Persian community memorial service at All Saints' Anglican Church, Waterloo

"We aren't here to pick a side, we are here to stand with people." Iranian community in the Waterloo Region was hosted on January 31 at All Saints' Anglican Church. For All Saints' this was not a matter of international politics but a matter of family.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, the sanctuary of All Saints’ Anglican Church was filled not just with prayer, but with the beautiful melodies of Farsi song.

More than 100 people gathered for a memorial service to honour those who have lost their lives in the ongoing struggle for freedom and human dignity in Iran.

While the music reflected the deep roots of the Persian community, the spoken words bridged the gap between neighbours in Waterloo and family members thousands of miles away.

For All Saints’, this wasn’t a matter of international politics, but a matter of family. Many members of the parish community are of Persian decent who recently immigrated, with loved ones still living through the uncertainty in Iran.

The atmosphere was one purposeful solidarity. Bardish Chagger (MP), Tim Louis (MP), and Catherine Fife (MPP) were in attendance, making it clear that Canada wants to see an end to the violence.

"We aren't here to pick a side," one participant noted, "we are here to stand with people."

In a world that often feels divided by borders and headlines, the gathering served as a reminder that the "Great Cloud of Witnesses" includes those standing in the streets of Tehran just as much as those sitting in the pews in Waterloo. As the candles faded and the music faded, the message remained clear: when one part of the body hurts, the whole body feels it.

Rev. Marty Levesque