Hungarian, British, Filipino, Jamaican, German, Slovak, Indo-Caribbean, Syrian and Muslim–these are some of the peoples and cultures that you can explore on November 26th, 2016, at the International Day Festival hosted by St. Joseph’s Parish. The Roman Catholic community is celebrating its 160th anniversary this fall and while it was originally built on parishioners of primarily Irish and French background, today its diversity is reflective of the multiculturalism that has come to characterize Sandy Hill and Centretown, with all of its embassies and high commissions, the University of Ottawa as well as the rich diversity of the broader Canadian capital.
“Remembering our past also involves celebrating the gifts of the present, as well as reflecting on the paths of the future. As we remember the generations who built and formed St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Parish over the past 160 years, we also celebrate the many cultural narratives, experiences, backgrounds and languages that are present today”–writes the Parish.
The international festival is being supported by the embassies and missions of Germany, Slovakia, Turkey and the Philippines, as well as the British Isles Family History Society of Ottawa, the Canadian Indo-Caribbean Organization of Ottawa, the Islam Care Centre, the multicultural CHIN Radio station and the Edo Cultural Group of Ottawa. The event also has the support of City of Ottawa Councillor Mathieu Fleury, who will speak at the festival. As we are a Hungarian publication, we should note that the Embassy of Hungary was invited to participate, but regrettably had to decline. Many thanks, however, to CHIN Radio’s Hungarian-language broadcast, and to Judit Petényi and her volunteers in particular, for sharing some tastes, sounds and art from Hungarian culture at the festival.
Entry to the festival is free and all are welcome. The Parish will be accepting free-will donations. All funds help to support St. Joseph’s outreach to those on the margins, including our daily community dinner service, which welcomes an average of 120 guests each night for a warm, healthy meal. This program relies entirely on contributions from our parishioners and from private support in the Ottawa community. In addition to the St. Joe’s Supper Table program, the Parish also operates the St. Joe’s Women’s Centre, with the financial support of the City of Ottawa.
The support received from the embassies, high commissions, the National Arts Centre and the business community makes the International Day Festival possible.
If you are reading our publication from the Ottawa region, you are warmly invited to visit us on November 26th, 2016, from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM at St. Joseph’s Parish (174 Wilbrod St.) and sample some food, culture and music from around the world. And, of course, please do check out the table set up by CHIN Radio’s Hungarian-language broadcast!
