Sifton MB †Monastery of the Holy Ascension 1910-1970

Sifton, Manitoba, †Monastery of the Holy Ascension, 1910-1970

Another way of referring to the monastery of the Holy Ascension in Sifton, Manitoba, using Slavic words, is : "Spaso-Voznisiensky Obityel". This roughly translates (in reverse word order) as the "Habitation of the Ascension of the Saviour".

Prehistory

In 1905, Archimandrite Arseny (Chahovtsov) had only recently arrived in North America from the Kharkiv Governorate of the Russian Empire, which region is now part of Ukraine. At that time, his primary responsibilities were still in Pennsylvania, USA, at the new Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. This monastery was in the process of being established within the Diocese of the Aleutians and New York of the Church of Russia (the continuation of the Russian Mission in North America. This diocese was at that time led by Bishop TIkhon (Belvain) of New York.

At about that time, Father Arseny had the blessing of Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) to travel to Manitoba in Canada, and to search for a place to build an orphanage. By Divine Providence, he was led to the then prosperous village of Sifton, where there were many Orthodox Christians.

Sifton was at that time a centre of woolen and grain mills in the region, about 347 km (215 mi) northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and 196 km (122 mi) northeast of Yorkton, Saskatchewan. From about 1900, the region in all directions from Sifton had acquired a substantial population of immigrants from the Bucovina region of Moldavia (now divided between Ukraine and Romania).

After finding and meeting several interested newcomers, he found a suitable farm (a quarter-section, 160 acres), about 1.5 km (1 mi) west of the village. He solicited help to gather funds for the purchase.

 The founding persons were the Priest Michael Danilchuk ; Mr. Assafatoff ; Mr. J G Gnizdowski ; and some 
 others.

Establishment of the orphanage and women's monastery, 1905

Thus, it was he who established the first Russian Orthodox orphanage at this site near the village of Sifton in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. In those days, an orphanage was necessary because children were sometimes left as orphans without relatives as a consequence of some accident, or a disease. Considerable manual labour was required, in which Archimandrite Arseny participated fully. Sufficient land had to be cleared in order to allow for the building of the orphanage, and of a house for the nuns (female monks).

Archimandrite Arseny sent for and secured several nuns to care for the children. The nun who was most visible and present was Mother Platonida. The nuns cared for the children, sang in the choir, cleaned the orphanage, and they kept a productive vegetable and flower garden.

In 1907, Igumen Arseny was assigned by Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) to serve as the dean and administrator of the Canadian parishes. This included more than 20 communities between Montréal, Québec, and Edmonton, Alberta.

In 1908, Igumen Arseny was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite.

In 1908, Archimandrite Arseny received the blessing to return to his homeland. He was in need of a surgery on a hernia, and should he repose in surgery, he was not yet ready to have this happen far away from family.

Following this, the nuns continued their life as usual, and various clergy would visit the monastery in order to offer the Divine Liturgy and other services in the chapel. In different places in the world, they and Archimandrite Arseny subsequently lived through World War I (1914-1918). Following the war, Archimandrite Arseny endured the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and the Civil War which followed. In Canada, even in Sifton the effects of all this were felt to some degree.

Father Arseny (who had been condemned to death by the communists) escaped miraculously after 1918. He moved to the south, to Crimea, with the White Army, and in 1920 he went into exile in Serbia. There, he was ordained in 1926 to the Holy Episcopate so that he would return to be the spiritual shepherd for the Diocese of Canada.

Fire, 1924

In 1924, the women's monastery and orphanage (which had been built in 1905) were destroyed, along with nearby sheds. The cause was a grass-fire, a not unusual but very dangerous prairie phenomenon. No lives were lost, but the children had to be dispersed to other orphanages, and the nuns went elsewhere to serve.

During these years also, there began to be felt in this region the influence of the newly-developing Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (UGOCC). The appearance and rapid growth of the UGOCC produced divisions amongst the people in this region, and it had made it more difficult to provide pastoral care, and to raise funds for necessary work for everyone concerned.

