Stenen – St. Nicholas (closed)

Church of St. Nicholas constructed 1934 in Stenen; R.M. 303.

STENEN — The church of St. Nicholas is the first church of the parish.

The church was constructed in 1934 three miles north of Stenen on a two and one-half acre site donated by Pavlo Marinovych. Rev. Peter Kryworuchka celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the church on September 16th of that year. Episcopal visitations to the parish were made by Archbishop Basil Ladyka in 1939 and by Bishop Andrew Roborecki in 1957 and 1968. In time the majority of the parishioners took up permanent residence in Stenen and, consequently, in 1953 the church was also moved to the village.

The village church site, 63 x 150 feet, was acquired for $700 by the parish branch of the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League. Also through their efforts the church was renovated and artistically decorated in 1967. The wooden structure is in the form of an elongated cross, 50 x 24 feet, and has one blind cupola at the central axis of the gable roof. It was constructed on the original site at a total cost of $2000 and through the voluntary labour of the parishioners under the foremanship of W. Huziak. Upon its relocation, the basement of the church was finished to include a parish hall with kitchen facilities; electricity and central gas heating were also installed,

In the interior of the church the wall behind the main altar is dominated by a large painting of St. Nicholas painted by Stefan Meush. Two adjoining sacristies are on the right and left of the sanctuary. Along the lateral walls of the cruciform nave are two small side altars with icons of the Holy Mother of God and Christ the Teacher. These two icons, the symbols and ornamentation decorating the ceiling and walls of the church are the art work of Theodore Baran. The nave contains wooden pews seating approx. 60 persons; a choir loft is reached by stairs originating in the nave and extends over the nave opposing the sanctuary. The interior is dominated by the cruciform vaulted ceiling and a large electrically lighted chandelier. The floor is finished in linoleum tiles and is carpeted with a thick rug before the main altar. Entry into the church is through a small, separately roofed, porch-vestibule.

A mission cross was installed near the church in 1956; a church bell was also purchased that year and was installed in a four post bell tower with a quadrilateral roof in 1964. The parish cemetery is at the original church site.

Ukrainian settlers arrived in this area in 1904 predominantly from the Chortkiv county and Bu-kovyna. They moved to Stenen from the neighbouring rural communities. The parish founding members were: Volodymyr Parasiuk, Roman Yawney, Stakh Tymoch-ko, Ivan Mykhalchuk, Nykola Parasiuk, Pavlo Parasiuk, Antin Yawney, Antin Wasylenchuk, Petro Hesiuk, K. and P. Bechkovsky, M. Kezinkevych, Ivan Martyn-ovych and K. Tymrochko. The first holy services in the community were served by Rev. Henry Boels, CSSR, they were held in private homes and primarily at the home of Nykola Parasiuk. On June 1, 1933 the first parish executive was chosen consisting of Roman Yawney, Pavlo Parasiuk, Petro Bechkovsky and Mag-daline Parasiuk; the fund raising campaign for the construction of the church was also initiated at this time.

In 1941 the parish numbered 14 members with 29 children (Prop. Knyha); in 1961 there were 70 souls (Directory), and in 1975, 23 families and 7 single members were accounted for. The parish in 1976 under the directorship of Rev. Dean Jerome Lashkewich of Canora, acting pastor for the pastoral district, Stephen Mytrash, Walter Lazaruk and Audin Hesiuk.

The Ukrainian Catholic parish of St. Nicholas at Stenen is under the pastoral charge of Preeceville.