MHM E-Events Listings
Events Newsletter for the Mennonite Heritage Museum
Welcome to the E-Newsletter: April 11, 2025 Edition
In this issue:
- Easter Paska Available in the Café for a limited time!
- Easter Hours, we will be closed April 18 and open April 21, 2025
- Hearts of Freedom Gallery Exhibit on display now until April 25, 2025
- Unearthing The Vanished Gallery Exhibit opens May 5, 2025
Exhibit Opening Reception May 8, 2025 at 7pm - Cafe Regular Hours Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 10am to 3pm
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Easter Paska in the MHM Café
Fresh baked Easter Paska buns are available at the MHM Café for a limited time only! Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this beloved seasonal treat, until April 17, 2025.
MHM Easter Hours
We will be CLOSED Friday, April 18 2025 and OPEN Monday, April 21, 2025
Hearts of Freedom Gallery Exhibit
Explore the Stories of Resilience
This exhibition honours the incredible stories of Southeast Asian refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It highlights the impact of the Vietnam War, the Lao Secret War, and the Cambodian Genocide—events that forced millions to flee their homelands in search of safety. Through their journeys, these refugees faced unimaginable hardships, ultimately finding a new home in Canada. Hearts of Freedom shares their stories of survival and resilience in their own words, providing a profound and moving glimpse into their lives, and the broader history of immigration to Canada.
Unearthing the Vanished Gallery Exhibit & Opening Reception
MHM is excited to unveil its brand new exhibit on display starting May 5, 2025.
Join us for the Opening Reception on May 8, 2025 at 7pm (doors open at 6pm) to hear from the curators as they share the inspiration and story behind the exhibit.
This powerful exhibit sheds light on the enduring trauma of forced disappearances and the profound grief felt by families who have lost loved ones under violent regimes. Focusing on the Ukrainian experience, it explores how unresolved grief, stemming from sudden and traumatic loss, impacts not only those who directly suffered but also future generations. Through stories of resilience, the exhibit highlights the ongoing psychological effects of these disappearances, from depression and anxiety to transgenerational grief.
The exhibit's concluding panel examines memorialization efforts, such as those honouring missing Indigenous children in Canada, Jewish victims across Europe, and those lost during Stalin’s purges, illustrating how communities preserve memory through powerful acts of remembrance. By sharing these stories, the exhibit invites reflection on the importance of recognizing both the pain of the past and the strength found in survival.
Passage to Freedom Documentary Select Showings
Passage to Freedom is a moving, one hour documentary that features oral histories of Southeast Asian refugees that made the dangerous journeys from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to Canada.
The film effectively weaves archival clips of news stories, wartime footage, and interviews with former refugees and Canadian immigration officials. Canada resettled over 100,000 Southeast Asian refugees from 1975 to 1985. The Canadian response to the refugee crisis was recognized internationally with the UNHCR Nansen Medal in 1986. The film delves into the journey of the refugees’ integration into the fabric of Canadian life and highlights the contributions of this first generation and their descendants.
Call to book your own select showing in one of our theaters during open hours and bring friends: 604-758-5667. More film titles are available for select showings, just ask at our front desk.
News from MHSBC:
The MHSBC Research Centre OPEN for Drop Ins!
Need Genealogy or Research Help?
Our Research Centre is open for drop-in genealogy help and appointments! Call today 604-853-6177!
You can renew your membership for 2025 by paying online 24/7:
Renewing online is handy and helps us. Thank you for your support!
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Mennonite Heritage Museum
Email: info@mennonitemuseum.org
Website: http://mennonitemuseum.org/
Location: 1818 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
Phone: (604) 758-5667
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MennoniteHeritageMuseum/
Twitter: @mennomuseum1


