“POKROV” PROTECTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PARISH
October 23, 2024
Ukrainian immigrants began settling in the Rossdale area in 1897. Initially they gathered in individual homes to observe the holy days with services and devotions. Prayers and hymns were a very important part of their worship in the homeland and continued in Canada. Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the home of Metro Kormilo. Later, services were held in the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, alternating Sundays with the small Polish neighboring community.
By the year 1909 the pioneers decided that the influx of settlers necessitated the organization and establishment of a parish. Enough money was gathered to purchase land from Mr. Magas for a cemetery and the future building of a church.
In the year 1913, an official letter was sent to request the establishment of a parish and priest to serve the spiritual needs of the people. Bishop Budka came to the area and met with the families. This was a major historical happening in this small community. The Bishop was to arrive by horse and buggy and be housed for several days by the Cheslock family. Everything had to be cleaned and prepared with much vigor for the bishop's arrival - "even the chicken coop had to be white washed" recorded by Lena Cheslock. The Bishop along with a small group walked the area and settled on a site of land with higher elevation to ensure good drainage from spring run-off. Bishop Budka consecrated the property for the site and continued to assist the founding parishioners with details of the establishment of the parish and construction of the church. Due to limited finances the basement was completed first and services were held there for about four years.
The congregation grew and work continued under the supervision of Mr. Stefan Sanko, the chief carpenter and devoted parishioner. Mr. Sanko also applied his artistic talents in beautifying the interior of the church by hand carving the tabernacle and Holy Doors of the Iconostas. It is especially interesting to note that Peter Ducheck, an elderly parishioner remembers as a child visiting Mr. Sanko in the evening and watching as he patiently and lovingly carved the wood with very simple homemade tools, the coal oil lantern supplying the light. The tabernacle can be seen at the Archeparchial museum on Scotia Street.
The church was completed and ready for dedication. The late Bishop Budka concecrated and conducted the first Divine Liturgy and named the church - Blessed Virgin Mary the Protectress "Pokrova". The first Sunday in October is still recognized as the Feast Day of Pokrova and is celebrated by hosting a Praznyk, a dinner banquet, preceded by the Divine Liturgy.
Life was difficult for the early settlers. They spent months clearing poplar and oak bush. Soon they planted potatoes, kept a few chickens, hogs and cows. With close proximity to Winnipeg markets they sold their produce to buy their first tools and animals to develop their farms. They also worked on building mud roads around their homesteads to be able to take their produce to Winnipeg by horse and cart which was a four hour ride each way. Others worked for the railway, laying new track and repairing older lines. The early settlers had very little money. (Mr. Yaworski came to Rossdale with 25 cents in his pocket). These people were motivated to carry on by memories of terrible conditions that existed where they came from. In spite of other hardships endured by climate and pests, Canada was a paradise compared to the serfdom they left behind.
The parish officially received title to the land on June 6, 1918 at 1:43 p.m. after a mortgage of $300 was finally paid. The parish slowly grew and prospered with the church being a center of gathering for worship and fellowship. During the early beginnings, Sisters were brought into the parish to teach children Catechism. From 1930-1953, Sisters were brought into our parish for approx. 4-6 weeks and were welcomed by the Cheslock and Skazyk families who provided "room and board". Mrs. Marunchak was also brought in to teach Ukrainian Dance.
In 1930 the congregation undertook the construction of the parish hall which was named Rossdale Parish Hall. A parcel of land was purchased on the corner of Donald Road and Rossdale/Skazyk Road. The project was completed at a cost of $3000.00. This facility served a very vibrant community where many memorable events took place, such as weddings, anniversaries, showers, "stag and showers" picnics, funeral lunches, meetings, concerts and dinner and dance banquets.
In 1973 the hall was completely renovated and extended. Mr. Bill Borsh, a dedicated parishioner and skilled carpenter, supervised the renovations. Costs were recouped by a government grant and by profits from many fund raising dinners cooked and catered by the dedicated women of the parish. A group of women acquired catering skills through employment with a professional catering company and they willingly shared their skills enabling the parish ladies who were keen to learn to continue successful and profitable fundraisers. This facility continues to be beautifully maintained providing a meeting place for the social needs of the extended community and all parish functions (Praznyks, Sviachene(Easter dinners), perogy making and coffee fellowship after each Sunday Liturgy)
It is interesting to note that Mr. Bill Borsh was also the cantor of the church for many years along with Mr. Onufrey Bilan. Everyone shared their talents wherever they could!
By the year 1950 discussion began about the need for a new, larger church. The older existing church was too small and the basement continually flooded with the spring run-off. The location at the cemetery along the small country road was difficult to access with automobiles. An additional difficulty was mobilizing the people. Some wanted a new church in a new location along an all- weather provincial road. Some people wanted to extend the hall, believing the lucrative rental money would pay for the church construction.
Three parishioners worked together to encourage the congregation to build a new church on a site at Donald Road across from the hall. The land was purchased by Mr. John and Mary Zelych and donated to our parish. Mr. Nick Cheslock and Mr. Wm. Woloshyn mortgaged their property to obtain funds to start construction. Father Philip Ruh was consulted to provide architectural drawings. Much fundraising began with banquets, raffle tickets and selling of bricks to purchase materials. A carpenter, Mr. Gulabichka was hired to supervise construction. Work was carried on with volunteer help and donated materials. The new church was completed in 1960, officially opened and consecrated by Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk and parish priest Father S. Izyk on October 14, 1960.
