Sheho Farms – Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (closed)

 Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M. constructed 1916, 15 miles south of Sheho; R.M. 275.

SHEHO (farms) — The church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the first church of the parish.

The church was constructed in 1916 on a hilly and partly forested three acre site fifteen miles south of Sheho. Its redecoration and expansion took place in 1917 and in 1934. Bishop Nicetas Budka blessed the church in 1918.

The wood constructed rectangular structure, 38 x 13 feet, is east-west oriented, has a shingled gable roof and a centrally located blind cupola. An adjoining gable-roof porch, with west and south entries, serves as the vestibule. At the north end of the structure a small lean-to porch houses the sacristy and has an additional outside entrance. In the interior the main altar and elevated sanctuary are separated from the nave by an iconostas which was constructed in 1917 by N. Gulka; previously acquired oil prints were incorporated in its design. The choir loft extends above the west end of the nave and is reached by a stairway originating in the nave. The church has a vaulted ceiling above the nave and a flat ceiling above the sanctuary area. The parishioners constructed the church, total costs were $1,000, through voluntary labour under the foreman-ship of N. Gulka. Petro Shewchuk donated the three acre church and cemetery site.

In 1934 the parishioners constructed a wooden belfry near the church; the bell was purchased in 1938 for $100. The base of the belfry is used for parish meetings and social events. A wooden mission cross, also near the church, was installed in 1941. A short distance away stands a log-clay structure which served as a stable during the pioneer days of the parish.

Ukrainian settlers arrived in this area in 1903 primarily from the Zoloch and Terebovlia counties. Prior to the establishment of the Sheho parish, many of the parishioners were registered at the Beckenham parish. The founding members of the parish were: Rev. Henry Boels, CSSR, P. Shewchuk, Fed. Kozakevych (Kozakewich), Iv. Kozakewich, N. Chaykivsky (Chaj-kowski), N. Kaban, Y. Frantsyshyn, P. Shabat, A. Gulka, Prokip Perkolaba, N. Gulka, S. Hryhor, Yakiv Kozakewich and P. Arabsky. The first Divine Liturgy in this parish was celebrated by the Rev. Louis Van den Bosch, CSSR, on May 6, 1916 at the home of Anton Gulka.

In 1941 there were 23 members with 70 children (Prop. Knyha), in 1961, 70 souls (Directory), and in 1975 there were 40 persons. In 1976 the parish was under the directorship of: Rev. Roman Muzychka, CSSR, pastor, Paul Chajkowski, Victoria Michaluk, Peter Chuchak, Alex Michaluk, John Olenych and Fred Kozakewich.

The Ukrainian Catholic parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sheho, is under the pastoral charge of Yorkton. The non-official location of the church is often given as “Kolo Shevchuka” or “Kolo Kozakevychiv” in reference to the two pioneer families living nearby.