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Joined: Aug 2005
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St. Demetro UCC parish from Hilliard Alberta is now gone. Historic rural church burns
Trish Audette
edmonton journal.com
Monday, July 30, 2007
EDMONTON - Hours after their historic church was destroyed by fire Sunday, Hilliard residents visited the site to acknowledge their loss.
St. Demetro Ukrainian Catholic Church, north of the hamlet on Range Road 173, was where many celebrated their first communions, their own baptisms and their children's baptisms.
"We got married there in '51," said Joe Lucyk.
He and his wife also received 25th and 50th wedding anniversary blessings at the small church.
"It was a beautiful church," Lucyk said. "It was built a long, long time ago."
Fire officials with the nearby town of Mundare could not be reached for comment Sunday night.
But people in Hilliard believe the fire was touched off by a lightning strike to the church steeple after midnight.
"It's got to be lightning," Lucyk said, because it is believed the fire started at the top of the building.
"Nobody's going to climb on the roof and start a fire."
Residents said the fire smouldered slowly before neighbours noticed the smoke at about 7 a.m.
By the time fire crews arrived at about 8 a.m., the building was fully engulfed in flames. It burned to the ground.
The church had taken about 10 years for the first Ukrainian settlers in the area to build. They finished in the late 1920s.
"Everybody built it, it was built from no money, (and) everybody contributed," said Elsie Mochnach.
"Everybody's so touched, so heartbroken. It was a landmark. We took it hard. We went three times today to see it."
Lamont County touts itself as North America's church capital, with 47 churches to visit, including St. Demetro.
The church was built in the classic Byzantine style.
It no longer had a resident minister, but mass was held there once a month in English and Ukrainian.
Mochnach said it could hold up to 120 people, and the pews were filled each month.
"It was a church for old-timers," Lucyk said.
"Everybody's hit hard. The guy that looked after the church, he's still in shock."
The church caretaker and president declined comment Sunday night.
Hilliard is 70 kilometres east of Edmonton.
http://taudette@thejournal.canwest.com A picture of this church (still standing) can be found at: http://www.edmontoneparchy.com/contact%20info_Borshchiw.htm
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Joined: Jun 2006
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The church ... no longer had a resident minister, but mass was held there once a month in English and Ukrainian.
Excuse me? What would a Greek-Catholic Church be doing with a minister, resident or otherwise? Do they perhaps mean a cabinet minister? Fr. Serge
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Grateful Member
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Lord have mercy !
So, are they going to rebuild ?
-- John
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Joined: Jun 2006
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As it is written , that the liturgy was held only once a month
it looks that not many ukrainian catholics live in this region
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