Big Meadow AB Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery 1930

Big Meadow, Alberta, Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery, 1930

Prehistory

Big Meadow, Alberta, Canada, is a small settlement situated in the Bonnyville Municipal District (a region with an increasing population). This district is situated northeast of Smoky Lake, and north of Vermilion, and its eastern boundary is the Saskatchewan provincial border. The district includes both Bonnyville and Cold Lake, and several localities in which Orthodox Christian communities were established in the 1930s and after.

Big Meadow is situated northeast from Smoky Lake, from Saint Paul, from Bonnyville, and towards Cold Lake.

First settlement

Although this region was very slowly settled by homesteaders after 1900, indigenous Cree, Denesuline and Métis peoples were previously numerous in the region, and they participated in the fur trade after 1871.

Slavs and other peoples (Franco-Canadians and Europeans) began to settle in the region primarily during the late 1930s, and especially during and after World War II and the establishment of a Royal Canadian Air Force Base at Cold Lake.

Settlers from Bukovyna, 1918

The Big Meadow area was settled primarily by immigrants from Bukovyna, beginning in 1918-1919 with the arrival of Metro Denys and Peter Yarema.

Establishment of the cemetery, 1926

A cemetery was established in the district in 1926 on a two-acre site obtained from the government and registered in the name of the Lessard Community Cemetery Company. There were

2 non-Ukrainians amongst the people listed on the land title : Johnny Levesque and Jack Walter. Although they did not want to belong to the parish, they were supportive of having a graveyard in the community, and 7 signatures were needed for the allocation to be approved by the province. The government also required that a structure be erected at the site to house the bodies of the dead until they could be buried (a winter-time provision).

First Divine Liturgy, 1927

In 1927, Priest Ivan Mayba is said to have dedicated a Cross at the cemetery following the first Ukrainian Orthodox Divine Liturgy held in the community, which was celebrated at the home of a local resident.

Establishment of the parish, construction of the Temple, 1930

In 1930 a small log Temple, measuring 16’ x 16’, was constructed on the same parcel of land by a handful of volunteers.

In 1933 the cemetery was formally blessed by Priest Tymofei Horbay, who at this time advised the congregation to write to the Ukrainian Orthodox Consistory, and to request that the parish be admitted officially into the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada.

The first piece of correspondence received in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from Big Meadow dates from 1936, when it was reported that Saint John’s parish had 15 members, and that there were already 11 graves in the cemetery. The same letter also contained details about the founding and early years of the congregation.

In late 1937 or 1938 the original Temple was enlarged by member-volunteers, and enhanced with traditional Orthodox decorative features. During this period, services were held at Big Meadow by visiting priests on a monthly basis. However, several more years passed before the Saint John parish Faithful, prompted by an impending visit by Archbishop John (Theodorovych), actually formally registered with the UGOC.

At a meeting held on 26 August 1941, 12 members in attendance voted to adopt the constitution and bylaws of the UGOC, after which Archbishop John (Ioan) signed the papers as a witness. Two days later, on 28 August, Archbishop John sanctified the Temple of Saint John, and he served a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

Nearby Temple established at Bonnyville

The next Orthodox Christian Temple to be established in the region was that of Saints Peter and Paul at Bonnyville, Alberta, in 1940. That community was part of the Canadian Diocese of the "Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America" at that time.

In 1941, the parish of Saint John the Baptist had become part of the "Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada" (UGOCC), and of its Western Eparchy (Western Diocese) that was established in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1959.

Developments of the parish after 1940

In 1943, the parish of Saint John the Baptist, Big Meadow, reported having 7 families as members ; but a few years later, it enjoyed a growth spurt that tripled the size of the congregation. According to a letter from Father Senishen on 8 April 1948, the influx of 14 new people, combined with local political circumstances and misunderstandings concerning the pension fund that had been established for the clergy, created a rift within the community between the newcomers and the old executive. The crisis seems to have been resolved without further incident, as the required payments were submitted to the Consistory for 1948 and again in 1949, when the membership was given to be 16.

The membership at Big Meadow continued to decline over the next 3 years, from 11, to 10, and 7 by 1952. At the same time, the congregation again fell into arrears over the money that it owed Consistory, which had doubled annual allotments from $1.00 to $2.00 because of rising costs.

By the end of 1954, the situation seems to have somewhat improved, since Saint John’s claimed in an annual report that its 10 paid adherents, along with 4 sympathizers, had hosted 7 Divine Liturgies over the course of the year.

Things continued to slowly get better in the second half of the decade, since by 1958-1959 the parish membership had increased to over 20, and Sunday services were being held on a monthly basis.