Construction of a men's monastery, 1926

On 23-24 May (6-7 June), 1926, Archimandrite Arseny (Chahovtsov) had been ordained to the Holy Episcopate in Belgrade, Serbia, and he was sent back to Canada. Almost immediately, he began to prepare to establish a monastery for men on the same territory where the orphanage had been. Thanks to the help of parishioners, the monastery was established by 1926.

The Monastery was built in 1926 one mile from Sifton in a thicketed area — that was the year Monk Varnava was
in Winnipeg from Mt. Athos. Bishop Arseny made him the abbot there, and Reader Mitrofan (Rak) joined him.
After Father Varnava was Fr. Theodore Ivasiuk, and three candidates for the priesthood : John Diachina,
Peter Bondarchuk and Leontii Kachuna. Two attained to the priesthood and went to serve (Father John
and Father Leontii). Father Mitrofan was left there alone and to him came a monk from Pochaev,
Father Aggei. Then from Volyn in Ukraine came Effimi Moseychuk who stayed for two years.

Many more came and went to other parishes. The Monastery has two Altar Feasts, one is Holy Ascension
and one is Holy Transfiguration, which was when the Monastery was founded. More than 200 people
would come out from 30-50 miles around. The order of celebration (when Vladyka ARSENY was there) was :
before Liturgy, the Blessing of Water, the Liturgy, following which, Vladyka would bless the entire
well, and then all would walk around all the monastery, blessing, and then go to the cemetery, where
they would have a big parastas (remembrance) for all, and then those who wanted would have a panykhyda
(service for the departed) on the individual grave. Then everyone would return to the buildings
and sit down to a joint feast, as everyone who came brought food. Then at four, everyone would leave
the table, and go on their way, filled, satisfied and rejoicing [...] these were blessed times !

At that time Vladyka Arseny was well and he flew like an eagle to the ends of Canada. The people by the
hundreds came to services when he was there and were strengthened by his sermons. The monastery had horses,
cows, poultry, and there were those who looked after the land and the livestock. Father Mitrophan built his
own kelia (cell) there.

In the main building lived the nun, Platonida and a female worker. From her quarters, the fire started and
burned everything : the church with its lovely altar, the beautiful Kyivo-Pecherska Gospel that Fr. Mitrophan
collected funds for over a period of two years, and which weighed about thirty pounds. Absolutely everything
burned ! All the vestments, books, the typicon, furniture, curtains, everything. Since then it has been a
tough go, a small amount of money comes from the land, and the meadow is let to a farmer for pasture. At
present [1945] Fr. Ignatii Falovsky and Igumen Makarii (previously Mitrophan) live there.
— From a 1945 Report by Igumen Makarii.

The fire referred to in this report must be the one which destroyed the orphanage.

Construction of the Temple in the village, 1926

In 1926, within the Village of Sifton itself, a Temple was constructed (begun and completed between the end of one winter and the beginning of the next). It was named for the Holy Resurrection. Fred James, a senior parishioner at Holy Trinity Sobor in Winnipeg, would recall in the 1980s that when he was a lad, he worked with the older men in building this Temple. It had been a memorable joy for him. After this, priests from the monastery would serve there as well, and sometimes there was a priest whose only responsibility was to care for the parish.

This Temple had been constructed first because of the fire at the women's monastery, but it was also understood that the construction was part of the overall new direction that was to be taken when Bishop Arseny (Chahovtsov) arrived. His intention was to reconstruct the monastery as a monastery for men, and he hoped to establish a pastoral school there also (for training future clergy). It is not the nature of monasteries (even of orphanages) to serve also as parish churches, so the distinction was both appropriate and convenient.

