Thunder Bay ON Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church 1971
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church, 1971
Prehistory
Although Serbian migrants to Canada do not seem to have arrived in the region of what is now Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, until rather recently, there were Orthodox Christians living in the region quite soon after the year 1900.
The first 2 Orthodox Christian parishes were Holy Assumption Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1910), and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (1918). Then came a third parish, that of Saint Volodymyr Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1935).
Any Serbs who arrived before the 1970s would have attended one of the Ukrainian Orthodox parishes, most likely because the languages (Ukrainian, and Serbian), being Slavic languages are more closely related than is Greek.
By the 1960s, a large enough group of Serbs had arrived in either Fort William or Port Arthur (which would later merge to become Thunder Bay), to begin to consider banding together to form a Church-School Community (as parishes are known amongst the Serbs).
Early in 1970, a group of Serbs living in Thunder Bay expressed a desire to have a church. Bishop Sava (Vuković) responded by making a canonical archpastoral visit to Northern Ontario on 14 August, 1970.
Formation of the missionary parish
On 14 August, 1979, the good Bishop Sava (Vuković) announced the formation of the Saint George Church-School Congregation and parish in Thunder Bay.
The founding Church Board members elected Boško Damjanović as president, Nikola Zuber, vice president, Ostoja Majdanac, secretary, and Jovan Stepanović, treasurer.
The members of the first Auditing Board were also elected, including Lazar Vranjković, Đura (Djura) Kovačević, and Luka Krenović.
Archpriest Božidar Dragićević of Duluth, Minnesota, USA, was assigned to serve as the first parish administrator, "with the consent of Bishop Firmilijan Ockokoljić".
On 19 September, 1971, Priest Bodan Zjalić gathered the local Serbs, and he helped them to form the administrative and supervisory boards of the incipient community.
At that time, Boško Damjanović was elected as the first president. Other members of the board of directors were : Nikola Zuber (vice president) ; Ostoja Majdanac (secretary) ; Jovan Stepanovic (treasurer). The supervisory board consisted of : Lazar Vranjković (president) ; Djura Kovačević ; Luka Kremenović.
The members of the missionary parish numbered 20, and these were the founders of the Church-School community of Saint George, which was now beginning its existence.
The first administrator of this missionary venture was Priest Bozo Dragicević, who travelled periodically from Duluth, Minnesota, USA.
Meanwhile, the local Serbs continued to attend one of the local Ukrainian Orthodox parishes for worship, and for sacramental needs. They did this mostly likely because of linguistic proximity.
Acquisition of property
Already in 1975, in April, a plot of 4 hectares of land was purchased.
A small wooden building was soon erected on the land, which served as a gathering place for the local Serbian community.
In 1976, the sanctification of the site was performed by priests from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Duluth, Minnesota.
The godfather of the site was Nikola Sukalo and his wife Dusanka.
Construction of the first building
In 1982, with the great efforts of the membership and all parishioners, the Serbian Home was built on the parish land.
This building became the religious and social-national centre of all Serbs in the area of this parish. On 13 November, 1982, the sanctification of the home took place. It was performed by Priest Lazar Kostur from Duluth ; Hieromonk Nikodim (Pribojan) from Winnipeg ; Ukrainian Priest Nikola Maluzhinsky ; and a Greek priest from Thunder Bay.
The godfather of the Serbian Home was Vidoje Jovanović with his wife Milica.
The services were temporarily held in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church until the work inside the chapel were completed.
Although the number of Serbs in this region has been declining, and this part of Ontario was not settled by many newcomer families in the 1990s, every effort has been made to maintain church life in the parish of Saint George. The Serbian Sisters in Thunder Bay are at the forefront of this, who have always encouraged the settlers and whose efforts and dedication have solved many problems.
Particular parish information
This parish is part of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada. The bishop is Bishop Mitrofan (Kodić).
This parish follows the Old (Julian) Calendar.
The Altar Feast-day of this parish is the Feast of Saint George the Victorious, 23 April/6 May.
In 2025, the pastor of the parish was Archpriest Slavisa Lekić.
Address :
Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church
2835, Dawson Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario,
P7G 2G4
Telephone : (807) 767-8112
Directions :
Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church is situated on Dawson Road/Highway #102, northwest of the city.
From the junction of Highway #1, Red River Road, and Dawson Road/Highway #102 drive on Highway #102 for about 9 km.
The building is on the left side.
Archpriest Slavisa Lekić
References
Additional information :
Tomović, Vladislav A, “Canadian Serbs : A History of Their Social and Cultural Traditions (1856-2002)” (Fonthill, ON : Batlik Publishing, 2002). ISBN 10 : 0920642403. ISBN 13 : 978-0920642405.
Waugh, Earle H, and Dimić, Milan V, “Diaspora Serbs : A Cultural Analysis” (University of Alberta : M V Dimić Research Institute, 2004), p. 150. ISBN 10 : 0921490151. ISBN 13 : 978-0921490159.
Everybodywiki list of Serbian Orthodox parishes in Canada
Novina.ca list of Serbian Orthodox Churches in Canada
Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada web-site
Orthodox wiki article about the Church of Serbia
Orthodoxwiki article about the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America
Wikipedia article about the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America
Wikipedia article about Serbian Canadians
Wikipedia article about the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada
St George Serbian Orthodox Church Thunder Bay Diocesan listing