Kitchener Community Events

Ceremony on the Woodland Cemetery

November 14, 2010 at the Woodland Ceremony

Every November the Remembrance Society organizes a ceremony on the Woodland Cemetery to remember the German soldiers that died while here in Canada during the war and all other victims of war and oppression everywhere.

This year the message was clearer than ever before. Commemorating also the 65^th anniversary of the end of WWII Gerhard Griebenow, who led through the program, stated in his opening remarks: “…we are not here to glorify war or to encourage conflict…we are here to pray for all the victims of violent oppression. We pray for the soldiers and their families, and for the thousands of civilians caught up in battles that were not their own. It does indeed appear that everyone’s hope for a tolerant, compassionate world seems to be under threat daily in our lives. Therefore we pray for an opportunity for peace that still eludes our world and we hope for consolation, understanding and healing for all.”

These sentiments were echoed by the Consul General of Germany Sabine Sparwasser. After thanking Helene Schramek for the good work of the Remembrance Society she ended her short remarks with: “Out of mourning we draw the lesson: We must live our life striving for reconciliation between individuals and nations. We need to work for peace wherever we are- at home and all over the world.”

The Transylvania Brass Band	The Concordia Choirs

Prayer and somber music by the Transylvania Brass Band and the Concordia Choirs, Dr. Alfred Kunz conducting, surrounded the laying of many wreaths.

Laying of wreaths

The complete speeches will appear at a later date on our website at www.echoworld.com, as will a letter from Hans Jürgen Wio, whose Grandfather is buried on the cemetery in Kitchener. We had made the connection 2 years ago with Mr. Wio, who found us on the internet and subsequently visited Kitchener with his family, including his father and son, and he describes what happened surrounding this event.

Kitchener Community Events:
Stiftungsfest Concordia Club