Watson – St. George (closed)

Church of St. George the Martyr acquired 1952, located in easterly Watson; R.M. 338.

WATSON — The church of St. George is the first church of the parish.

The parishioners purchased the church in 1952 from the Kuroki parish and moved it onto a two-lot site in easterly Watson. Bishop Andrew Roborecki honoured the parish with several visitations and last served a Pontifical Moleben in the church on May 17, 1970.

The church is a wood constructed rectangular structure on a low concrete basement, 34 x 20 feet, and has two frontal towers apexed by cupolas. Its exterior walls have imitation stone asphalt siding, its gable roof is shingled. The church is east-west oriented with a west main entrance, which is through a small adjoining porch-vestibule, and an east sanctuary which has two adjoining sacristies with entries only from the sanctuary area. The church patron painting behind the main altar and the images of the Holy Mother of God and Christ Who Loves Mankind, which are found facing the nave on corresponding sides of the sanctuary, are glass mounted oil prints. The church does not have a choir loft; its nave contains a few wooden pews seating approx. 40 persons; it is lighted by electricity and heated by a small oil heater found in the nave.

Ukrainian settlers arrived in Watson in 1925 predominantly from the neighbouring rural settlements and parishes of Ethelbert, Manitoba, Arran and Swan Plain. The founding members of the parish were: Rev. Theophile Hurko, pastor, Ivan (John) Romaniuk, David Oleksyn, Eugene Boyko, Michael Boyko, Dmy-tro Holowachuk, Ivan Kogutsky, Michael Strilets (Stre-lic), Klym Tymoshuk, Michael Peleschuk, Mary Kogutsky, Doris Ralyk, Katerina Androzyn (Androsen), Ivan Humenny, Elik and Vasyi’ (Bill) Komarnitsky, Andriy Korpan, Pavlo (Paul) Tysiak, Ivan Bilosovsky (Bilosowski), Hryhoriy and Pavlo Humenny, Anna Skoryk, Anna Luchkanets, Luts Skoryk, Oleksa Andru-syn, Wasyi Hawryliuk (Hawryluk), Michael Michay-liuk, Fylyp Kuchynsky and Andriy Luchkanets.

In 1961 the parish registered 50 souls (Directory) and in 1975 a total of 5 families remained. In 1976 the parish was under the directorship of: Rev. Andrew Choronzy, acting pastor, Mary Oleksyn, Anastasia Boyko, Ann Humenny, Anastasia Kuchinski, Joanne Boyko, John Romaniuk and Eugene Boyko.

The Ukrainian Catholic parish of St. George at Watson is under the pastoral charge of Wadena.