A later photo of Holy Resurrection Temple

In 1928, on the feast-day of the Ascension of our Lord, the new monastery buildings were sanctified by Bishop Arseny (Chahovtsov). As was customary, he arrived early in the morning by railway. After he was officially greeted by the clergy, there began a procession on foot to the monastery, about 1.5 km (1 mi) distant. There, the usual pattern of services for the Altar Feast-day began (only this time, it would be longer because of the extra prayers of sanctification). Vladyka served together with 10 priests (Fathers Brudski, Danylchuk, Evasiuk, Ivanoff, Markovich, Shovheniuk, Vvdovichenko, and Priestmonk Varnava (Karateev). It was estimated that 500 people were present on this occasion.

This procession at the sanctification was imitated on these feast-days for decades after Vladyka Arseny had retired in 1938 — in fact, until the last pilgrimage in 2010.

A procession in 2006

Pastoral school, 1929

The Monastery of the Ascension at Sifton served also as a pastoral school for training priests. This school was, in fact, the only such school in Canada. Vladyka Arseny understood the need to prepare clergy who were resident in Canada (although most had arrived earlier as immigrants) to serve parishes in Canada. Until then (and, in fact, for many decades after this), the majority of clergy who served in Canadian parishes were trained elsewhere. Many clergy who served in Canada during the first 50 years of the 20th century were sent from the USA to Canada, where they were required to serve for 2 years before being assigned to a "better" parish in the USA. Only some few remained in Canada.

Teaching the students was, therefore, one of the responsibilities of the monks. This arrangement is quite similar to that established by Vladyka Arseny also at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, after his retirement in 1938. At least 10 such students were prepared and then later ordained to the Holy Priesthood. These graduates of the pastoral school remained mostly in Canada.

In the spring of 1929, Vladyka Arseny, having plenty of experience in teaching in spiritual disciplines, offered theological courses (22 lectures) for candidates for the holy priesthood at Holy Ascension Monastery in Sifton, Manitoba. The themes of the lectures were : Leadership for Rural Priests, Liturgics, Homiletics, and Priestly Writings. There were 5 students who lived at the monastery and completed his curriculum. However, Vladyka did not stop there. He wrote :

 Right now I am interested in hearing/collecting/gathering the thoughts of my priests on the establishment of a 
 school/bursa for the 'birth' of priests, candidates to the priesthood from Canadian youth. This question is 
 totally important and sharp. The diaks' theological knowledge upon being tested, is found inadequate. Brothers 
 from Russia – there aren’t any, and it is expensive. We must think of those here, instead. We cannot look to 
 the general American theological schools as Canada is considered 'Siberia' from which people try to run away 
 as fast as possible.  We are left with our native Canadians, candidates whom we must locate and raise up, 
 one by one as theological cadres.  It is hard, both materially and for the morale, especially in the matter 
 of teachers.  But all this I dare, and prepare the way with an iron and desired purpose.

It should be noted as well, that the sheer size of the Canadian diocese always forced Vladyka Arseny to have an immeasurable physical hardiness and spiritual strength. Constant travel is hard enough for the young, let alone for a 65-year old man. He further wrote :

 At Sifton I managed to stay in that spiritual bliss for only a single week.  How good it was there and 
 pleasant !  But my work does not allow me to stay there long.  Everywhere is agitation and trouble. If I am 
 delayed, then much will befall.  Above my grave write that the cause of his death was not the office but he 
 was ‘zealed to death’ with flying from place to place for the good and peace of the Church.

The design of the main building was compact and simple, and it was austere as well. The entrance to the property was through a simple gate, past a well and a spruce-tree. The 3 domes on the façade were welcoming and beautiful. All had been made locally by hand. The building was a 2-storey wooden structure, painted white, with green trim. The chapel occupied the whole length of the complete right side of the building. On the left of the main floor was a large refectory with a long table and benches, and a sitting room. Beyond that was a large kitchen which was able to provide the necessities of life. In the basement was a cold-cellar, and a furnace. A flight of stairs led from the main entrance up to the second floor. On the second floor, there were 2 small bedrooms, and 1 large one. There was also a gallery which overlooked the chapel from the rear.

