Saint Stefan Church, Ottawa

Mar 5, 2025 - 13:15 Updated: Jul 14, 2026 - 09:43

Saint Stefan Church, Ottawa

Address: 1993 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa ON, K2C 3J7

Phone number: 613-738-8045

Priest: Fr. Aleksandar Gujanicic
Phone number: 613-247-8815
Email: svestenik@svetistefan.ca

Fr. Aleksandar was born on July 5, 1975 in Pancevo. In 1988, he moved to Nova Varos. He graduated from the Saint Arsenije Serbian Orthodox Seminary in Sremski Karlovci in 1998. In the same year, at the invitation of the Bishop of Canada Georgije, he came to Canada, where he remained until June 2000, when he returned to Serbia. In August 2004, he married Radmila Kovacevic from Cacak. He was ordained to the rank of deacon by Bishop Georgije on October 24, 2004 in the Tavna Monastery, and to the rank of presbyter on January 16, 2005 in the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton. He was appointed parish priest of Ottawa on March 1, 2005. He has two children: sons Marko and Mihailo.

Church history
prepared by: Djuradj Vujcic

The Saint Stefan Church in Ottawa is a parish around around which Orthodox Serbs gather. In addition to the city of Ottawa, the parish also includes surrounding towns such as Gatineau, Kanata, Orleans, Hawkesbury and other smaller towns in the vicinity of Ottawa. The parish was founded on January 9, 1976, with the blessing of the late Bishop of Eastern America and Canada Dr. Sava (Vukovic). Since that time, the parish has been served by the then Montreal priest, Fr. Krsto Rikic. The Church and School Congregation ceased operations in 1978, and in 1988, the Bishop of Canada Georgije, restored it and appointed Fr. Nikodim Pribojan as the parish priest of Ottawa, who began to serve regularly in the Bukovina Church. In June 1990, Fr. Vasa Pejovic arrived as a priest in Ottawa, and he served in the chapel on Dominion Avenue. In December 1991, he was replaced by Fr. Milutin Veljko. Fr. Milutin left the parish in September 1993, and then the parish was again served by Fr. Krsto Rikic, who came from Montreal on Saturdays to perform services. The parish was without a permanent priest for some time, and in December 1995, Bishop Georgije appointed Fr. Zarko Mirkovic from Ottawa as the parish priest, who began renovating the building at 3662 Albion Road. With the help of the parishioners, the building was given the appearance of a church. A small dome was built on the church and an iconostasis and altar was made inside the church. Fr. Zarko served the parish until November 19, 2001, when he retired. After the death of Fr. Zarko Mirkovic, Fr. Radmilo Gardovic was appointed as the parish priest of Ottawa, and he served until March 2005, when a new priest, Fr. Aleksandar Gujanicic, arrived.

With the arrival of Fr. Aleksandar, preparations for the construction of a new church began. At the regular assembly in 2006, the assembly of members of the Church and School Congregation tasked the Board of Directors with choosing a suitable property and presenting that proposal to the assembly. Finally, in mid-2006, a property was found at 1989 and 1993 Prince of Wales Drive. Gligorije Milanovic found the property and invited priest Fr. Aleksandar Gujanicic to look at it together. At first glance, the property seemed to meet the needs. When everything was examined and the creditors agreed, a proposal for purchase was presented to the parishioners at an extraordinary assembly on May 20, 2007. The assembly, with only two votes against, decided to purchase the new property for the construction of a church and Parish Hall The Diocesan Administrative Board gave its consent and a preliminary purchase agreement was signed with a clause that the property would be purchased if the city allowed a change in the purpose of the plot and allowed the construction of a church building on the property. At the city session on December 18, 2007, the city approved this change, noting that the owners of neighbouring properties have the right to appeal such a decision of the city authorities. The land was registered in the church's name on March 18, 2008. The property for the new church was consecrated on July 19, 2008 by Bishop of Canada Georgije, with the concelebration of the local parish priest Fr. Aleksandar Gujanicic, Romanian priest Fr. Daniel Giubega, and deacon Stefan Ikonomovski. The construction was formally, by court decision, approved on November 24, 2010. After that, all that remained was to work on preparing the project documentation and obtaining the necessary permits. The application for a spatial plan was submitted on December 15, 2011, the application for a permit to build the Parish Hall was submitted on May 12, 2012, and the application for the construction of the church was submitted on September 25, 2012. The city authorities responded positively to all applications and issued the appropriate permits.

