Inthe first years of 1900, a group of pioneers, who had homesteaded in the Redwater area and who originally had come from Galitcia and Bukovina, Austria, felt the need of having a church and a cemetery on their own.
In 1906, Alexander Sawka, Peter Lakusta and Hryhorie Kostiuk started the planning of establishing a church. They were joined by Mike Wintoniak. In 1910 a membership drive was started and a building committee was elected. In 1911 the members started to build a log church, which was completed the following year. The cemetery was also established on the same site. The parish was incorporated with the Registrar under the Societies Act of Alberta in 1929.
In 1930 a church bell was imported from Europe, and the following year a temporary belfry was built and closed in.
However, the original building was becoming crowded. The members decided to build a new larger church. It took several years of planning and fund–raising. In the spring of 1944, the construction of the new church was started. In 1945 the building was stuccoed. While the church was being built, the church supplies and materials were stored in the belfry. Unfortunately, the belfry was struck by lightning, and the supplies, bell and the belfry itself were completely destroyed by the fire that followed.
A parish hall was built 1 mile south of the church. Picnics and concerts were held regularly there. A choir director was hired, and the youth and parishioners were involved in the choir and other cultural activities such as drama. A residence was built by the hall for a resident priest.
In 1986 a professional painter was hired to paint the interior of the church. In 1987 the old fence was replaced with a new fencing.
Go HERE for more information and history of this parish.
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GPS Co-ordinates: 53.963885, -113.176544
Affiliation: Patriarchial Parishes of Russian Orthodox Church in Canada