To the northwest of the main building there was a small log-built house of 2 rooms. It housed a few clergy, and it was said to be very well-appointed and beautiful. In addition to this house, there were other out-buildings for sheltering the various animals kept by the monks to sustain all the residents and visitors (in addition to the produce of the very large garden which they kept). The monastery was locally known for the very active life lived by the monks. There was plenty of work to be done, and the monks were regularly observed by passers-by to be fully engaged in the necessary labours. The monks were, in fact, self-sufficient.

On the 2 great feast-days kept most solemnly by the monastery, large numbers of pilgrims would arrive (as many as 200) by railway, automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles.

Even after the retirement of Vladyka Arseny, the monastery continued its regular life. The monks and the priests prayed as usual. They also continued to serve the parishes in the surrounding regions, including communities in eastern Saskatchewan to the north, east and south of Canora, Saskatchewan. This was a service that had previously been provided by the monastery in Sturgis. However, in the context of the many inter-jurisdictional turmoils of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the faithful people of the region became more distinguished from one another by linguistic and nationalistic criteria. In addition, rural depopulation had begun, and the prosperity of small towns and villages drifted to the cities instead. Monks were more often required to care for parishes because of a greater shortage of priests.

Pilgrimage after World War II (Archimandrite Ignatii (Falovsky))

In the above photo, Dmytro Derhak of Saint Nicholas Church, Sandy Lake, stood second to the left of Archimandrite Ignatii.

By 1961, only Father Khariton Velma remained living in the monastery, where he fell asleep in the Lord during that year. For some time, Father Evgeny Olendy looked after the buildings, and occasionally Father Evfimy [Effimy, Euphimy, Euthymios] Moseychuk would visit. However, after that time, the monastery was less and less used. Eventually, it was unoccupied.

Lack of occupants at the monastery ; attempts at pilgrimage

Because there was a dearth of clear communication, the property was taken by the rural municipality for non-payment of taxes. After some time, the Archdiocese of Canada, the owner of the land and buildings, recovered ownership and it then continued to supervise the site.

In 1976, a 50th anniversary pilgrimage was held.

In 1987, there was another attempt to renew the pilgrimage, although the actual place of the services had been transferred to the parish Temple of the Holy Resurrection in the village itself. After services in that Temple, a "parastas" (a memorial service) would be offered at the cemetery near the monastic buildings, and the graves would be blessed. During a series of years when he was the dean of the region, the Archpriest Robert S Kennaugh gathered people from Winnipeg and from the nearby towns (including those still living near Sifton) on an annual basis, in order to keep the regular pilgrimage. There would be services in the hamlet of Sifton, and then a panikhida at the monastery cemetery.

Closure ; dismantling the building, 1997

In 1990, the monastery was completely abandoned, and in 1997 it was carefully and prayerfully demolished by the clergy and others from the nearby towns. There had been so much destruction by vandals and others without any respect for a place of worship, that it was understood to be the best course of action. By this time, the Christian faith in the local region had been greatly eroded, and awareness of the Orthodox Christian Faith had apparently disappeared. The main doors were “recycled” by Nicholas Kozmeniuk of the parish of Saint Mark in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. A craftsman, he used his lathe to convert the solid pine doors into a large number of round and decorated cutting-boards for use at the Divine Liturgy. Many parishes in both eastern and western Canada have one or more of these (whether or not they are aware of their significance).

In the early 2000s, there was a successful campaign to repair and renew the Temple of the Holy Resurrection in Sifton]. From 2005, this Temple served as a sort of museum through which the memory of the monastery was kept fresh in the hearts and minds of the faithful people. However, in 2010, the Temple and all its contents were destroyed by fire one night (arson was suspected), and this halted the good works done hitherto. Nevertheless, the memory of both the monastery and the parish remain alive within the region and within the Archdiocese of Canada.

