The Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society Inc. is planning to move the Brightstone St. Anthony Petchersky Ukrainian Catholic Church to the grounds at Halliday Park, beside the Lac du Bonnet District Museum. The Society wants to preserve this historic and structurally sound building! St. Anthony will become a home to demonstrate, teach, and celebrate Lac du Bonnet's Ukrainian heritage.

St. Anthony Petchersky Ukrainian Catholic Church was designed by Father Hewki and built in 1937. The Church was constructed with local milled lumber by Brightstone Ukrainian pioneers on one acre of land donated by John Stanko in the RM of Lac du Bonnet. This wooden structure has a unique octagonal tower with an onion dome, and original horizontal wood siding. The double entry doors, pointed windows, octagonal upper window, and pointed tower vents are unique to Ukrainian Church architecture.

The St. Anthony Petchersky congregation dwindled as the population aged and moved into Lac du Bonnet. In 1960, the Church building also moved to Lac du Bonnet onto McArthur Avenue, where it was used until deconsecration. In 1995, Carol Larson acquired the Church and moved it to PR 520, where it was repurposed as a quilting studio. Most recently, the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society completed Phase 1 of this preservation project by designating the Church as a Municipal Heritage Building.

The project is quite the undertaking with Phase 2 consisting of the physical movement of the Church. It requires a crane rental to remove the Church dome for transport and then again raise it up once the building has reached the Museum grounds. In addition, moving beams need to be installed, and pilot trucks are necessary to work with the Hydro crew to lift hydro lines. A telephone crew must drop the low hanging telephone lines, allowing the Church to journey towards its new location beside the Museum. Phase 3 involves construction of a continuous concrete footing to lower the church building onto.

In order to accomplish the second and third phases of this project, the Historical Society has asked for community support in fundraising $30,000. We are incredibly grateful to those who have supported this cause, and we are excited to share that we have raised $13,000 of our goal so far.

It is our hope that this vital project will honour the Ukrainian settlers who came to Lac du Bonnet in search of land and a better future for their families. Once St. Anthony Petchersky Ukrainian Catholic Church reaches its new home at Halliday Park, we look forward to celebrating Ukrainian language, religion, and culture within this historic building.

For more information, please visit our website at https://ldbhistorical.ca.