On Sunday October 7, 2012, the foundations of the new church and Parish Hall in Ottawa were consecrated. The act of consecration was performed by Bishop of Canada Georgije, with the concelebration of Fr. Aleksandar Gujanicic and deacon Stefan Ikonomovski, and in the presence of the faithful led by the Church Board. This was a great event for all Orthodox Serbs in Ottawa who had been waiting for this day for over twenty years. On this day, the new church also received its first endowers, namely the Ignjatic family, who on this occasion were the godfathers of the consecration of the foundations.

The Parish Hall was fully completed in January 2014, and has been in use since the feast day of Saint Stefan, January 9, 2014. On Saturday February 22, 2014, the Parish Hall was consecrated, and the act of consecration was performed by His Grace Bishop Georgije of Canada, with the concelebration of the Ottawa parish priest Fr. Aleksandar Gujanicic, the Montreal parish priest Fr. Djordje Cimesa, and protodeacon Stefan Ikonomovski in the presence of a large number of the faithful. At the ceremony of consecrating the hall, a single godfather was not chosen, as is customary. Everyone who contributed a thousand dollars or more had the opportunity to become a godfather. The intention was to show that this was a joint project of the entire community and not just one individual. During the evening, 27 families applied and added their names to the list of godfathers with their contribution. The Parish Hall is built on two levels. On the lower level (basement), there is a bar, a professional kitchen, two classrooms, office space for the church administration, and two large storage rooms. On the upper level, a hall with about 200 seats occupies the centerpiece.

The old church on Albion Road was sold and the last service was held in it on April 27, 2014. Moving out took place on April 30, 2014. The first service in the new church was held on Trinity Day, June 8, 2014. The church is finished on the outside, but not yet finished on the inside and is gradually being decorated and prepared for consecration, depending on the possibilities. The church was built in the traditional Moravian style (in the Byzantine–Raska style). On the top of the church are two domes with one gilded Saint Sava cross each. Three mosaics adorn the exterior of the church: a mosaic of Saint Archdeacon Stephen, a mosaic of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Christ Child, and a mosaic of Christ the Saviour. These mosaics were created and donated to the church by the Mitric and Kostic families from the Agape workshop.

Both buildings were designed in his office in Ottawa by architect Vladimir Popovic, who selflessly supported this project from day one and did everything for free. In addition to him, lawyers Zarko Tatomirovic, Gligorije Milanovic and Jovan Krstic also stood out on the project with their free work. Next to both buildings is a parking lot with 55 spaces, behind which is the bank of the Rideau River with a picnic park. Without joint efforts, this project of building a new church and Parish Hall could not have been realized. The team of people who work selflessly and give their time has the enormous support of the entire Serbian community in Ottawa and the surrounding areas. Thanks to this, the work is being completed smoothly.

On Vidovdan, June 28, 2026, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Canada visited Ottawa and consecrated a new memorial cross made of white marble named the Krajiska suza (Krajina Tear) which was erected in the church courtyard. Serbs from the Krajina region living in Ottawa, with the help of many parishioners, donated the memorial cross to the church to honour the memory of all the innocent Serbs who perished at countless sites of suffering. The monument was crafted by the Zivanovic brothers from Bela Voda near Krusevac and is a faithful replica of the monument erected in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Banstol on the Fruska Gora.

The parish today has about 400 homes. Divine services are held regularly and an average of about 80 believers attend the services. The church is home to the Saint Petka Circle of Serbian Sisters, the Kolo Folklore Group, and the Serbian Festival, which is held every first weekend in September.