Saints Peter and Paul near Arbakka

This small Ukrainian Orthodox church was built in 1904 and stands in the countryside about a mile north of the Manitoba/Minnesota border.

The prominent structure at the front of the building could easily be mistaken for a bell tower but is actually a prominent entryway to the temple (a characteristic design of people originating from the Carpathian Mountains).

Across the churchyard is the cemetery.

Handsome old headstones mark the graves of pioneers. 

When the church was the centre of activity for the area there most likely would have been a wooden belfry that stood separately from the church and housed the bell that now stands on blocks beside the church.  

Locally the church is known as "Bilawchuks" as the land for the church and cemetery were donated by the Bilawchuk family.

Three simple budded crosses grace the roofline of the church.

The grounds are bordered on three sides by trees creating a park-like feeling...really quite a lovely place to visit.  A picnic table would be a welcome addition.  

Information courtesy of the Canadian Orthodox History Project.

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Temple and Cemetery was photographed near Arbakka, Manitoba on August 21, 2022.

(The Former) Immanuel Lutheran Church

The Immanuel Lutheran Congregation was established in 1903.  The church was built in 1907, and after over a century of service, closed in the early 2010's.  

The story I heard was...

Some years later a man was looking for a "country church" where his daughter could be married.  When he couldn't find anything that fit the bill, and the opportunity of buying the church presented itself, he jumped on it.  Not only was his daughter married here but he's made the church available to anyone who wishes to be wed in "a little country church."  Good on him.

The exceptionally attractive steeple...

...and the steeple with the moon.

Photographed in Baldur, Manitoba on August 18, 2022.

Old Saint Michael's at Gardenton

A sunny Monday morning in southeastern Manitoba. 

    

The sign reads: 

"St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church

"St. Michael's Orthodox Church consecrated October 14, 1899, was the first permanent Ukrainian church erected in Canada.  Until the parish joined the Greek-Orthodox Church of Canada in 1922, it was served by a Russian Orthodox Mission.

"The church was built by immigrants from northern Bukowyna, now the western Ukraine, who settled the Gardenton area after 1896.  Measuring 48'x22'x33', the structure exemplified Bukowynian pioneer craftsmanship in architecture, interior decoration and religious furnishing.  St. Michael's served as a focal point of spiritual and cultural life in the first Ukrainian settlement in Manitoba and remains a symbol of the continuity of the Ukrainian identity in Canada.

"The Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba"

The commemoration was the same month and year that I was born...same name too.  Happy coincidences.

Old Saint Michael's was in service until 1935 at which time a new church was built in the Village of Gardenton.  The church and cemetery are still very well cared for...and there are a few special services held at the church each year including an annual pilgrimage service.  

Photographed on August 22, 2022.

United Church

The United Church in Garland, Manitoba.  It was built in 1916 and originally named Saint John’s Ruthenian Presbyterian Church.  

The Presbyterian Church of Canada assumed the role of converting Ukrainian pioneers to the Presbyterian faith.  I think the fact that so many Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches far outnumber United churches tells the story.  

In 1925 the Presbyterian Church joined the new United Church of Canada.

Information courtesy of the Manitoba Historical Society. 

Photographed on October 12, 2022.

Holland

Welcome to Holland, Manitoba!

Photographed on August 20, 2022.

Bethel Lutheran in the Danvers District

An early morning drive from Dauphin on the John Bracken Highway through Riding Mountain National Park... 

My first stop was this glorious sign for Bethel Lutheran Church set against a field of blooming canola. 

Less than a mile away was this handsome church and cemetery...impeccably kept and obviously cherished by the descendants of the pioneers in the Danvers District of Manitoba.

The cornerstone...

...and a peek inside.

Friendly checkout at the motel and a delicious breakfast in Dauphin followed by a drive through the park where I saw black bears and deer...then a visit to Bethel Lutheran Church and Cemetery.  Great start to the day, don't you think?

Bethel Lutheran Church and Cemetery was photographed near Ditch Lake, Manitoba on July 25, 2022.

Scott Larry

"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away"

Photographed in Bethel Lutheran Cemetery near Ditch Lake, Manitoba on July 25, 2022.

Old Riverside Bridge

This bridge, officially named Concrete Arch Bridge No. 1580, is known to the locals as Old Riverside Bridge.  At one time it was the primary crossing over the Souris River north of Heaslip, Manitoba but is now used mainly by local traffic.  

It's always a treat to cross the river on an historic bridge.

Later in the day I was able to get a few shots of this gracefully arched bridge from the new bridge to the west. 

Then it was back to Brandon for supper with my sister. 

Photographed on October 16, 2022.

Цвинтар Святого Серця

"Sacred Heart Cemetery"

Just a few miles out of town is the cemetery associated with the Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church from the previous post.

About a dozen pyramidal cedars along with one lone spruce tree are planted amongst the graves that date back to 1902. 

The cemetery is long and narrow and is as immaculately kept as the church was in town.  Kudos to the caretakers of our history. 

Photographed near Tolstoi, Manitoba on August 22, 2022.