Tribune – Holy Family

Church of the Holy Family constructed 1944, 7 miles west and l’/2 miles north of Tribune; R.M. 7.

TRIBUNE — The church of the Holy Family is the first church of the parish.

At first, members of this parish constructed a tiny chapel and placed it in the yard of Hryhoriy Koszman in approximately 1919 (this date cannot be verified). This chapel was completely destroyed by a sudden storm in July of 1921. The present church was constructed in 1944, enlarged and renovated in 1948, on a three acre site seven miles west and one and one-half miles north of Tribune. The first Divine Liturgy in the church was celebrated in 1944 by Rev. A. Fyk. Bishop Andrew Roborecki visited the parish in 1954, 1957 and 1965.

The wood constructed rectangular church is on a low concrete basement and measures 52 x 20 feet. It has an east sanctuary with the main altar and an adjoining porch-sacristy which also exits to the church grounds. The west main entrance is through an adjoining porch-vestibule with separate shingled roof. The church contains wooden pews seating approx. 60 persons and has electricity and central oil heating. Near the church stands a wooden mission cross placed in commemoration of the Holy Missions of 1956 and 1964. The first was directed by Rev. Jerome Chimy, OSBM (presently the Bishop of New Westminster, B.C.) and the latter by Rev. M. Markiw, OSBM. The parish cemetery is on the combined church and cemetery site which was purchased for the parish in 1933 by Hryhoriy Koszman, Dmytro Koszman and Nykola Zaharia. It was blessed in 1934 by Rev. J. Fylyma.

Ukrainian settlement in this area began in 1905 from the village of Synkiv in the Zaiishchyky county. The founders of the parish were: Hryhoriy Koszman and family, Dmytro and Maria Koszman, Antin Oshust, Nykola Petrash, Nykola Zaharia, T. Shafirka, M. Tkachuk and family, Wasyi Didora and family, Petro Drefko, Ivan and Maria Hutt. Roman Kyrylchuk, Anton Herlick, Vasyi and Sofia Ostafiychuk. During the early settlement period they lived in dug outs, shelters dug into the hillsides, and their meager subsistence was additionally plagued by the frequent prairie grass fires as the region was desert-steppe-like and was covered with tall dry grasses (questionnaire 1967). Every Sunday they nostalgically remembered the solemn holy services in their native land. In 1913 they were visited by a pastor from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who held a holy service at the home of H. Koszman and baptised seven children. Much later, to their surprise they discovered that he was not a Ukrainian Catholic priest and he never returned (questionnaire 1967).

The following holy service also took place at the family home ofH. Koszman in 1915 and was served by Rev. E. Andruchowicz of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Subsequent pastoral duties were administered by pastors from Regina. For a short period holy services were served in the tiny chapel and after its destruction, in the family homes of D. Koszman and I. Hutt. In 1940, through the efforts of Rev. A. Fyk, the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate conducted the first catechism classes of the parish. This evolved into an annual one week summer catechism course.

In 1943, one year prior to the construction of the church, one of the first founding members of the parish, Hryhoriy Koszman, died. In his will he bequeathed 160 acres of land to the parish. The profits from this land were to help the parishioners construct and maintain the church which soon became a reality.

The parish was founded by 13 families and individuals. In 1961 the parish registered 70 souls (Directory). In 1967 there were 10 families and in 1975, 6 families were accounted for. In 1976 the parish was under the directorship of Rev. B. Obarianyk, pastor, Henry Hutt, Theodore Koszman and Frank Herlik.

The Ukrainian Catholic parish of the Holy Family, Tribune, is under the pastoral charge of Estevan.