This past Sunday, I toured places in Ottawa I wouldn’t otherwise visit — thanks to Doors Open Ottawa. The event included free and open access to 89 different buildings and landmarks in the city. Ottawa’s staggering geographic footprint (2,800 square kilometres!) meant that I had to choose five locations. These ended up being the Jami Omar Mosque, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, the Gloucester Historical Society offices and archives, St. James Anglican Church in Leitrim and the First Church of Christ Scientist in Centretown.
The hospitality and welcome at every location was most striking. Volunteers in the different churches and organizations were genuinely proud of their community and were happy to share information with visitors. The Jami Omar Mosque even shared a selection of food and St. James Anglican served homemade date squares baked by a parishioner — along with the recipe to the sweet treat. Doors Open Ottawa is a good reminder that there’s more to the city than just the most frequented federal landmarks. It’s also a reminder of the importance and value of volunteerism.
(Click on the photos below to enlarge.)
The prayer room of the Jami Omar Mosque on Old Richmond Road. The carpet and chandelier were both imported from Turkey. The prayer room can accommodate up to 1,000 worshipers.
Hospitality after the tour of Jami Omar Mosque. I was offered dates, fruit, samosas and lemonade.
The exterior of the Jami Omar Mosque on Old Richmond Road. The building includes a school as well. It was built in phases beginning in 2003.
A tiny Anglican country church, St. James, in what is now Ottawa’s south-end, but what was the Leitrim area of Gloucester Township, along today’s Bank Street.
Inside St. James Anglican in Leitrim I was offered homemade date square and punch after the brief tour. A parishioner, Brenda, greeted me with a big smile and another parishioner, an older gentleman whose name I didn’t catch, wondered if I was a famous Anglican, who I apparently resemble.
“Are you sure you’re not him?” he asked, pointing to an old photo of the man in question
“Quite sure, I’m afraid,” I answered.
A very eclectic backroom at the Gloucester Historical Society archives. These are items yet to be catalogued and arranged.
The Gloucester Historical Society’s archives and offices. It’s a fully volunteer-driven organization.
The interior of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church during the tour, given by volunteer Gordon Smith (left). The church has 800 parishioners.
The ornate sanctuary of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church
The ornate ceiling/cupola of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church on Prince of Wales Drive.
The exterior of the neo-Byzantine Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, built in 1975.
The neo-classical downtown landmark that is the First Church of Christ Scientist, built in 1914.
The interior of the First Church of Christ Scientist. Christopher Simmes, a volunteer, explained that in his faith tradition, there is no clergy. As such, services are led by two lectors. Scripture and the writings of their founder, Mary Baker Eddy, are the pastors, so to speak.
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