Toronto Zoroastrians Begin Construction at the OZCF Place of Worship

arZan

1 year ago

Construction Begins for OZCF Place of Worship.

FEZANA Member Association Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation Breaks Ground and Begins Construction of its Place of Worship

FEZANA is thrilled to share news of the groundbreaking ceremony and the commencement of construction for the new Place of Worship in Oakville, Ontario. This place of worship shall be the spiritual home of the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation, a FEZANA Member. OZCF shares some of the salient features of the project and seeks your help in spreading the word and supporting it to achieve this milestone.

October 1, 2023

“Ahura Mazda’s Atash shall forever radiate its resplendent flame, and at last,

the Fire Within shall have its home amid divine surroundings.

After 3500 years, our time cometh / our Time is Now.”

Our Dear Zoroastrian Family,

The Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation (OZCF) and the Place of Worship Advisory Committee is proud to announce that we have commenced construction on Phase 1 of our Atashkadeh project, in preparation for a future consecrated Atash-e-Adaran fire. Our inaugural Consecration Jashan and Baj ceremonies on September 24th, 2023, were conducted by 16 Mobeds, attended by over 300 people and watched online worldwide. The OZCF owns a 10-acre parcel of land in the Greater Toronto Area, a hub of immigrant growth and the fastest growing Zoroastrian population in North America. Visit our website www.ozcf.com for more information, pictures, and live construction views. OZCF was formed in 2002 and we purchased our 10-acre land for $1.5 Million in 2004. The Hall was subsequently built for $450,000. Today we are debt free! We have already raised an additional CDN $3.4M to start building Phase 1 of our place of worship. In Phase 2 commencing 2024, we need to raise CDN $1.7M (US $1.26M).

Continuity in a New world:

As more and more Zoroastrians emigrate to Ontario, Canada and USA, Atashkadehs offer continuity in the foundation of their religious beliefs from the lands they left. They will continue to celebrate important occasions such as: birthdays, navjotes, weddings and death ceremonies; ghambars; Pateti and Navroz; religious lectures and other social events for Parsis and Iranians alike.
Currently, the 10-acre ground of the Zoroastrian Religious and Cultural Centre is abuzz year-round with cultural, social, and sporting activities for all its members, young and old, Parsis and Iranians. Events are held over 250 days a year in the existing premises, but there is a penchant for a more religious setting.
This land is close to Toronto, a hub of immigrant growth in Canada, the international airport, and home to our provincial government.

A Generational Vision:

The Atash-e-Adaran will be the cornerstone for maintaining our religious beliefs as waves of Zoroastrians immigrate to North America. The future of Zoroastrianism will indeed depend on how we build the capacity and infrastructure to support our legacy from generation to generation.

As the fastest growing Zoroastrian community in the world, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) boasts the highest number of Zoroastrians outside of Mumbai and Pune, with a population of over 6,000 within a 50km radius.
The Atashkadeh and Atash-e-Adaran will support a growing Zoroastrian population of 10,000 in Canada and over 25,000 in the USA. The OZCF works closely with our sister organization the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) with combined events and regular meetings. We are building a true community which will not only have a social centre but will now house a place of worship for members to share sacred communion with the Almighty and provide a recognizable identity for our younger generation to be proud of.

A Home to Ordain Priests:

The new Atashkadeh will contain facilities to enable our younger generation from across North America to become ordained priests, which will serve our community well in the future as our population grows. This will encourage the training of even more priests, by overcoming the inconvenience of families traveling to India with associated costs. The site will be consecrated to enable the performance of the higher liturgical ceremonies, which are so relevant in our religion.

The Future in a New World is ALL OF OURS:

The Atash Behrams and Agiaries of our home countries have stood for hundreds of years and were built in large part due to the magnanimity and charity of its donors. And here we stand again at the doorstep of history, so close to fulfilling our objective. We require your help in bringing this project to its completion and realizing our dreams of having our very own Atashkadeh and Atash-e-Adaran in a new world for future generations.

The Atashkadeh will be a crowning moment for Zoroastrians across the world. With all the pieces set in place for our dream to crystallize into reality, and construction having already started, we encourage you to donate generously. Your donations are tax-free both in the USA and Canada.

Take pride and be part of history. Your philanthropy will contribute to this noble endeavor as we leave a legacy for future generations. To donate in the USA go to www.fezana.org and in Canada www.ozcf.com. For all donations including stock, tax receipts will be issued.

For as Zarathushtra Himself said: “Seek your happiness in the happiness of all.