Naples

About a month ago I had the pleasure of visiting Naples...Naples, Alberta that is.

Here is Naples Catholic Church and Cemetery.

A well aged sign mounted on the outer front wall.

Stepping into the porch I discovered the church is also known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

All of the windows are split with the glass in the lower half of each being a soft green.

The greenish hue is reflected throughout the interior of the church.

A shot from the balcony...

...and the view from the cemetery.

A plaque inside the church gives a brief history:

"This site was originally the northwest corner of the 1906 Rusconi family homestead.  Brothers Carlo and Francesco Rusconi of Valmadrera and their brides of 1913, sisters Sofia and Carolina Farinati of Lecco, all came to Canada from the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy. 

"In the 1920's Carlo and his family immigrated to California and the family donated this site for use as a church and cemetery.  This church was completed by the Naples community in 1932. 

"The Rusconi Descendants - September 2009"

Photographed on February 18, 2021.

Mazeppa

Late afternoon sunlight gives the church a warm and welcoming appearance.  A tiny but bright three quarter moon is on the rise.

Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Orthodox Church at Mazeppa dates back to 1926.

A white budded Orthodox cross stands alone at the edge of the churchyard. 

The church sign bears the colours of the Ukrainian flag...blue for the sky, yellow for the wheat fields.

The associated cemetery is Sliding Hills Christian Cemetery which predates the church by nine years.

This is a large country cemetery with well over two hundred and fifty burials.

The bell tower for the church sits in one corner of the cemetery.  The sun had all but set.

Photographed near Donwell, Saskatchewan on January 7, 2020.

Schmidt Family Cemetary

This tiny cemetary is just north of Many Island Lake...

...on a hillside in a shallow valley...

...near a long flat rock pile.

Small crosses made of rebar mark the graves and define the borders.

The sign is only about three by four inches in size.  Someone remembered.

There are five members of the Schimdt family buried here including the children who succumbed to the flu epidemic in 1918.  After much hardship and heartbreak the remaining family moved to points unknown in the U.S.A.

Information courtesy of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Photographed in southeastern Alberta on May 27, 2017.

Синя церква на снігу

Blue Church in the Snow.

This is Saint Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cemetery near Punnichy, Saskatchewan.

The colour blue is often associated with Mary Mother of God.

Blue benches and a silver Orthodox cross between the church and cemetery.

A few of the shorter headstones are almost buried in the snow.

The entryway also doubles as the bell tower.

The royal doors at the front of the church...

...and a tiny balcony in poor repair at the back.

Photographed on January 21, 2021.

Brandon S.D. No. 4367

A pioneer school near Stornoway, Saskatchewan.

From 1921-1969 is a good run for a one-room school.

A reunion was held here in 1985.

The sign mounted on the gable above the front door.

Photographed on January 7, 2020. 

Saint Joseph at Frenchville

The crucifix in Saint Joseph Cemetery at Frenchville, Saskatchewan.

It's no surprise that many of the names are of French heritage.

A second look at the crucifix from the township road.  This recent and most welcome addition to cemetery is quite a remarkable carving and well worth the drive to see it first hand.

Saint Joseph Parish is just down the road from the cemetery.  

Over the years the original church built in 1912 was bursting at the seams with growing families.  It was replaced in 1939-40 by the building seen in these photographs.  The small covered cairn to the left of the church houses the bell from the church bell tower.  Pull the rope...ring it loud! 

Photographed on June 12, 2020.

Sion United Church

The United Church and Cemetary at Sion, Alberta.

The church is the definition of spartan.

Birth dates in the cemetary go back to 1844.

A thoughtful someone attached a blue bird house on the back wall of the church. 

Simple and attractive...stop by if you're in the neighbourhood.  It's rare to see an old church structure in such an undisturbed state. 

Photographed on February 17, 2021.

Honeymoon

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church near Honeymoon, Saskatchewan.

Not far down the road is Honeymoon Cemetery.

A collection of headstones in the cemetery.

The official road sign at the T-intersection.

The cemetery in winter.  The stylized cattail design of the black iron gate contrasts dramatically against the stark white snow...

...and the church just down the road.

Photographed on August 6, 2020 and January 18, 2021.

Assumption of the B.V.M

The congregation of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church was established by Germans from southern Russia in 1906.

The charcoal-coloured steeple is attractive if somewhat ominous in appearance. 

Photographed in Holdfast, Saskatchewan on August 8, 2020.

Saint Charles at Tawatinaw

The first Saint Charles church was a small log building located west of Tawatinaw.  

When it burned down in 1917 it was soon replaced by the church you see here in the photos.  

In 1935 the church was moved into town where it remains.

Photographed in Tawatinaw, Alberta on February 18, 2021.