Rev. Semen Izyk came to our parish in 1950 and served for 44 years. He established Catechism programs, Children of Mary, concerts and various other programs to feed the spiritual needs of the children and adults alike. In 1975 Father Izyk established a catechism program as well as a Ukrainian class. Linda Skromeda and Carolyn Dubowits were nominated by the church committee to head this project. Fr. Izyk and Deacon Alex Bodykevich provided religious instruction and after enrollment grew to 155 children, classes were moved to St. Andrews Public School on Saturday mornings. Sister Elicia Tolenko of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, had to be picked up every Saturday morning and parents took turns volunteering their time to do this. A dedicated group of mothers from the parish provided catechism instruction along with Sr. Elicia. Ukrainian classes were also conducted under the very able leadership of Mrs. Lena Bashuk.
With his vast connections, Fr. Izyk arranged a meeting with 2 dancers from the Rusalka Dance Ensemble. In 1977 a dance school was started by Linda Skromeda, Betty Ducheck and Carlyle Andryo. The wish was to promote the culture and heritage of our Ukrainian people and to allow the children in our area to learn Ukrainian Dance. The dance school started with the church but as enrollment grew, the Rossdale Dance Group decided to go on its own. Enrollment grew to 150 dancers and the senior dancers formed their own group, Vitretz.
Vitretz has traveled and performed throughout the province and beyond, the most prestigious being Expo '86 in Vancouver, San Diego, California and Orlando, Florida. Folklorama has been a venue since the beginning and various celebrations around the province have invited Rossdale and Viteretz to perform.
In 1982 a wood carving school was initiated by Linda Skromeda. The program ran for three years with an enrollment of 20 students and interested adults. Excellent instruction was provided by an expert in "rizba", Mr. Jaroslav Romaniak and his son Jerry.
The parish supports outreach programs. Welcome Home is aided by us providing two Thursday dinners a year for approximately 50-60 people. In addition food hampers are assembled to help support the poor in our community or in Winnipeg. The parish also supports the neighboring St. Andrews Anglican Parish in providing a place for them to hold two annual fundraisers throughout the year.
In 1991, a monument was erected in front of the church to commemorate the one hundred years of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. This monument has been blessed and dedicated to all founding families of the parish. The names of the founding families are ingrained on the pedestal supporting the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Life carried on with changes and blessings. In the year 2000 a millennial project was decided on. The interior of the church needed painting. The oil furnace was replaced to electric. The soot from the oil tarnished the walls. Much research was undertaken as to the painting. Who was to do the work? What colors to use? Before we could carry on however, fundraising efforts were started. Under the direction of Merv Picklyk and his committee an elegant evening was planned with live entertainment and dinner. An auction was held and everyone worked hard asking for sponsors to support our cause. It turned out to be an outstanding success and much needed funds were raised. A fashion show was also organized by the women and this ambitious undertaking was also a resounding success. Where there was a cause, everybody came together. The support was exceptional.
It was with good fortune that contact was made with two wonderful people. Marilyn Woloshyn had undertaken a class in writing icons and through her instructor, Vera Senchuk, an interior designer with a wealth of knowledge in church design, Ben Wasylyshyn was asked to come to the church and as they say "the rest is history". Soon a color board was produced, decisions made and a contract signed. One Sunday afternoon was designated for emptying the entire contents of the church so scaffolding could be erected the next day for work to begin. There were some skeptics who said it could not be done! The turnout of volunteers to dismantle the pews, transport fixtures to a nearby storage that had been cleaned and provided by Mr. Peter Ducheck, a parishioner and neighbor was incredible. People came with vans, trailers and trucks. It was as if the holy angels came to help. All was done before dark that evening.
Services continued as the work was being done enabling the congregation to witness the progress. Vera Senchuk was commissioned to work on the icon of the Pokrova above the alter and continued with the icon of Christ behind the alter. Ben Wasylyshyn and his crew continued with the interior. Completion was celebrated by a banquet in 2001.
ICONOSTAS
In the year 2014, a big three-day celebration was held to celebrate 100 years of the founding of our parish. Meetings were held to decide highlights of the celebration. Rose Woloshyn became chairperson and her committee worked tirelessly to make this a weekend to remember. On Friday evening a Wine and Cheese was held. A presentation of Bishop Budka was displayed and a picture board of our founding families was displayed. The work that was put into this evening was incredible! A barbecue was held on Saturday, where people were invited to the church to witness the interior and learn about the icons. This portion was conducted by Rev. Yaroslav Buduykevich, Larry Gregan and Marilyn Woloshyn. The reposed in the cemetery were to be blessed in the afternoon and a cloud blew over with quite a rainfall. Bishop Michael Wiwchar commented that the good Lord wanted to bless all the graves himself and what better way than a rain from heaven.
A catered banquet was held on Sunday following Divine Liturgy. The eldest member, Mrs. Anne Popowich was honored as well as the youngest. The highlight of the celebration was the welcoming of Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak, who arrived by horse and buggy just as Bishop Budka did, from the original Cheslock homestead.
Invitations went out to all former parish families. A great response came from all across Canada, from B.C. to Ontario. The weekend was a time of renewed friendships, establishing new friendships, reflection and reminiscing.
In November of 2019, our parish participated in Home for the Holidays where 2 churches and 6 private homes in the area were decorated for Christmas and opened for visitation. Our church was featured with an oral presentation explaining its features in respect to construction and décor. These presentations were done by Rev. Yaroslav Buduykevych and Mr. Larry Gregan. A hot lunch was offered in the hall. We welcomed close to 500 guests.
Our Blessed Mother's omophorion is spread over our parish family and a large icon cross, written by Marilyn Woloshyn, stands firmly on our iconostas, and high inside our church dome the stars depicting our creation blesses our entire community.
Mrs. Marilyn Woloshyn
