Parish built on welcoming spirit

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2017 (3409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Perhaps you have passed by and wondered at the grand building at 1001 Grant Ave. It certainly stands out from the other buildings surrounding it.

The striking, contemporary looking Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church was built in 1963. Its priest has only been here a short while, but the parish’s history dates back to 1932.

Father John Mostivsky, 60, who started at the parish last year, was born in Ukraine and speaks 10 languages. He has been a priest for 32 years, he says, and served for 18 years at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in St. Boniface before moving to Holy Family.

“There are about 160 families in this parish with lots of children and young families,” Mostivsky says. The church welcomes all nationalities. “We are not all Ukrainian. We are inviting all people who are looking for finding meaning and purpose here on Earth and where we are going after our physical death. Jesus Christ is love and He will show you everything.”

Many Ukrainian families settled in the Fort Rouge neighbourhood in the early 1900s. But there was no Ukrainian Catholic church nearby and few families owned a car. After holding services in the Kobzar Hall on Lilac Street and Lorette Avenue from 1932 to 1935, and after much fundraising, a wood-frame church with three domes was built on property near the hall in 1935.

By 1960, the parish was in need of a larger church and a new fundraising campaign began. Radoslav Zuk was the architect hired to come up with a modern design that would appeal to young families. The beautiful and contemporary building with the three large arched towers was the result.

Walter Dubowec, a parishioner who had been a member since childhood, recalled at the church’s 75th anniversary that “all agreed the design was unique and absolutely stunning.” The new church would seat more than 300.

Today, people come to Holy Family from all around Winnipeg, Mostivsky says, looking out toward the three modernistic blue and gold mosaics in the altar area created by Winnipeg artist Roman Kowal. One is of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the Holy Family and one is of the Resurrection, he explains.

“Church is people,” Mostivsky says. “Without people, it’s only a building. It is a hospital for spiritual and emotional healing. We come here to heal our internal wounds. We have excellent dresses, cars, etc., but what is going on inside? Church helps us to balance our lives, internally and externally.”

The church welcomes tours. Call 204-453-4653.

 

If there is a place of worship you’d like to see featured, email girard.cheryl@gmail.com. 

 

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