Our History

Ss Peter & Paul Parish ~ Парафія свв. Петра і Павла

Our parish was founded by Blessed Bishop-martyr Nykyta Budka. In 1920 Blessed Nykyta sent Fr Stefan Danilovych to Lethbridge. Founding families of the parish included: Kostowich, Pisko, Chopak, Myhalyk, Sruryn, Maras, Supina, Luchanskyi, Homulas, Gangor, George, Yanosyk, Dudas and Petruna. For the first two years the community made use of St Basil Catholic School for its Sunday Divine Liturgies and community life. The parish completed its first church building in 1922. The church was blessed by Blessed Bishop-martyr Nykyta Budka, the first Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop in Canada. The building was built by the contractor Pettiford. By 1930 the parish had grown to include about 200 families with 300 children.

When it was established the parish was comprised of the faithful of a variety of Eastern Catholic backgrounds: Slovak Catholics, Ruthenian Catholics, Hungarian Greek Catholics and Ukrainian Greek Catholics. Many of them were working in the coal mines and were very active in the United Miners of America. Around 1928 the Dudas family purchased the church bell for $75.00.

By the late 1960s a new church building was needed and constructed, and a few years later the parish built a new rectory. The Ukrainian Catholic bishop for Alberta, Bishop Neil Savaryn, Eparch of Edmonton, blessed the new church building.

In 2010 Ss Peter & Paul Parish celebrated its 90th anniversary. On September 26, 2010 our Eparch, Bishop David Motiuk, celebrated Divine Liturgy with the faithful and friends of the parish community. Concelebrating at the Liturgy with Bishop David were Fr Richard Zuback (retired, Lethbridge), Fr Mark Bayrock (St Stephen Parish, Calgary), Fr Ed Flanagan (All Saints Roman Catholic Parish, Lethbridge), Fr Gary Sedgwick (Ss Peter & Paul Parish, Lethbridge), Fr Dn John Doll (St Stephen Parish, Calgary) and Fr Dn Richard Nibogie (St Stephen Parish, Calgary).

Priests that have served the parish are: Fr Stefan Danilovych (1920-1921), Fr Hryhorij Vaselewych (1921-+1922), Fr Michael Ircha (1922), Fr Apolinarij Kaluznycki (1922), Fr Nestor Drohomyrecky (1923), Fr B Musrychuk (1923), Fr Michael Olenchuk (1923-1925), Fr Ivan Kolcun (1925-1928), Fr Ambrose Redkevych (1928-1930), Fr E Dychdala (1930-1931), Fr George Zydan, OSBM (1931), Fr Joseph Fylyma (1931-1934), Fr Michael Olenchuk (1934-1936), Fr Michael Ircha (1936-1937), Fr Joseph Bala (1937-1939), Fr Bessarion Andreychuk, OSBM (1939-1940), Fr Ivan Holowka (1940-1943), Fr Peter Pasichnyk (1943-1945), Fr Andrew Choronzy (1945-1949), Fr Nicholas Silady (1949-1953), Fr Basil Laba with Fathers Petro Kachur and Dmytro Hnat (1953), Fr Richard Zuback (1953-1955), Fr George Maly (1955-1956), Fr Basil Woloshyn (1956-1959), Fr Teofile Hurko (1959), Fr Nicholas Diadio (1959-1970), Fr Richard Zuback (1971-1975), Fr Paul Lysak (1975-1985), Fr Andrew Muzyka (1985-1989), Fr Richard Zuback (1989-1992), Fr Paul Lysak (1992-1998), Fr Mark Bayrock (1999-2008), Fr Gary Sedgwick (2008-2020).

St Volodymyr the Great Parish ~ Парафія св. Володимира Великого

The parish was established and incorporated in 1953 with the purchase of 3 lots. The years after World War II were a time of massive immigration to Canada from Europe. A great many of those immigrants settled in Southern Alberta in the late 1940’s, and among them were large numbers of Ukrainian immigrants. They were mainly agricultural workers who were specially brought in to work on sugar beet farms. After completing their contracts of one year, many moved to Lethbridge in search of work and community. These Ukrainians in a large part, joined Ss Peter & Paul Parish. The parish priest at that time, Fr Andrew Choronzy, gladly accepted them to his parish. Already in 1949 approximately 70 to 80 families were ready to start their own parish under the leadership of Fr Dmytro Hnat. The first Parish council members were: Stephen Iwaskiw, Antin Sorokiwskyj, Jerry Iwanusiw, Fred Dmyterko, Cornelius Wreciona, Natalie Danyliw, Bill Hutor and Walter Yakymiw. A church building was established by Fr Stephen Chekhovsky in 1953. A brick church with the rectory attached was built in 1954.

St Volodymyr Parish had a resident priest until 1980. From 1980 to the present there has been one Ukrainian Catholic priest from the Edmonton Eparchy serving at both Ss Peter & Paul Parish and St Volodymyr Parish. For many years St Volodymyr Parish maintained the Julian (Old Style) calendar and at the turn of the century changed to the Gregorian calendar. In 2003 the parish celebrated its 50th anniversary with Bishop Lawrence Huculak, Eparch of Edmonton, and many faithful present.

In early 2010 the decision was made to reunify our community in Lethbridge as it had been from 1920 to 1953. On Sunday, May 16, 2010 our Eparch, Bishop David Motiuk, celebrated with all of the faithful in Lethbridge and many visitors, a Liturgy of Thanksgiving for the many years of service St Volodymyr Parish offered to the community and to the eparchy. As of September 1, 2010 our community in Lethbridge has be reunited under our original patronage of Ss Peter & Paul.

Priests that have served the parish: Fr Dmytro Hnat (1953-1955), Fr Richard Zuback (1955), Fr Nicholas Diadio (1956-1959), Fr Lubomyr Syvenky (1959-1980), Fr Paul Lysak (1980-1985), Fr Andrew Muzyka (1985-1989), Fr Richard Zuback (1989-1992), Fr Paul Lysak (1992-1998), Fr Mark Bayrock (1999-2008), Fr Gary Sedgwick (2008-2010).