Establishment of Saint Elias parish in Bonnyville

Nevertheless, in early 1961, the congregation again experienced some serious turbulence. This time, it was triggered by a decision to establish another congregation in the nearby town of Bonnyville, which was to work in collaboration with the Saint John’s parish. The fallout from this bitter conflict undoubtedly had a negative effect on the well-being of the Big Meadow congregation.

By 1962, the parish of Saint John reported having “no small children” ; and in 1967, the parish committee wrote to the Consistory that it had very small numbers “as people do not want sign as members”.

The "modern" architecture of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Saint Elias in Bonnyville shows that it was constructed well after World War II, at a time when more people were arriving in that town.

Decline of the Big Meadow parish

It seems that after a short while, the congregation of Saint John's ceased making its budgetary contributions to Winnipeg and ended its participation in the Bonnyville parish district. Gradually, it curtailed virtually all its activities sometime in the 1970s.

In 1980, Father Sawchenko wrote a detailed account of the situation at Big Meadow, noting that the congregation, comprised of approximately 5 remaining members, had not been active for a long time beyond commemorating annual "provody" at the cemetery. The property owned by the congregation (not including the church) was then estimated to have a value of $20,000, while the hall was thought to be worth $15,000.

The Temple is still standing on its original site. It is known that the original log church was enlarged with an addition and renovated sometime between the end of the 1930s and 1940s, and that it was painted in 1952.

Despite its lapse into an inactive state, the parish does receive services according to occasional need (such as weddings and funerals), and the annual "provody" service (post-Pascha grave-blessings) at Big Meadow cemetery.

Change of status of the UGOCC, 1990

Change of name, 1990

In 1990, the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada was officially renamed “The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (UOCC) by an Act of the Parliament of Canada.

Acceptance by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, 1990

In 1990, the 18th Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba, decided to enter into Eucharistic Union with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople (Istanbul). This decision also changed the relationship with the other Orthodox dioceses and parishes in Canada in a positive way.

Centennial of the UOCC, 2018

In 2018, the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and also of Holy Trinity Cathedral were marked at an extraordinary sobor (assembly) at the cathedral in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The purpose of the sobor was to celebrate 100 years of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. The celebrations were attended by Ukrainian Orthodox faithful from across Canada and beyond.

The Sobor began on Thursday, 9 August, 2018, with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Chapel of Saint Petro Mohyla Institute, presided by Bishop Andriy (Peshko) of the Eastern Eparchy, with the responses sung by the Clergy led by Father Michael Lomaszkiewicz. This was followed by an All-Canada Clergy Conference.

Centennial Clergy Conference

All gathered for Vespers at the Mohyla Institute Chapel and this was followed by a wine and cheese reception as the delegates and guests registered for the Extraordinary National Council.

The celebrations continued for a year.

2020-2021 Coronavirus-19 virus restrictions on parishes

In early 2020, the Covid-19 virus made its appearance in Canada, and it quickly became a world-wide pandemic. Because of the rules governing gatherings that were laid down by the provincial and city governments, the parish stopped any further services after 8 March, 2020. Including the rules regarding social distancing, the decreasing numbers permitted for any gathering, and the considerations regarding the health of all concerned, this and other parishes were required to close for a time.

As elsewhere, there was some controversy about the legal requirements.

Election of Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk), 2022

Election of a nominee by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

On 15-19 June, 2022, the 24th Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox of Canada was convened "on-line". This conference-meeting was convened thus instead of convening physically (as customarily) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. There were 6 cathedrals in Canada where this meeting took place simultaneously through a computer-network : in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Holy Trinity Metropolitan Cathedral) ; Vancouver, British Columbia (Holy Trinity Cathedral) ; in Edmonton, Alberta (Saint John's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral) ; in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Holy Trinity Cathedral) ; in Toronto, Ontario (Saints Vladimir and Olga Cathedral) ; in Montréal, Québec (Saint Sophie Cathedral).

There was a total of 205 delegates, which was near the average attendance for such sobors.

In the course of the work of the Sobor, there was the necessary election in order to nominate to the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople a candidate for election as Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, who would succeed the Retired Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk).

There were 3 candidates who were considered : Archbishop Job (Getcha), Bishop Ilarion (Rudnyk), and Bishop Andriy (Peshko). The final choice of the members of the sobor was Archbishop Job (Getcha). He had received more than the minimum required 51% of the votes, and there was no subsequent voting required.

The election by the Sobor (Assembly) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada then had to be confirmed by the Holy Synod of Bishops of Constantinople (as is described in the Consistory By-laws).

