Andrew AB Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church 1939
Andrew, Alberta, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Saints Peter and Paul, 1939
Prehistory
Andrew, Alberta, Canada, is about 115 km (72 mi) northeast of Edmonton, Alberta. Eight km (5 mi) south of Andrew is the area called Suchava (or Sachava), which is named after the city Suceava in Bucovina, Romania. Here, on the eastern side of Highway #855, there stands the Saint Michael Russo-Greek Orthodox Church.
During the mid-1930s, there were internal conflicts between parish members about whether the parish should belong to the Diocese of Canada of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America, or to the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church. The minority group that wished to join the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada left Saint Michael's Church to create their own parish. They eventually bought some land across the road from Saint Michael’s, where they established Saint John of Suchava Ukrainian Orthodox parish, on the west side of Highway #855.
Financial difficulties initially prevented the parishioners from building a proper Temple. In addition, a small number of these parishioners were in favour of building the Temple in the town of Andrew itself. Nevertheless, the Temple at Suchava was completed in the spring of 1935.
Formation of the parish, 1936 ; constructing the Temple, 1939
At about the same time, in 1936, a group of Ukrainian Orthodox persons organised themselves in the town, and plans were developed to build a Temple in Andrew.
Four acres of land were purchased in the village for the site of a future sanctuary. Then an official organisational meeting was held at the home of Mr. & Mrs. William Melenka on 23 November, 1936 (the hosts being amongst the 6 persons in attendance at the gathering). A formal certificate of admission was issued subsequently by the Consistory of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada on 28 July, 1941.
Work began on this building on 51 Avenue in July, 1939. The construction was accomplished with volunteer help under the supervision of Ivan (John) Mnoholitny, a farmer from the Kahwin district north of Andrew. He is remembered for constructing many other churches in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada. These hand-built domed structures are considered to be beautiful architectural marvels. Ivan Mnoholitny oversaw the general construction. It took several years to finish the structure.
In 1939, when the congregation was mobilised behind the construction of the Temple, it was comprised of 28 members. However, within a year, the initial wave of enthusiasm had apparently waned to the point where only half the original membership was still active. From 1941 to 1946 the congregation was relatively stable, fluctuating between twelve to fourteen members and their families.
Priest I Hykawy, the resident priest at Saint John of Suchava, celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in Andrew while the congregation was getting organised. Archbishop John (Theodorovych) also visited the community during one of his periodic tours of east central Alberta. The building of the sanctuary began on 4 July, 1939, with volunteers working under the supervision of Ivan (John) Mnoholitny. He was a farmer from the nearby Kahwin district, and he supervised the construction of numerous Ukrainian churches locally and in other parts of rural Western Canada.
The untiring efforts by the early members and the "Ukrainian Women’s Association of Lasia Ukrainka" saw to the completion of the building and the acquisition of its contents : iconostas, pews, basement kitchen and dining hall.
Judging from a photograph taken of the congregation standing outside the Temple after it was first used for a service by Priest Stephen Symchych in September, 1940, it took several years to properly finish the structure.
In 1948, there were 13 services at Saints Peter and Paul's Temple, 16 paid members were reported. A letter to the Consistory the following year announced that over 60 children were attending Sunday school. This indicated that parish life was quite vibrant in the immediate postwar period.
By 1951, membership in the parish had grown to 24 families, and steady increases in the congregation's size were registered for the next 4 years. This expansion was probably attributable to a combination of factors, including the impact of the postwar baby boom and the rising importance of rural towns with the gradual decline of the farming population living in the surrounding countryside.
Sanctification of the Temple, 1952
Finally, the Temple was officially sanctified by Metropolitan Ilarion (Ohienko) of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada on 12 July, 1952, and it was given the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
In 1952, the congregation consisted of 30 families, with another 40 families being identified as sympathisers (the total number of the latter was said to be 210 individuals in the annual report to the Consistory for 1954). In the early 1950s, there was an average of 13 services per year, a figure that has remained fairly constant until the present day. The congregation reached a peak in size during the mid-1950s, benefitting in part from an influx of retirees from outlying farms, and partially from a concomitant decline in activity at Saint Michael's Church in Zawale. As services became increasingly infrequent at the latter in the 1950s and 1960s, the dwindling Zawale membership joined Saints Peter and Paul Parish, and contributed to its vitality and viability.
At about this time, the members of Saints Peter and Paul began discussing the possibility of installing an iconostas, a subject that seems to have divided the congregation. A vote taken at a meeting held in 1953 revealed that while 14 members were keen to press on with the project, 12 were opposed due to financial concerns. The will of the majority eventually prevailed, and it was reported in a 1954 article in "Ridna Nyva" that work was about to proceed on the construction of an icon screen, the exterior of the church having recently been stuccoed.
These and other positive developments signaled the maturation of parish life and were made possible by the increasing prosperity of the Andrew Orthodox community.
Outside the Temple, to the south, there is a cement Cross for Molebens (prayer services) which was erected by the sisterhood of the parish in 1954.
