Photographs | Churches
No
records appear to exist documenting the early years of this church. However, oral sources indicate that a congregation had formed by 1912. Construction of a log church began around that year and apparently was completed by 1915. Metro Rozko, who had donated ten acres of land from his homestead for a cemetery in 1906, acted as the master carpenter overseeing the volunteer work crew. The finished sanctuary (made of hand-hew logs) was named the Russo-Greek Orthodox Church of All Saints, formal title being obtained to the property on 10 July 1922.
Liturgies were celebrated at North Slawa on an irregular basis, with priests from the Russo-Orthodox Church ministering to the needs of the community. The only regular service was the annual blessing of the graves. It was during a clean-up of the cemetery in July 1940 that a controlled fire flared up with unexpected ferocity, tragically consuming the original church. Although the congregation lacked a place of worship for more than a decade, Provody continued to be held at the cemetery each spring, providing a focus for religious life in the North Slawa district.
In the meantime, parishioners decided to follow their long-term pastor, Rev. A. Chrustawka, when he left the Russo-Orthodox Church for the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada. At a meeting held on 14 September 1941, members voted to request affiliation with the Winnipeg-based UGOC, who henceforth provided priests for the congregation.
According to a report submitted to the consistory by Rev. I. Shwetz, in 1951 the All Saints congregation consisted of 5 members. On 1 June 1956 the North Slawa parishioners, through the efforts of Isaac Lypka, purchased the former Brierfield Schoolhouse from the recently amalgamated Two Hills School Division. It was moved to the 10-acre burial ground and converted into a church.
Subsequently a free-standing enclosed belfry was erected not far from the church. The entire property was fenced with the help of a provincial grant. A cairn was also put up honouring the memory of the North Slawa pioneers. Two services are known to have been held at the church in the summer of 1966. However, by 1971 it was reported that the All Saints congregation had been defunct for several years.
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GPS Co-ordinates: 53.744683, -111.043186
Cemetery Co-ordinates: 53.74540, -111.04236
Affiliation: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
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