Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Municipal Heritage Property occupying a 1.5 ha parcel of land in the Rural Municipality of Redberry No. 435. The property features a small one-storey, wood-frame church with stucco exterior and East-European dome built in 1911. Surrounding the church are large grounds that include a cemetery. The property is located approximately 45 kilometres southeast of the Village of Hafford.

The heritage value of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary lies in its association with the predominantly Ukrainian settlers in the local area. The church was built in 1911 by local settlers on land donated by John Welechko, one of the founders of the parish. John Sawyshen, another local parishioner and a carpenter, supervised the local volunteer builders of the building. Regular masses were held through the 1950s, but since then, regular annual masses and other masses have only been offered on special occasions. Many members of the congregation are buried in the cemetery, which is blessed annually by Ukrainian Catholic clergy.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its architecture and historical integrity. The church exhibits characteristics common to small East-European churches built on the prairies in the early-twentieth century, including the cross-transept layout and central octagonal tower topped by a squat dome with open interior. The building also features a metal tower and spire as well as pointed-arched windows with tracery, less-common elements for this style of church.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Redberry No. 435 Bylaw 6-85.

The heritage value of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary lies in the following character-defining elements:

-those elements that reflect the property’s association with the area’s Ukrainian settlers, such as the cross transept design, central octagonal tower with squat-dome, detached belfry, cemetery and the Cyrillic alphabet utilized on many of the gravestones;

-those elements that reflect the property’s architecture and historical integrity, such as its pointed-arch windows with tracery, wood siding and interior trim, altar, and spacial arragnment of the sanctuary and sacristy, and position on its original location.