Erwood – Blessed Virgin Mary of Succour (closed)

 Erwood church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Succour; contstructed in 1946.

ERWOOD — The church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Succour is the first church of the parish.

Propam’yatna Knyha, published in 1941, describes Erwood as: a mission post sixteen miles east of Hudson Bay with nine member families who have a church site on which a church under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be constructed.

With the assistance of Rev. Nicholas Chorney, this mission post evolved into a parish and a church was constructed on the previously mentiond site in 1946. Bishop Andrew Roborecki celebrated Divine Liturgy in this church on June 3, 1956.

The church was surrounded by prairie and stood six miles north-east of Erwood. It was constructed of wood and formed a rectangular structure, 36 x 22 feet, with a cross at the frontal apex of the gable roof.  The timber for the construction, a gift from the Government, was converted into construction  material and subsequently, through voluntary labour of the parishioners and the direction of Rev. N. Chorney, a church was constructed.  The one and one-half acre church and cemetery site was donated by Theodore and Katherine Marc.  This parish was viable for twenty years.  When its founding members passed to eternity and the younger members left for larger centers, the church was sold and all the church goods were transferred to the parish at Hudson Bay.  The parish in Erwood was liquidated in 1966 and the remaining members registered to the parish at Hudosn Bay.

The first Ukrainian settlers arrived in the Erwood district in 1927 predominatntly from the Yavoriv county. The first priest to minister to their spiritual needs was Rev. Peter Kryworuchka.  Prior to the construction of the church, holy services were held in the homes of the late Theodore and Katheryna Marc, the late Kost Pshyk and Helena, and the late Mykhaylo Boruch and Ahafia.  In addition to those already mentioned, the founding members of the parish were: Fedir Glushak, Stefan Taras, Stefan Petriychuk, Mykhaylo Pshyk, Ivan Boruch, Theodore Perizhok and somewhat later they were joined by Vasyl’ Kopachivsky and Mykhaylo Tesliuk.

The Ukrainian Catholic Catholic parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Succour, Erwood, was under the pastoral charge of Hudson Bay. (Photograph unavailable).