UKRAINIAN
GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH
Located
1/2 way between Souris Ave
and Carbon Ave on East Side of Main St
History below from
the 1955 History of Bienfait Book
The first Greek Catholic
Priest to visit the Bienfait District was
Father Androchowich.
He held his first mass
in the school at the
M&S mines.
Though the place of worship
was not at church,
but a school, mass was
held there once
every three or four months
for about 10 years.
Father Androchowich made
trips down here from Winnipeg,
the City which is considered
to be "The centre of Canadian Ukrainians".
In 1921 it was decided
to hold mass at the Ukrainian Library in Bienfait
instead of the M&S
School.
In the same year Father
Androchowich started to teach Catechism.
With the help of a few
Nuns, he prepared the first group of children
to receive their first
Holy Communion in Bienfait.
Father Androchowich was
also the one to perform
the first Easter mass
for the Greek Catholics in Bienfait.
Following Father Androchowich
came Father Ritioshelo
followed by a line of
Priests from different parts
of Manitoba and Saskatchewan
until at the present
(1955) there is Father Obarianyk
At the present time (1955)
the Greek Catholic people of Bienfait
have mass usually the
first sunday of every month,
performed by Father Obarianyk
at the Bienfait Ukrainian
Library.
This year (1955) was
the first time the Greek Catholic people
of Bienfait and district
went to a midnight mass at Christmas time.
In connection with the
Greek Catholic Church there was a school organized
for Ukrainians to learn
to read and write in Ukrainian.
Also a music school was
organized under the leadership
of Mr. D. Metelsky.
This school was a great
success as it attracted other children
of different nationalities
to join this band.
In time they became a
very well known group in this District.
Mr. Metelsky also organized
a group of adults and formed a band.
At that time this was
the only band of this kind in Saskatchewan.
When Mr. Metelsky left
there was no one to take his place,
the group broke up but
it did its part in organizing the youths of that time.
At the present (1955)
time there is no such organization connected
with the Greek Catholic
Church in Bienfait.
There is however a sort
of re-organization that takes place
every three or four years.
A special teacher or
nun is sent to teach the children
to read and write Ukrainian
as well as prepare
some children for their
first Holy Communion.
Father Obarianyk does
his best to be in Bienfait as often as possible.
He conducts lectures
and tries to inspire the people
to build their own church
here in Bienfait.
This might be done in
the near future.
Marjorie Turton (nee Smerek)
donated the following pictures to me, with Thanks!
She added this note about her Father:
Dan (Dmytro) Smerek helped build this
Church.
He designed and built the domes
and participated in the construction of the interior.
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