T
he oldest Orthodox congregation in the Lac la Biche-Boyle area was started at Sarrail shortly after the region was settled by Ukrainians in the latter part of the 1920s. A recent immigrant from Ukraine named Fred Holowenko is credited with having been responsible for first mobilizing area inhabitants behind the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada. The various Protestant churches had already begun missionary work in the settlement. Fr. Evhen Olendy, who in 1927 had been ordained by a Russian Orthodox bishop but a year later was accepted into the ranks of the UGOCC. He started organizing and serving the Orthodox faithful in Sarrail on an occasional basis in 1929.
The same year, William Nykolyn donated two acres of land from his quarter section for a church. A timber permit was obtained from the government. Fred Pysyk became the founding president of the congregation, with John Sambirsky acting as the secretary treasurer. In the meantime, services were held in the homes of local residents. Volunteers harvested the necessary trees that were then cut at Joseph Hewko’s sawmill to produce 30,000 feet of board lumber.
Next, steps were taken to acquire additional land for a burial ground. As the wife of William Nykolyn was uncomfortable having a cemetery next to their house, it was decided to establish it at a different location. Acting on behalf of the congregation the Consistory on 2 July 1932 requested that the Province of Alberta designate a two-acre parcel at NE 29-66-18 W4 for a graveyard. The Consistory also asked that the faithful of Sarrail hold a meeting to legally constitute themselves as a component part of the UGOC.
At the same time a problem arose when the wood that had been earmarked for the church was instead offered for sale. This was probably due to the delay in construction. It seems that Fr. Olendy was able to intervene and secure the necessary building material under the condition that work would begin in July 1932. This was even though the congregation lacked funds for the undertaking.
Further complicating matters was the fact that Fr. Olendy was at the same time experiencing disciplinary problems with the UGOC Consistory (he had been suspended two years earlier). He was threatening to return to the ROC if he were not allowed to continue as the Sarrail priest. Although acknowledged as having a generally positive influence on the congregation that he had helped to get started, church authorities in Winnipeg did not recognize his claim that the Sarrail community “belonged to him” and that he could decide which priests could or could not serve it.
Be that as it may, a meeting of the congregation took place on Sunday 17 July 1932 with Fr. Olendy in attendance. This was a week after Edmonton lawyer P.J. Lazarowich took part in a picnic in the community on behalf of the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League, using the opportunity (in consultation with Fr. Sametz) to prepare and deliver the agreement that the congregation needed sign to join the UGOCC. In the official minutes of the 17 July gathering, identified as the “First Meeting of the Adherents of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada” in the Sarrail Postal District, 23 people passed motions formally creating a mission dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and requesting admission into the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada. This document was subsequently ratified a second time by Fr. Olendy in a notarized affidavit signed in Edmonton on 22 August.
Construction of the church work appears to have begun shortly after, proceeding gradually with volunteers working under the direction of Bill Gerela and Joseph Hewko. A spacious rectangular structure with a large dome over the entryway arose on the site, providing a functional place for worship whenever priests were able to visit from Edmonton, Smoky Lake or other districts. During these years getting to the Sarrail church was no easy matter, as it was necessary to travel by foot, wagon or sleigh from the nearest railway station, which was 17 miles away.
The 1930s proved to be especially difficult for the Sarrail faithful, as they not only had to cope with the hardships of the Great Depression, they also experienced an erosion in their membership. Although almost two dozen people had participated in the founding meeting of the congregation in 1932, those truly committed soon dwindled in number when some joined the Catholic Church and others drifted away because they actually wanted to build a hall rather than a sanctuary.
Notwithstanding these and other difficulties, the dedicated faithful of the Sarrail congregation persevered. Membership in the church gradually grew. In 1943, 8 girls and 25 boys were baptized at Sts. Peter and Paul, many of them after the annual Feast Day liturgy on 12 July. This event always drew a large crowd of worshippers from near and far. By 1944 the Sarrail hromada was finally in a position to complete the interior finishing and painting of their church, contracting George Fleming to perform these tasks and also put in a chimney. Still later, an iconostas was installed for $1500 and adorned with large icons that cost an additional $500, reflecting the increasing prosperity of the farmers in the district.
The assignment of a resident priest for north central Alberta in 1950 was welcome news, at it meant that Sts. Peter and Paul congregation could enjoy much easier and more regular access to the services of a priest. In 1951 Sarrail contributed $140 toward furnishing a manse in Boyle, though it was decided the following year, when Fr. Zubrytsky was appointed to the parish district, to locate the residence in Lac La Biche. This development helped to both stabilize and strengthen the congregation. In 1959 the parish was comprised of 28 families, though only twelve of these were paid members, half of whom were said to as be truly active. Thus, the majority were merely sympathizers. Nevertheless, that same year a total of 14 Divine Liturgies were celebrated at Sts. Peter and Paul Church.
By 1962 the paid membership had shrunk to just five. Sympathizers grew to 20 and the number of services increased to 15. Deaths and rural depopulation were beginning to take their toll on the supporters of the church. It became ever more difficult for the congregation meet its budgetary assessment from the Consistory. The situation improved somewhat by 1964, when Sarrail had a paid membership of eleven despite losing one member who had moved to Boyle. A dozen services were celebrated at the church in 1965, when it was estimated that $800 would have to be raised by congregation to meet its expenses.
Despite experiencing many difficulties in the 1970s and 1980s, the Sts. Peter and Paul faithful remained a committed part of the Lac La Biche parish district. In 1993 they reported having fourteen members (4 individuals, and 10 families). This increased to 16 the following year.
In the summer of 2000, to commemorate the Second Millennium of Christianity, a special service was held attended by 175 worshippers, followed by a celebratory banquet and concert featuring Ukrainian dancers, choral numbers by the church choir, and a performance on the tsymbaly. As part of the program there was a presentation of a newly-published illustrated history of the congregation, a 142-page hardcover book titled Sviatkuvannia 2000—A Celebration of Our Faith.
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GPS Co-ordinates: 54.753912, -112.703135
Cemetery Co-ordinates: 54.753469, -112.703379
Affiliation: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
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