Monument commemorating the orphanage at the monastery

Particular monastery information

This monastery was part of the original Russian Mission in Canada, which then became part of the Archdiocese of Canada (established 1916) of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA). At the time when the monastery was active, the OCA was still known as the "Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America).

This monastery followed the Old (Julian) Calendar.

The Altar Feast-day of the monastery was the Feast of the Holy Ascension. The second Feast-day of the monastery was the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ, 6/19 August (the founding of the monastery).

The last priests to care for the monastery and the Holy Resurrection Temple in the village were the Archpriest Dennis Pihach, the Archpriest Rodion Luciuk, and the Archpriest Andrew Piasta.

The annual prayers in the cemetery have continued on over the years.

Sifton Holy Ascension Monastery Cemetery'

Sifton Holy Ascension Monastery Cemetery, summer

A Panikhida at the Ascension Monastery Cemetery

Address :

Holy Ascension Orthodox Monastery and Cemetery

Sifton, Manitoba

R0L 1X0

Directions :

Sifton is 196 km (122 mi) northeast from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, by car, and the journey takes a little more than 2 hours.

Drive eastwards on Highway #SK-10 E to #MB-5 E in Shell River at the border with Manitoba. Continue on #MB-5 E towards Sifton. First, turn left onto #MB-10 N (at Road #127 west) (signs for Swan River). Turn right on Highway #267 and drive east about 2 km (1 mi) to Sifton.

Sifton is 347 km (215 mi) northwest from Winnipeg, Manitoba, by car, and the journey takes about 5½ hours.

Drive on the Trans-Canada Highway #1 westwards (Portage Avenue) out of the city until there are signs for Trans-Canada Highway #16 (Yellowhead Route) towards Saskatoon. Exit to the right onto Highway #16. Drive briefly on Highway #16/Manitoba Road #10, and then turn left onto Highway #16. After approximately 129 km (80 mi), follow the exit to the right for Manitoba Highway #83 towards Roblin. Turn left onto Highway #83. After about 95 km (59 mi), turn right onto Secondary Highway #586. Drive about 1 km (.6 mi).

From the north, or from other local sites, approach by Highway #10 or Highway #20A. Sifton is on Secondary Highway #267.

To find the monastery site, drive on Provincial Road #267, between Highways #10 (southeast of Ethelbert) and #20 (northwest of Dauphin), about 2 km (1 mi) to the west of Sifton, at : N51.36182, W100.16653.

References

Archdiocese of Canada — Orthodox Church in America, “Orthodox Church in Canada Chronology 1980-1988 The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).

Cemetery of the Holy Ascension Monastery in Sifton, Manitoba

Lesyk, Elsie, “Sifton Then and Now: A Reminiscence of the Pioneer Era” (Dauphin, MB : Self-published by Elsie Lesyk, 1992). ISBN 10 : 1550561766, ISBN 13 : 9781550561760.

“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.

Additional information :

Hainsworth, Priest K John, “Archbishop Arseny : a Vita” (Montreal, QC: Alexander Press, 2007). © by Alexander Press, 2007. ISBN : 1-896800-50-5.

Hopko, Thomas, ‘Monasticism’ in “The Orthodox Faith”, vol. 2.

Prokurat, Michael ; Golitzin, Alexander & Petersen, Michael, eds., 'Monasteries' in “The A to Z of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 223-224. ISBN : 978-0-8108-7602-6.

...... 'Monasticism' in “The A to Z of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 225-227. ISBN : 978-0-8108-7602-6.

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.

Archdiocese of Canada listing for Holy Ascension Monastery Cemetery, Sifton, MB

Findagrave reference for Holy Ascension Monastery Cemetery

Archdiocese of Canada (OCA) web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Archdiocese of Canada

Orthodox Church in America (OCA) web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

Saint Tikhon (Belavin)

Arseny (Chahovtsov)

Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky)

Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky)