Petro Lopata
The prairie landscape is dotted with hundreds of tiny churches, some of them built by the original pioneers immigrants from Ukraine who arrived in Canada in the early 1900s who settled a vast tract of land spanning from Manitoba to Alberta. These structures, often built by poor farmers at their own cost, bore witness to countless spectacles of human joy and sorrow, as thousands of parishioners had their weddings, christenings and funerals held at these mainly tiny houses of worship. As time passed, younger generations moved to the cities and towns seeking better jobs, education and the like, at the same time abandoning the old church structures. A number of them have been completely lost to future generations some by fire, but also by general neglect and eventual collapse.
One organisation that has set out to save at least a portion of the rich legacy of the Ukrainian pioneers is Ukrainian Connection (UC), based in Portage La Prairie, a small Manitoba town of 14,000 with a tiny Ukrainian population. UC was founded in 1997 by local individuals who werent actively participating in the activities at the two Ukrainian churches in town, though they still felt a connection with their heritage and decided to strike out on their own. Holding meetings once a month except in July and August, since its inception the group, which has now swelled to 25 members, has organised a number of community events in Portage la Prairie. Usually, these are limited to displays and craft-making demonstrations activities organised to promote Ukrainian culture but never before on the scale of physically moving an entire church over 200 miles. Describing the motivation for the massive undertaking, UC member Orest Pressey told the New Pathway a decision was made to make a tangible contribution to the community at large. He figures moving the St Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Manitoba hamlet of Arbakka to the Fort la Reine Museum in Portage la Prairie will cost $50,000.
Arbakkas first St Nicholas church was built in 1914 by Winnipeg-based master builder Anton Prychun, who designed many of Manitobas Ukrainian churches. Pressey notes that Prychun built St Nicholas in the style of the churches of Bukovyna and Ternopil, the regions of Ukraine most of Arbakkas inhabitants left behind while seeking their fortunes in Canada. Fire destroyed the church in 1937. At a spot 2 miles away, the church was rebuilt in 1939 after a local farmer donated the land. St Nicholas cemetery is still found next to the site of the original church. At its peak, the parish had nearly 60 members. Now only 2 elderly couples remain.
According to Pressey, to avoid overhead structures and wires, the route needed to move the church from Arbakka to the Museum grew to 210 miles, despite the fact the distance, as the crow flies, is only 120 miles. The church, which he describes as being in pristine condition, will be located on the grounds of the Fort la Reine Museum, where Pressey has already built a traditional Ukrainian clay oven. UC plans on printing pamphlets with information on our group and the church itself, stressing the artwork, the cultural and heritage value of this project. So that the churchs original purpose is not abandoned, he said, annual or biannual church services may be held on-site with the whole community invited to share in our worship. A wedding scheduled for Labour Day weekend this year will be the last function to be held at St Nicholas before being transplanted to the Museum grounds.
Pressey informed that the many local groups, including local govern-ment, are endorsing the value of this project for the city and the whole community. UC has already applied to a number of organisations for funding, and paint company Benjamin Moore which has already assisted in the restoration of a number of Manitoba heritage sites has promised up to $5,000 in materials and expertise for the project.
Noting that the situation with Arbakkas Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not dissimilar to other Manitoba pioneer churches, Pressey said there are perhaps 50 more such abandoned structures in the province. And, declared Pressey, we wont stop there.
Tax-deductible donations in support of the project are welcome. Contributions may be made to Ukrainian Connection Inc, 620 - 9th Street, NW, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, R1N 3H6.