop Amirian and Sossi Dayian Arabiab, without whose efforts, this project would never have been realized.

The event was also marked by a special acknowledgment given to laval resident, Manoug Khatchadourian, a 103-year old Genocide survivor.

Other events

Under the Auspices of His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate, a memorial service was held at the Sourp Hagop Armenian Apostolic Cathedral on the morning of April 23, as well as on the morning of April 24, at the genocide memorial monument at Parc Marcelin Wilson in Montreal.

His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate, also joined the Armenian community of Canada in Ottawa for the protest in front of Turkish embassy on the same day, and in the evening, attended the 90th anniversary commemoration event, which took place in the St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto, organized by Church's Pastor, Very Reverend Fr. Meghrig Parikian.

Among the clergy present at the commemoration event in Toronto were, the Minister Harris Athanasiadis of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, Father Michel Rouhana of Our Lady of Lebanon, Archpriest Oleg Kirilov, Rector of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Christ the Saviour, Protopriest Marcos Marcos of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church, Very Reverend Father Mikhael Armanios of St. George & St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church, Very Reverend Father Yousif Mansoor of St. Joseph Syriac Catholic Church, Very Reverend Father Elie Kirejian of St. Gregory's Armenian Catholic Church, Very Reverend Father Estephanos Issa of St. Mar Baraumo Syrian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Mathias Desta of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Canada, the Right Reverend Bishop Yurij of Toronto and Eastern Eparch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, Father Kouroesh Barani of Toronto Iranian Gospel Church, Reverend Father Ohanes Sarmazian of Cambridge Evangelical Church and Der Gomidas Panossian of Sourp Nishan Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge.

The clergy took turns delivering their message to the church attendants and they almost all reiterated that if the Armenian Genocide had been recognized in due time, then the subsequent genocides of the 20th and 21st Century would not have taken place.