Upon having received the nomination (with accompanying documents) from the Sobor of the UOCC, the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople elected Vladyka Ilarion (Rudnyk) to become Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople elected Archbishop Job (Getcha) to become Metropolitan of Pisidia, in west-central Türkiye (Turkey), north of Lycia, and east of Ephesus.

Confirmation of election in Constantinople/Istanbul, 2022

On 29 August, 2022, Vladyka Ilarion (Rudnyk) was at the Phanar in Constantinople for the purpose of the first confirmation of the election in June, 2022. He co-served the Divine Liturgy with Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) in the Cathedral of Saint George at the Phanar.

Enthronement as Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, 2022

On Saturday, 19 November, 2022, at 9:30 a.m., in Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Enthronement Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was served. Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) presided at the Divine Liturgy. He was assisted by Bishop Andriy (Peshko), many priests, several deacons, subdeacons and Altar-servers. Present also were Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios (Athanassoulas), Exarch of Canada for the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Retired Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk), Former Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.

Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) at the Phanar, Istanbul, 2023

On Sunday, 2 July, 2023, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) was present and praying during the Divine Liturgy at Saint George's Cathedral in the Patriarchate compound. He gave the blessing that Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) preside ("horostasia") over the Divine Liturgy. Metropolitan Job (Getcha) of Pisidia, Bishop Athenagoras (Ziliaskopoulos) of Nazianzos, and the Honourable Roman Nedilskyi, General Consul of Ukraine in Constantinople were also present and praying with the congregation of the Faithful.

Change of calendar for the UOCC, 2023

On 1 December, 2023, in accordance with the resolutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, Metropolitan Ilarion II (Rudnyk) announced that, effective that day, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada moved to use the New (Revised Julian) Calendar. He allowed that for a brief period of time, a parish might remain on the Old (Julian) Calendar.

It seems that subsequently, John's Cathedral in Edmonton, Alberta, was the first to adopt the New (Revised Julian) Calendar.

However, a previously-existing group of persons began to encourage resistance to the immediacy of this change. It was their understanding that the process would be determined ultimately and finally at the next general sobor of the UOCC. Therefore, on 16 December, 2023, Metropolitan Ilarion issued a formal letter concerning the situation, together with a letter of support sent to him by his predecessor (Retired Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk)). He called the resisters to repentance.

Parish cemetery

The parish established a cemetery (at an unknown date), named Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery. The available interments are recent. In 2024, there were 4 memorials listed.

The cemetery is situated near Big Meadow, Alberta, at the southwest corner of the intersection of Range Road #452 and Township Road #622, north of Highway #28.

The GPS co-ordinates are : 54.35561, -110.65599

Particular parish information

This parish is part of the Western Eparchy (Bonnyville District) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. The bishop of the eparchy is Metropolitan Ilarion II (Rudnyk).

This parish follows the Old (Julian) Calendar.

The Altar Feast-day of this parish is Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, 24 June/7 July.

In 2024, the pastor of this parish is the Priest Peter Haugen.

Address :

Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church

SE27-62-05-W4

Lessard Township, Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta

Big Meadow, Alberta

T0A 1H0

Directions :

Call the priest for specific directions.

Big Meadow is a small locality just north of Bonnyville, Alberta.

Big Meadow is situated about 255 km (158 mi) northeast of Edmonton, Alberta.

Big Meadow is about 10 minutes or 13 km (9 mi) northeast of Bonnyville, Alberta. From Edmonton, the journey takes approximately 3 hours, or 270 km (168 mi).

From Edmonton, follow Highway #15N to Highway #37W in Sturgeon County. Then follow Highway #825N and Range Road #224 to Highway #28 E. Turn right onto Highway #28E, and continue towards Bonnyville. Before arriving at Bonnyville, turn north (left) at Highway #41. Turn right at Township Road #622. Drive eastwards to Range Road #52.

Alternatively, follow Highway 28 through Bonnyville to Range Road #52. Turn left and drive north to Township Road #622.

GPS Co-ordinates : 54.35561, -110.65599

Priest Peter Haugen

Telephones : 780-938-4363 ; 587-252-2715 (mobile)

E-mail : peterhaug_en@hotmail.com

References

Russian Mission in North America

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Yereniuk, Prof. Roman, “A Short Historical Outline of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC)”.

Additional information :

“Collection of Material Relating to the 50th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, 1918-1968” (Winnipeg : Consistory of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, 1968).

Sametz, William, “My father the priest : the life and times of the Very Reverend Dr. Peter Sametz : founding missionary priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (Toronto : Hypertex Plus, 2008). ISBN : 9780969670056.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Saint John the Baptist parish listing

Orthodox World listing

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada web-site

Western Eparchy of the UOCC

Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Wikipedia article about the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

Orthodoxwiki article about the Patriarchate of Constantinople

Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis)