Saint Stefan Church, Ottawa

Mar 5, 2025 - 13:15 Updated: Aug 24, 2025 - 19:56

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

Phone number: 613-738-8045

Priest: Archpriest Aleksandar Gujaničić

Phone number: 613-247-8815

Proto Aleksandar was born on July 5, 1975 in Pančevo. Since 1988, he has lived in Nova Varoša. He graduated from the Seminary of St. Arsenius of Srem in Sremski Karlovci in 1998. In the same year, at the invitation of the Canadian Bishop Georgij, he came to Canada, where he remained until June 2000, when he returned to Serbia. In August 2004, he married Radmila Kovačević from Čačak. He was ordained to the rank of deacon by Bishop Georgij on October 24, 2004 in the Tavni Monastery, and to the rank of presbyter on January 16, 2005 in the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord in Milton. He was appointed parish priest of Ottawa on March 1, 2005. He has two children: sons Marko and Mihail.

Church history

At the Church of St. Stephen in Ottawa, we have a parish around which Orthodox Serbs are gathered. In addition to the city of Ottawa, the parish also includes surrounding towns such as Gatineau, Kanata, Orleans, Hagsbury and other smaller towns in the vicinity of Ottawa.

The parish of "St. Stephen" was founded in 1976 with the blessing of the late Bishop of Eastern America and Canada, G. Sava. Since that time, the parish has been served by the then Montreal priest, Father Krsto Rikić.

In 1988, the Canadian Bishop, Mr. Georgije, renewed the work of the Church and School Community, which had ceased to operate in 1978, and appointed Father Nikodim Pribojan as the parish priest of Ottawa, who began to serve regularly in the Bukovina Church. In June 1990, Father Vasa Pejović arrived as a priest in Ottawa, and he served in the chapel on Dominion Avenue. In December 1991, he was replaced by Father Milutin Veljko. Father Milutin left the parish in September 1993, and then he again served the parish + Father Krsto Rikić, who came from Montreal on Saturdays to perform the service.

The parish was without a permanent priest for some time, and in December 1995, Bishop Georgije appointed Archpriest Žarko Mirković as the parish priest of Ottawa. Archpriest Žarko began renovating the building in which services are still held today, and with the help of parishioners, the building took on the appearance of a church. A small dome was added to the church, an iconostasis inside the church, and an altar. Archpriest Žarko served the parish until November 19, 2001, when he retired. After Archpriest Žarko Mirković, Father Radmilo Gardović was appointed as the parish priest of Ottawa, and he served until March 2005, when a new priest, Father Aleksandar Gujaničić, arrived.

With the arrival of Fr. Aleksandar, preparations for the construction of a new church began. In 2008, a new property was purchased on which a new church with a parish center was built. 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 parish house was fully completed and moved in in January 2014. Services have been held in the church since Trinity Sunday 2014. The parish currently has around 400 homes. Divine services are held regularly and are attended by an average of around 80 believers.