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The roots of Orthodoxy in the Zawale area can be traced to the early years of organized religious life in the Ukrainian colony first established in the Star-Wostok districts northeast of Edmonton. Situated several miles to the east, the area that came to be known as Zawale was settled by several immigrant families from the village of Zavallia or Zavalie, in the Sniatyn region of Austro-Hungarian Ukraine. As the Ukrainian bloc settlement began to expand there was growing competition between Orthodox and Catholic missionaries who were keen to secure the loyalty of the Galician and Bukovynian newcomers who were arriving in ever-greater numbers from Europe. The Orthodox-Catholic rivalry was then further complicated by the founding in Winnipeg of the Independent Greek Church in early 1903, which soon embarked on a vigorous campaign to attract adherents in the Ukrainian colonies throughout western Canada.
In the late fall of 1903, the Zawale district was visited by two of the founders of the Independent Church, John Bodrug and Alexander Bachynsky. These freshly ordained ministers came out to the settlement in the company of Peter Svarich, whom John Bodrug hoped to recruit as a fellow clergyman as soon as his former schoolmate from the old country had taken a bride. With Svarich's assistance, the Independent pastors arranged to hold a Sunday service in the home of a local farmer named Wasyl Hnidan, drawing settlers from the surrounding countryside.
This gathering was the first to take place under the auspices of the Independent Greek Church in Alberta, marking a significant development in the religious life of Ukrainians in the province. That the new church was already being denounced by both the Basilian Fathers (who had just started their monastery in Mundare) and the Russian Orthodox missionaries (whose base was in Wostok) undoubtedly helped to stimulate interest in the mission, as some of the settlers were already becoming disillusioned by the bitter conflict that had erupted over the church at Star and the poisoned religious atmosphere.
On 2 August 1904 trustees of the new congregation (Wasyl Jaremy, Wasyl Nikiforuk and Simon Worobec), identified as the Independent Greek Church of Wostok, obtained title to two acres of land at SE 26-55-17 W4 which was purchased for $300 from the homestead of Jan Bruchal. [This property was later owned by Harry Hunka.] This site seems to have been briefly used for a cemetery (there is evidence of five burials having been made on the property), while services continued to be held at the homes of local supporters. However, in 1905, a congregation described as “St. George Church of Wostok,” with Simon Worobec, Wasyl Jaremy and George Hnidan listed as trustees, obtained title to six acres of land at the southeast corner of SW 1-56-17 W4, one mile north of the Bruchal quarter.
It was in 1910 that the Zawale congregation finally erected a place of worship on this second property, which was blessed by Rev. Illia Glowa. During these early years the Independent Greek Church experienced numerous upheavals, including the ouster of Bishop Seraphim and divisive power struggles among some of its leaders.
In 1993 it was decided to move St. Michael's church of Zawale to Camp Bar-v-nok on Pigeon Lake, where it could be restored and given new life as a seasonal place of worship. Moved in March 1994, the sanctuary was subsequently renovated and blessed at a hierarchical service officiated by Archbishop John in 1995. A commemorative plaque was installed at the new location in 2006.
The Cemetery
Located at SW 1-56-17 W4, opposite the site where St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church stood before its relocation. Apparently, the cemetery established by the original Zawale congregation continued to be used jointly by both the Orthodox and Protestant members after the former resolved to leave the Independent Church. The graveyard is currently administered by the Bissell Memorial United Church in Andrew.
Visit this Cemetery
GPS Co-ordinates: 53.055590, -114.059959
Cemetery GPS: 53.803568, -112.400224
Affiliation: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
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