Parish: Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Location: Lac la Biche (Craigend), Alberta
ASCENSION Parish – Парафія Вознесіння Господнього
LAKE BELLEVIEW Mission
Missions in Lake Eliza and Lake Belleview were established at the same time around the years 1917-1919 with a small chapel and a cemetery by Fr. Basil Ladyka and Fr. N аucratius Kryzanowsky, both Basilian missionaries. The communist elements who arrived from the Drumheller district in 1918 started to destroy the peaceful cooperative spirit of the community. Some families did not follow the destructive elements of the TURF Dim (Ukrainian Communist Labour Association) and preserved their faith.
Fr. Ambrose Wynnyk, OSBM, started visiting the community in 1935 and provided services in the homes of I. Berezhansky, Tom Paley or W. Gil. In 1938 Mr. Berezhansky donated 2 acres of land for the church. In 1940 there were 54 children attending religion classes during the summer holidays.
LAKE ELIZA Mission
Location: 13 km. north-east of the Town of Myrnam. Ukrainian settlers started to arrive in 1912. First family of Nykolai Markovskyi arrived from Rusiv, Sniatyn Region, Ukraine. First Divine Liturgy was in the house of Mykola Markovskyi (originally from the village of Rusiv, Sniatyn district, Ukraine) on June 18 1917 and Fr. Basil Ladyka was the celebrant. After some years the congregation joined the Faithful in Lake Belleview.
Some Ukrainian Communist families moved into the community from Drumheller in 1918. Throwing slogans, like: We must organize ourselves, etc. they attracted the simple farmers and sold their own church as a barn to a farmer. Instead of a church they established a “TURF Dim” (Communist Party hall).
LAKE GENEVA Mission
This colony is located 16 km. from the Town of Mannville. All the people (30 families) living in the neighborhood are from Ukraine: N. Natsiuk, K. Dziubatyi, W. Stoyko, P. Shalagan, J. Karol, H. Korylo, B. Yasinskyi, I. Symyniuk, W. Pylyp, S. Hryniw, A. Stratiy, T. Storozhenko, N. Gurash, S. Zaborovskyi, S. and P. Poliakivski, I. Pylyp, M. Gulinivski, etc.
The first service was celebrated in 1937 by Fr. Ambrose Wynnyk in the Bloomington School. In 1940 the Parish purchased 3 acres of land for a church and cemetery.
