Church of the Assumption of the B.V.M. constructed 1950-1953, 4 miles south of Jedburgh; R.M. 245.

BEAVER DALE — The church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the second church of the parish.

Construction of the first church began in 1907; that year Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the church. This was a log constructed structure with a central dome and an iconostas and was constructed by Ivan Bogutsky, Mykola Prybylsky, Harasym Davosyr and parish volunteers. Bishop Nicetas Budka visited the parish on three occasions and blessed the church on August 11, 1913. Bishop Neil Savaryn visited the church and parish in August, 1945.

Plans for the second church were designed by Hryhoriy (Harry) Shalley and Dmytro Sereda who also acted as foremen during construction. The church, constructed between 1950 and 1953, stands four miles south ofJedburghJust north of the first church; the two church sites, now divided by a road, and the parish cemetery constitute three acres of land which was donated to the parish by Ivan Kryvda (Kruda). Construction costs of the church totalled $20,000; these were covered by the generous donations and voluntary labour of the parishioners.

The wood constructed cruciform structure, 64 x 44 feet with an interior height of 35 feet, is north-south oriented and has three blind domed cupolas covered with white sheet metal. The drums of the cupolas, the garrets, and the gable roof are shingled; all exterior walls including the towers have imitation brick asphalt siding. The interior walls are finished with donnacona. The church interior consists of the sanctuary with the main altar and two adjoining sacristies, the nave with two small side altars dedicated to the Mother of God and Christ the Teacher on corresponding sides of the sanctuary, and a vestibule. A choir loft extends above the vestibule and can be reached by a stairway originating in the nave. The interior is dominated by a cruciform vaulted ceiling; its four central triangles converge to form a shallow dome with a fan-like effect.

In 1963, through the efforts of the local branch of Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada, Theodore Baran of Saskatoon was commissioned to artistically decorate the church with murals and ornamentation.

The church basement has been finished and serves as a parish hall with kitchen facilities. The entire structure is lighted by electricity and centrally heated by oil.

Bishop Andrew Roborecki blessed the church on August 28, 1957.

In 1930 a mission cross was installed near the first parish church. That site is retained as the parish cemetery and still contains the belfry constructed in 1935; the bell was purchased in 1935 for $400. At one time the reading room “Prosvita”, constructed in 1927, also stood near the church; it was later dismantled.

Ukrainian settlers arrived in this area in 1905 predominantly from the village of Liashky of the Jaroslaw county. The founding members of the parish were: Rev. Achille Delaere, CSSR, N. Prybylsky(i), Dmytro Sereda, Ivan Makovetsky (Makovetski), Andriy Dobko, Maksym Khrunyk (Chrunik), Kost Lys, V. Bohdasevych (Bogdasavich), Yakiv Shkilnyk (Skilnick, Skilnik), P. Karapyta, Oleksa Karapyta, L. Domshy, Iv. Bogutsky, Maksym Makovetsky, Maksym Zhykevych (Zukewich), Mykh. Schurko (Churko), Iv. Prybylsky, Hr. Benko, T. Benko, M. Pakhoiko (Pachoiko), Har. Davosyr, K. Klysko, T. Lasch, Ivan Mushka and V. Sereda. The first Divine Liturgy of the parish was celebrated by Rev. A. Delaere, CSSR, on January 18, 1907 at the home of Andriy Dobko. The parish chronicles preserve for posterity the name of Ivan Bentsula the parish choir director.

In 1941 the parish consisted of 115 members with 225 children (Prop. Knyha), in 1955 there were 35 families (Jubilee Book) and in 1967 there were 48 families (questionnaire). In 1975 the parish registered 33 families and 3 single members from a radius of approximately ten miles. In 1976 the parish was under the directorship of: Redemptorist Fathers, pastors, Nick Benko, Fred Lys, Nick Kruda, Anne Nowakowski, Marcella Hayduk, Eva Kruda, Ella Benko, Jean Misko, Mike Hull and Fred Domshy.

The Ukrainian Catholic parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Beaver Dale, is under the pastoral charge of Yorkton.