Gorlitz SK Church and Cemetery of Saint Basil 1908
Gorlitz, Saskatchewan, Church and Cemetery of Saint Basil, 1908
Prehistory
In the early 1900s immigrants arrived in Western Canada from the Bukovina area of Romania and Galicia (at that time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now in Ukraine). They settled in an area near the German-speaking settlement of Gorlitz, Saskatchewan, Canada (27 km/17 mi north of Yorkton, and 20 km/12 mi south of Canora).
Retaining, living and practicing daily their Orthodox Christian Faith, the settlers gathered together to worship together in their homes (they used a reader’s form of services such as "Typica"), and they began the work required to organise the parish and to construct a Temple to the Lord. As usual, a portion of property was donated for this purpose.
The site of this particular property is situated at 24 km (15 mi) north and 3 km (2 mi) west of Yorkton, and at 23 km (14 mi) south and 3 km (2 mi) west of Canora.
Founding the parish, 1908
In 1908, the parishioners completed the necessary details required to organise themselves as a parish, which they named for Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia.
Bell-house
As was the case with most other Temples constructed on the prairies until this time, this Temple was constructed of logs which were donated and brought to the site by horses or oxen. Soon afterwards, a separate bell-house was constructed near the Temple (also with logs).
The parish was initially served by clergy from a monastery which at that time existed in Burgis, Saskatchewan (somewhat to the north, in the direction of Canora). It was part of the “Russian Mission”, also known as the “Diocese of North America and the Aleutian Islands” of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Services provided by monasteries
From that time, the farming community continued its life of work and worship. They were served by clergy who were serving in the region : sometimes from the Holy Ascension Monastery at Sifton, Manitoba, and sometimes from the Holy Dormition Parish at Stenen, Saskatchewan.
Local consequences of the Russian Revolution, 1917
Particularly after the Russian Revolution in 1917, there were periodically events in the history of the region which sometimes caused divisions amongst the Orthodox Christians. Many of these arose as a consequence of the severing both of communication and of financial subsidies from the Church of Russia by the new Soviet government. Nevertheless, this community persevered in the manner it had begun.
Rural depopulation
As have all other rural parishes across Western Canada, this parish community suffered from rural depopulation, which began in the 1930s. This accelerated after World War II with the increase in mechanisation and the consolidation of small farms into larger ones.
By the 1990s, the number of farms had decreased very greatly because a great many had been bought by larger and larger farming operations. Thus, the population of this parish steadily decreased as people moved elsewhere.
Support from Yorkton
By this time also, this community was being served primarily from the parish of Saint Mark the Evangelist in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
The original Temple and the bell-house still stand on the property.
Apart from the portion of land occupied by the Temple and the cemetery, the remaining acres connected with the parish are used as a community pasture. The whole portion of land is surrounded and protected from winds by trees. Both the Temple and the cemetery are well-maintained.
Episcopal visitation, 2001
(Monk Tikhon (Green) ; Priest Rodion Luciuk ; Bishop Seraphim (Storheim)
By 2022, the parish was served once a year, on or near the Feast of Pentecost, at which time the annual blessing of graves took place.
Saint Basil Orthodox Christian Cemetery, 1908
The Cemetery of the Saint Basil parish was established in 1908, at about the same time as the organisation of the parish and the construction of the Temple.
The Rural Municipality (RM) of Good Lake has a transcript of the interments in this cemetery. It was recorded in 1996. At that time there were 110 graves, with one grave unmarked and unnamed and a further 13 marked but unnamed.
Many of the grave-markers are written in Ukrainian.
The Temple of Saint Basil, and some graves
Particular parish information
This parish is part of the Manitoba & Saskatchewan & Nunavut Deanery of the Archdiocese of Canada, in The Orthodox Church in America. The dean is Archpriest Gregory Scratch. The bishop is Archbishop Irénée (Rochon).
This parish follows the New (Revised Julian) Calendar.
The Altar Feast-day of the parish is the Feast of Pentecost. The parish adopted this celebration because of the difficulties involved in celebrating the Feast-day of Saint Basil the Great on 1 January.
In 2022, the parish is served from the parish of Saint Mark the Evangelist in Yorkton by Archpriest Rodion Luciuk.
310, Circlebrooke Drive
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
S3N 2T1
Telephone : 306-782-2482
E-mail : fatherrod@sasktel.net
Centennial cairn
References
“The Russian Mission in North America”
Additional information :
Martynowych, Orest T. “Ukrainians in Canada : The Formative Period, 1891–1924” (Edmonton : Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, 1991. ISBN10 : 0920862764. ISBN13 : 978-0920862766.
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.
Zuk, Michael, “The Ukrainian Protestant Missions in Canada” (Montreal : Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Faculty of Divinity, McGill University, 1957).
Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky)
Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)
Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky)
Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)
Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor)
Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen)