Kahwin AB Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church 1931

Kahwin, Alberta, Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1931

— Edited from a text by Bohdan Hrynyshyn.

Prehistory, 1920s

The people who had settled in the region of Kahwin, Alberta, Canada, primarily before World War I, were largely immigrants from the region of Bucovina in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This province was historically part of Moldavia, and the language spoken there was mostly Romanian. However, in more northerly parts of Bucovina (and certainly in the adjacent region of Galicia), there were also numerous Ukrainian-speakers. Many had emigrated to Canada because of the enticements of the Canadian Government at that time.

Earliest existence within the Holy Trinity, Sunland, parish

The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church at Kahwin, Alberta, had its early beginnings during the late 1920s. It had its beginnings in a similar manner as, and in the same year as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Saint John the Baptist at Sachava (about 20 km to the southwest), south of Andrew.

A group of pro-Ukrainian parishioners from the Holy Trinity Russo-Greek Orthodox Church of Sunland, Alberta, wanted to join the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, which had been formed in 1918.

The disagreements in the original parish were so intense that in 1929, a court case arose over the disputed ownership and affiliation of the Sunland Temple and parish. The pro-Ukrainian group lost the court case. As a result, they decided to leave the Sunland parish.

Founding the new parish, 1931

In 1931, the group which now identified itself as Ukrainian Orthodox organised the Parochial Committee of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity at Kahwin. Kahwin is a place-name in Alberta, which comes from a Cree word which means “to be cut down”.

This new entity then purchased several acres of land for a Temple and a cemetery, which was about 1 km (.6 mi) to the south-west of the Sunland Holy Trinity Temple.

At the time of the original land acquisition, the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox congregation consisted of 20 paid-up family members, numbering a total of 98 persons.

The graveyard had been previously established by the Presbyterian-backed Independent Church which, between 1910-1920, had an active congregation in the Kahwin district. There was also an Independent group active in nearby Sniatyn, while the minister was based in the village of Andrew.

First Temple, 1932

Construction of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church began on 7 June 1932, under the direction of Ivan Mnoholitny (an area contractor, who was a farmer in the Vegreville area). The work proceeded so quickly that the exterior was completed by 26 July of the same year.

On 21 August, 1932 [another source says September], Archbishop John (Theodorovych) sanctified the new Temple during a visitation that he made to the community.

However, this Temple was destroyed by fire in 1933. Such fires were not uncommon, and they were caused most often by lightning, by neglecting to extinguish all flames or candles, and by a grass-fire.

The members were undaunted by this painful event, and they set to work preparing to rebuild.

One of the founders of the Holy Trinity Parish at Kahwin was the 20-year-old Ivan (John) Decore. In 1949 and 1953, he was elected as a Liberal to the federal parliament for the Vegreville constituency. Later, from 1965 to 1979, he served as the Chief Judge of the District Court of Northern Alberta. (Justice Decore was also the father of the late Edmonton mayor and provincial Liberal leader, Laurence Decore).

Second Temple, 1934

In 1934, work began on the construction of the second Temple, again under the supervision of Ivan Mnoholitny. He was a local farmer and skilled carpenter who in 1920 was commissioned to build a hall and bell-house for the Holy Trinity, Sunland, congregation. He had been paid the sum of $350. In 1922, he had been elected as that congregation's secretary. It seems that Mr. Mnoholitny was responsible for building some 19 churches. It seems also that after his repose in the Lord in 1962, he was interred at the Evergreen Cemetery.

The bell-house

Architectural characteristics

Oriented on the usual east-west axis, the Temple is designed on a central longitudinal cruciform plan following "Byzantine" tradition. The Temple has one main dome. In addition, there are 2 cupolas that adorn the front façade. The site is surrounded by flat, arable land, and second or third-generation trees. This site is located about 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast from the town of Andrew, Alberta.

One enters the narthex through a small vestibule under the choir loft. The narthex leads into the nave with north and south transepts and a solea (chancel) on a raised floor. Beyond the solea to the east, there is the Altar area that surrounds the Holy Table. In addition, there are 2 identical sacristies located north and south of the crossing, each with its own entrance from the exterior. The Altar is screened by a three-tier iconostas.

A large drum fixture rises from the intersection of the roofs over the nave. The structure then supports a high, octagonal (onion-shaped) dome. The dome and the cupolas are covered with a hand-painted bronze-coloured metal. This is one of the few rural Temples to use this colour. A large wrought-iron Cross sits on top of the dome. There is also a Cross on each of the cupolas. The interior is painted in white and blue.

An open bell-house stands by the Temple. It is constructed in the same Romanian-Bucovinian style as that of the Holy Trinity Temple at Sunland.

The Temple and the bell-house

Parish choir

In 1938, a parish choir was established on the initiative of Mr. N Melnyk, who served as its leader for many years. The choir often sang at services in neighbouring Temples, including at Andrew, Sachava, and Zawale.

1940s, 1950s

In 1947 and 1948, the Kahwin parish had 11 registered family members, and reported celebrating 5 Divine Liturgies in the course of the second of these years. In a letter to the Consistory in April, 1950, the parish secretary complained that not only had no services taken place at Holy Trinity during the Lenten period, but the priest had failed also to show up to perform the ritual blessing of the Easter baskets at midnight as promised. Consequently, some parishioners had gone to have their baskets blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, while others simply ate their Easter meal without having it properly sanctified. The secretary further expressed concern that the Jehovah's Witness movement, and an unspecified "holy roller" (Pentecostal) sect was starting to make inroads into the local community.

Notwithstanding these troubles, in 1951, membership in the congregation grew to 14, and it increased by another 2 families the following year, when a total of 11 services were hosted at Holy Trinity Church.

