This Morning at Saint Margaret's

Tiny cathedral out in the hills.

Everything is lush and green this spring...

...and the lilacs are coming into full bloom.

The columbarium tucked away in the southwest corner of the grounds.

Peaked roof in front of a peaked hill.

Heather's Garden...new plants and field stone border.

Sage keeps his vigil under the limbs of a spruce tree.

More lilacs blooming.

The view across the coulee.

If and when you're in the area, stop in for a visit.

Photographed at Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery near Eagle Butte, Alberta on June 3, 2023.

Grape Hyacinths

Fresh blooms in Heather's Garden.  They have a lovely fragrance too.

Photographed at Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery near Eagle Butte, Alberta on May 14, 2025.

Heather's Garden

An early and most welcome colourful spot in Heather's Garden this spring.  As any gardener will know...plant fall bulbs for spring blooms.

The perennials are slowly coming to life.  

As well as the crocuses shown above, I planted about a dozen saffron crocuses which I didn't get so see blooming because a deer ate all of the flowers before I got there.  That's a pretty exotic taste treat for a deer.  Hope he or she enjoyed them.  Maybe next year.

Some hyacinths popping up.  They should be blooming in about ten days.

A lamium groundcover plant was thriving as soon as the snow melted.  

The pasque flowers should bloom the same time as the hyacinths.

Photographed at Saint Margaret's Church and Cemetery near Eagle Butte, Alberta on April 26 and 27, 2025.

A Beautiful Place Out in the Country

More to see here: Буковина

Saint Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery was photographed near Lepine, Saskatchewan on August 4, 2020.

Easter Monday

Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.

Malin Cemetery was photographed near Saddle Creek, Alberta on November 9, 2024.

Jerald

So young.

Photographed at Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Cemetery near Pierceland, Saskatchewan on July 17, 2023.

Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church

Holy Family is a country church and cemetery just seventeen miles north of the Canada/U.S.A. border.  I believe it is the southernmost Ukrainian church in all of Saskatchewan.

Settlers arrived to the area in 1905 and lived in dug outs and hillside shelters in those early days.  Frequent prairie fires added even more hardship to their meagre existence, and, the original chapel built around 1919 was completely destroyed in a storm only a few years later.  They truly had a hard life.  

But perseverance prevailed...

Over two decades later the congregation was finally able to build a new church in 1944 after one of the founding parishioners died and left a quarter section of land to the church.  The profits from this generous donation enabled the congregation to erect the new church, and only four years later, completely renovate and enlarge it.  Now that's a success story if I ever heard one.  

The wooden mission cross that stands midway between the church and cemetery commemorates the Holy Missions of 1956 and 1964.

The church was seventy-nine years old at the time of my visit.  My thanks to all those at Holy Family who still love and care for this little church out in the country.

Information courtesy of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon.

Photographed near Maxim, Saskatchewan on September 13, 2023.

Kaplychka

A favourite place to drop by for a visit...the "little chapel" in the countryside near Rhein, Saskatchewan is now one hundred and twenty-five years old...and that's definitely a cause for celebration.

More about this historical landmark here:

Kaplychka

Photographed on October 13, 2022.

Annie & John

Two oldtimers spending eternity together at Saint Joseph's Parish Cemetery.  Good for them. 

Photographed near Candiac, Saskatchewan on May 19, 2021.

Dnister Memorial Cemetery

Just half a mile down the road from Dnister Church is Dnister Cemetery.

The trees were turning their fall colours and there were carpets of oak leaves all through the grounds.

Photographed near Gimli, Manitoba on September 22, 2023.

More About the Bell House at Saint Elias

Last fall I revisited Saint Elias near Pakan with the main purpose of exploring the old bell house.  See some history of it here:  "Щасливого Різдва!"

The new wooden siding is already starting to have that weathered look.  I believe the interior is mostly original to when it was built in 1906.

Just inside the door there are a number of interesting objects.

These are some of the shingles from the original bell house roof.

These are some of the old shingle nails.

I wonder how much they cost now?  When the bell house was completed in 1906, Alberta had only been a province for one year.

The bell house served many purposes.

This was the sign attached to the bell house when it was part of the Shandro Museum. 

A couple of montages on the walls.

The stairs are just inside the door and lead up...

...to where the bells are mounted.  The bells were purchased at a cost of $170.00 and installed in 1906.  I'll bet the ladies in the congregation sold a lot of cookies and Christmas cakes to raise all that money.  Good on 'em. 

This is a photo (of an historical photo inside the bell house) of the original church that burned down in 1954.  I would have loved to see the old church but I wasn't even born at the time.

And this is the beautiful church the congregation built after the fire.

As it happens, I was misinformed about how the bell tower came home to Saint Elias.  The truth of the matter is that when the Shandro Museum disbanded, the right of ownership reverted back to Saint Elias.  And I, for one, am glad they brought is back home.  Even though I am in no way connected to Saint Elias, seeing the new church united with the old bell tower left me with a sense of satisfaction.  One of those little things that brings such larger joys.

Over the years I've had the privilege and pleasure to visit dozens upon dozens of churches and cemeteries, bell towers and memorial sites all across the prairie provinces and states.  Every one is special in its own way but Saint Elias is one of a tiny handful that is unforgettable and, dare I say, precious.  Heartfelt thanks to all those who care for this beautiful place out in the country.  

 

Historical information courtesy of the Canadian Orthodox History Project.

Photographed at Saint Elias Russo Greek Orthodox Church and Cemetery near Pakan, Alberta on November 8, 2024.