In 1959, Vadim Dobrolidge painted the iconostas.
An especially proud moment in the history of the congregation was the July, 1972, ordination of Priest Henry Lakusta in the Temple, a son of a former member, John Lakusta. A second son, Victor, had earlier been ordained in Winnipeg, and he later served at Saint Andrew's Sobor in Edmonton.
Description of the Temple
The Temple is constructed above a basement which contains a kitchen and dining hall. Oriented as is customary on the east-west axis, the Temple is designed on a central longitudinal cruciform plan following the usual Romano-Orthodox custom. The Temple has one main central dome over the nave. In addition, there are additional cupolas, 3 of which adorn the front façade at the west end, and the 4th of which is above the Altar at the east end. The site is located in the residential area of the town.
One enters the narthex at the west door through a small vestibule under the choir loft. The narthex leads into the nave with north and south transepts, and a solea (a raised floor) to the east. On the solea is a 3-tier iconostas. Behind the iconostas is the Altar, which contains the Holy Table and the Offering Table. There are 2 identical side-rooms located north and south of the Altar area itself. The interior walls and ceilings are painted in white and blue.
A large drum fixture rises from the intersection of the roofs over the nave. The structure then supports a high octagonal (onion-shaped) dome. A large wrought-iron Cross sits on top of the dome. There is also a Cross on each of the 4 smaller cupolas.
The belfry
In the mid-1980s, a metal bell-stand was built. This stand supports the metal bell from the defunct Zawale parish, and another smaller bell.
Change of status of the UGOCC in 1990
In 1990, the “Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada” was officially renamed “The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (UOCC) by an Act of Parliament.
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.
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.
Cemetery of Saints Peter and Paul, 1953
The cemetery of the Saints Peter and Paul parish is situated at the land description site NW 28 56 16 W4, to the south of Andrew, along Secondary Highway 855.
The earliest burial listed was in 1953. In this cemetery rest the remains of Andrew’s first Mayor, Tom Matichuk ; the first Justice of the Peace, Gregory Moisey ; and the first parish president, William Lesick.
Particular parish information
This parish is a part of the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, in the Smoky Lake-Willingdon district. The bishop of the eparchy is Metropolitan Ilarion II (Rudnyk).
This parish follows the Old (Julian) Calendar.
The Altar Feast-day of the Temple is the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, 29 June/12 July.
In 2024, the pastor of this parish is Priest Benny Ambrosie.
Address :
Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church
5110-51 Avenue
Andrew, Alberta
T0B 0C0
Directions :
Saints Peter and Paul's Church is 115 km (72 mi) northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, in the Village of Andrew, Alberta. This journey takes approximately 1½ hours. From Edmonton, the faster route is to drive eastwards on Highway #16 to Mundare, and then to follow the directions included here. Otherwise, Andrew may be approached by driving on Highway #15 to [ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Highway_45 Highway #45], or to Highway #29. The directions for Highway #45 follow here.
Follow Highway #45, which begins at Highway #15 northeast of Edmonton (or another approach to it). Highway #45 continues eastwards to the Saskatchewan border.
From east or west on Highway #45, turn south to Andrew at Secondary Highway #855. Drive about 1 km (.6 mi) into the town. Turn right at 51 Avenue. Drive 2 blocks. The Temple is at the intersection of 51 Avenue and 52 Street.
From Highway #15, one can keep to the left at Lamont and turn left onto Highway #29. This highway joins Highway #855, where one turns left (north) and follows the directions included here.
From Highway #16, from Edmonton and Mundare, drive north on Highway #855 for about 32 km (20 mi). After crossing the railway, turn left at 51 Avenue. Drive 2 blocks. The Temple is at the intersection of 51 Avenue and 52 Street.
Telephones (home) : (780) 476-7014 ; (mobile) (780) 719-9619
Fax (home) : (780) 476-3666
E-mail (home) : bambrosie@shaw.ca
References
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), p. 90.
"Church Capital of North America - Lamont County" [booklet] 2nd ed. (Lamont, AB : Lamont County, 2007), pp. 41, 91.
Saints Peter and Paul UOCC listing
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada web-site
Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Wikipedia article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Church of Constantinople web-site
Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Constantinople
Wikipedia article about the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis)
Metropolitan John (Theodorovych)
Metropolitan Ilarion (Ohienko)
Metropolitan Michael (Khoroshy)
Archbishop Boris (Yakovkevych)
Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk)
Metropolitan Ilarion II (Rudnyk)
Findagrave reference for Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery
Canadian Encyclopaedia article about Ukrainian Canadians
Wikipedia article about Ukrainian Canadians
Ukrainian Encyclopaedia article about the History of Ukraine
Canadian Ukrainian Diasporiana History [Будівничим майстром був Іван Многолітний із Альберти.] [The master builder was Ivan Mnogolitny from Alberta], p.101.
Pioneer Churches on the Prairies web-site
Enthronement of Bishop Ilarion (Rudnyk) as Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (19 November, 2022)
Metropolitan Ilarion (Rudnyk) announces Change of Calendar (1 December, 2023)