In 1955, 7 Divine Liturgies and 3 Feast-day commemorations were held in the Temple, which by then counted 22 paid-up members and approximately 15 "sympathisers". An article submitted to Winnipeg for publication in the mid-1950s claimed that there were roughly 70 Orthodox Christian families in the vicinity of the Kahwin Temple. There was still potential for additional growth, even though the general rural population was gradually declining.

As the 1950s drew to a close the Temple was hosting 8 to 10 services annually, and its membership remained constant at 19. However, a shortage of priests meant that Kahwin (like other small congregations) was only able to arrange for religious services on an occasional basis, and not always at the times preferred by parishioners.

Thus, when the Willingdon-based priest was unable to celebrate the annual feast day with the community in 1960, a letter of concern was sent to the Consistory in Winnipeg. It noted that some members were so offended that for weddings and baptisms, they had started engaging the "Metropolia" cleric who served at Sunland.

1960

In 1960, William Sawchuk painted the iconostas.

The hurt feelings regarding lack of pastoral care dissipated quickly, however, when a new pastor, Igumen Alexander (Shcherban), was assigned to the congregation.

Under Father Shcherban's care, the congregation enjoyed several harmonious and productive years.

In 1965, the congregation legally incorporated itself, further consolidating its existence.

Nonetheless, the passage of time inevitably sapped the vitality of the congregation, which like other rural parishes was confronted with a slowly shrinking and aging membership. This situation was further exacerbated by the sporadic services which the dwindling congregation received from the overextended priests assigned to look after the Holy Trinity Faithful.

Although in 1981, the parish still reported having a total of 30 members, only 6 of these were said to be active.

By 1994, only 6 families remained, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to carry on because all of the members were in their seventies and eighties.

Like so many other parishes in the Alberta countryside, Holy Trinity Church seems to have almost no chance of long-term survival.

Renovations

Over the course of its history, Holy Trinity Church at Kahwin was renovated several times. During Andrew Andriuk's leadership of the congregation, a basement was dug under the Temple, the exterior siding was stuccoed, and new asphalt shingles were put on the roof.

At some point a storm porch was also added, further refining the appearance of the church.

In 1960, the interior was thoroughly remodelled, and a new iconostas, made by William Sawchuk of Edmonton, was installed. The outside of the Temple was also painted at this time, and the roof was reshingled.

On 20 August 1972, Archbishop Andrew (Metiuk) helped to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Kahwin Church.

Re-naming of the UGOCC, 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.

The UOCC entered into Eucharistic union with 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.

Northwest view of the Temple

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 sign

Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox parish cemetery, 1931

On the land newly-purchased in 1931, there already existed a cemetery that had been established by the Presbyterian-backed “Independent Greek Church” in the early 1900s.

The first burials date as far back as 1910. Amongst the early interments were the resting-places of 2 children in a family that later moved to Edmonton and joined the pro-Communist wing of the Ukrainian community. The graves of these 2 children became a source of considerable controversy when, in 1947, family members decided to erect monuments on them that were not deemed to be of a Christian character. The members of Holy Trinity Church opposed the installation of secular markers on consecrated ground, insisting that graves had to be marked with Crosses. Unsure whether they could forbid the placing of the markers, the parish executive wrote to Winnipeg for guidance in the matter. The Consistory cautiously advised the congregation to seek legal advice as to whether or not they had the right to prohibit the erection of the "Communist" memorials, which the patriotically-Ukrainian parishioners viewed as politically offensive.

It is not known how this conflict was ultimately resolved.

Nevertheless, this cemetery has continued to be used by this parish since its foundation.

The cemetery and the Temple

1968 : 50th anniversary memorial table

Memorial names

Memorial table about the pioneers

Particular parish information

This parish is part of the Smoky Lake-Willingdon District of the Western Eparchy 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 the Feast of Pentecost (Descent of the Holy Spirit, Most Holy Trinity).

In 2024, the priest is the Priest Benny Ambrosie.

Address :

Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kahwin

580041, Range Road #162 (north of Township Road #580)

SW-2-58-16-W4

Lamont County, Alberta

Directions :

This Temple is situated about 130 km (80 mi) northeast of Edmonton, or 15 km (9 mi) northeast of Andrew.

From Andrew :

From the town of Andrew, drive eastwards on Highway #45 until Range Road #162. Turn left (north) on Range Road #162, and drive for about 12 km (7 mi). After Township Road #580, the Temple is on the right (east) side of the road.

From Edmonton :

From Edmonton, drive eastwards on Highway #16 (Yellowhead) until Mundare. At Mundare, turn left (north) on Highway #855. Drive north past Highway #29, until Highway #45. Turn right and drive eastwards on Highway #45 until Range Road #162. Turn left (north) on Range Road #162, and drive for about 12 km (7 mi). After Township Road #580, the Temple is on the right (east) side of the road.

For specific information, please call the priest.

Priest Benny Ambrosie

Telephone : (780) 476-7014 (home)

Fax : (780) 476-3666

Mobile : (780) 719-9619

E-mail : bambrosie@shaw.ca

Cropped view of the Temple

References

A Brief History of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kahwin, Alberta parish history

Martynowych, Orest T, “Ukrainians in Canada : The Formative Period, 1891-1924” (Edmonton : Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, 1991. ISBN 10 : 0920862764. ISBN 13 : 978-0920862766.

Russian Mission in North America

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.

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.

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).

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

Orthodox World listing for Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Kahwin, Alberta

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada

Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Wikipedia article about the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

Patriarch Saint Tikhon (Belavin) (as archbishop)

Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis)

Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) (as archbishop)

Metropolitan John (Theodorovych)