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Saint Philopater Mercurius Church, Guelph
SERVING COPTS NEAR THE NORTH POLE!
BY FATHER ATHANASIUS ISKANDER
The Yukon Territory is the Canadian counterpart to Alaska, with which it shares a border. It lies at the northwestern corner of Canada, close to the North Pole. Because of this, the year is half winter, when the sun rises at 10 a.m. and sets at 3 p.m., and half summer, in which the sun does not seem to set!
The territory is sparsely populated, mainly with aboriginals. Few people would adopt it as a home except by necessity. Like the Province of Newfoundland in Eastern Canada, the Yukon has a chronic shortage of doctors. For this reason, from time to time, the rules are relaxed in order to attract more doctors, especially among foreign graduates.
In 2000, seven Coptic families lived there. Two of these families were known to me, and they phoned me asking if I could go there once in a while to celebrate the Eucharist for them and their children. I procrastinated a little, until the mother of one of the lady doctors there saw me during a service in Halifax, where her other daughter lives. She politely but firmly convinced me to treat the Copts of Yukon the same as I treat those of Halifax! I promised her I would.
During 2001-2002, I travelled to Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon four times to celebrate the Eucharist with our Copts who, for a season, lived in the Land of the Midnight Sun. (Picture below)
