Church of SS. Peter and Paul constructed 1964-1969, 12 miles south-east of Hodgeville; R.M. 105.

HODGEVILLE — The church of SS. Peter and Paul is the second church of the parish.

The first church was constructed by the parishioners in 1916. It was a small rectangular structure with a complementing central cupola. Its interior contained the main altar; chairs provided seating in the nave. Total construction costs were $1,000. Bishop Nicetas Budka blessed the church in 1917 and visited the parish again in 1927. In 1964 the church was dismantled and on its site the parishioners began construction of the present church which was blessed by Bishop Andrew Roborecki on June 15, 1969.

The level and treeless one acre church site is twelve miles south-west of Hodgeville, six miles north of Glen Bain. The wood constructed rectangular structure, 60 x 24 feet, has a shingled gable roof, two frontal towers apexed by cupolas and a small attached lean-to porch with a bell beneath its eaves. The exterior is finished with wood siding, the interior has wood panelling; the interior ceiling and upper portion of the walls are painted a light color, the natural color of the wood having been retained in the lower half of the walls. The wooden floor is carpeted along the central aisle and in the sanctuary area. At the center of the high angulated ceiling hangs a large chandelier.

The church contains an elevated sanctuary with the main altar, two sacristies with entries from both the sanctuary and church grounds, the nave, the choir loft, and a vestibule; stairs from the vestibule lead to the church basement which serves as a parish hall with kitchen facilities. The wall behind the main altar contains a glass mounted oil print of the church patrons:

additional glass mounted oil prints of the Holy Mother of God Christ Who Loves Mankind and the Stations of the Cross are found along the walls of the nave. Small votive altars are found beneath the two traditionally dedicated holy images. At the center of the nave stands a tetrapod; on corresponding sides of it are rows of wooden pews seating approx. 100 persons. The church is lighted with electricity and has central oil heating.

Parishioners constructed the church under the directorship of Rev. Peter Lisowsky and the parish executive which consisted of: Joseph Krenosky, president: Fred Semesock, treasurer; John Smuk, secretary. The construction costs, $24,000, were covered by the generous donations and voluntary labour of the parishioners. The church site was donated by Antin Krawczyk.

In 1937 a mission cross was installed near the church commemorating the first Holy Mission of the parish. In 1964 a wooden belfry was constructed nearby;

the bell was donated by Aksendiy Mashtalir. Earlier the site contained a hall named “The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish Hall of SS. Peter and Paul at Gooding, Saskatchewan”; it was constructed in 1928 during the pastorate of Rev. John Kolcun and was sold in 1945. The church site also includes the parish cemetery where the pioneer builders of the first church now rest in peace: Antin Krawczyk, Mykhaylo Hawrysh, Antin Smuk, Mykhaylo Smuk, Ivan Hoshovsky (Hoshawski), Pavlo Barabash, Ivan Barabash, Mykhaylo Zakaluzny.

Ukrainian settlers arrived in this area in 1909. In 1914, Rev. Nicholas Shumsky celebrated the first Divine Liturgy with the parishioners at the home of Mykhaylo Zakaluzny and organized the construction of the first church. Originally the parish registered under Gooding, which was a nearby Post Office viable between 1911 and 1930; later the parish registered under Hodgeville, the nearest settlement in the vicinity (datum, John Zakaluzny).

In 1941 the parish consisted of 15 members with 25 children (Prop. Knyha), in 1961, 150 souls (Directory), and in 1975, 18 members with 40 children were accounted for. In 1976 the parish was under the directorship of: Rev. Myron Pylypchuk, acting pastor (due to the shortage of priests the district does not have its own pastor), John Zakaluzny, Peter Smuk, John Smuk, Joseph Smuk, Stephen Semesock and Eugene Hoshawski.

The Ukrainian Catholic parish of SS. Peter and Paul, Hodgeville, is under the pastoral charge of Swift Current.