Monuments to Faith


Book Description

Ukrainians first came to Canada a century ago, seeking a new life on the western prairies. They brought with them an ancient and rich cultural tradition, deeply rooted in Christianity. The most visible symbol of this tradition is the Ukrainian church with its distinctive cupolas. As soon as the settlers were established in the new land, they began to reshape their environment by building churches in the styles they remembered from their homeland. In this richly illustrated volume, the authors trace the continuity of tradition in achitecture, art, and community life from Ukraine to the parishes of the Manitoba prairie. In a detailed examination of the exteriors and interiors of forty-nine churches, the book establishes a typology of Ukrainian church designs. Biographies of the architects, master builders, and artists are included, along with a guide to the art and architecture of a Ukrainian church.










Mary's Miracles


Book Description

You don’t have to travel overseas to discover our Blessed Mother’s miraculous love for her children. Mary’s Miracles: A Traveler's Guide to Catholic America takes you to more than 50 Marian shrines, chapels, and statues, right here in the United States, each with a riveting story to tell. Stories about: The United States’ only Church-approved Marian apparition (Champion, Wisconsin) A family’s safe passage to America after invoking the intercession of the Star of the Sea, and the chapel they built in thanksgiving (Cheektowaga, New York) The Grotto, the fulfillment of a boyhood vow to build a “great work” for the Blessed Mother (Portland, Oregon) An old Spanish shrine to Our Lady of La Leche, the powerhouse of answered prayers for babies (St. Augustine, Florida) A priest who looked like Dean Martin, sang like Bing Crosby — and commissioned a statue as big as his love for Mary (Santa Clara, California) Written by the author of the blockbuster Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles (OSV, 2021), this book is another must-have for all Catholic travelers. Organized by region and state, Mary’s Miracles can help you easily plan your next vacation or pilgrimage and find Marian sites you haven’t yet discovered. Additional features include color photos, miracle stories, and an explanation of site-specific Marian titles and devotions. Websites, phone numbers, addresses, and other information are included to help you plan your visit.




Legacy of Worship


Book Description

This highly-anticipated companion volume to the best-selling Legacy of Stone: Saskatchewan's Stone Buildings combines brilliant colour images of the buildings people worship in with the fascinating stories of those places and people. Legacy of Worship profiles over 60 rural churches, representing 15 spiritual denominations. The writer/photographer team that brought you the award-winning Legacy of Stone has scoured the province for sacred places that illustrate the finest of Saskatchewan’s art and design. Rural religious gathering places often display the work of folk artists and craftspeople, as well as that of professional artists and architects; they are the last repository of primitive art and such crafts as weaving, metal-smithing, needlework and furniture making. This book presents sacred places that illustrate how beauty in any form inspires and nurtures the soul. They demonstrate the universal, eternal need for art and beauty, and the importance of valuing and protecting the religious heritage so important to our identity and our proud place in Canada.




Ukrainian Ritual on the Prairies


Book Description

While Canada is home to one of the largest Ukrainian diasporas in the world, little is known about the life and culture of Ukrainians living in the country’s rural areas and their impact on Canadian traditions. Drawing on more than ten years of interviews and fieldwork, Ukrainian Ritual on the Prairies describes the culture of Ukrainian Canadians living in the prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Despite powerful pressure to assimilate, these Ukrainians have managed both to preserve their sense of themselves as Ukrainian and to develop a culture sensitive to the realities of prairie life, creating their own uniquely Ukrainian Canadian traditions. The Ukrainian church, an iconic though now rapidly disappearing feature of the prairie landscape, takes centre stage as an instrument for the retention of Ukrainian identity and the development of a new culture. Natalie Kononenko explores the cultural elements of Ukrainian Canadian ritual practice, with an emphasis on family traditions surrounding marriage, birth, death, and religious holidays. Ukrainian Ritual on the Prairies gives voice to a group of everyday people who are too often overlooked, highlighting their accomplishments and their contributions to Canadian life.







The Many Rooms of this House


Book Description

Places of worship are the true building blocks of communities where people of various genders, age, and class interact with each other on a regular basis. These places are also rallying points for immigrants, helping them make the transition to a new, and often hostile environment. The Many Rooms of this House is a story about the rise and decline of religion in Toronto over the past 160 years. Unlike other studies that concentrate on specific denominations, or ecclesiastical politics, Roberto Perin’s ecumenical approach focuses on the physical places of worship and the local clergy and congregants that gather there. Perin’s timely and nuanced analysis reveals how the growing wealth of the city stimulated congregations to compete with one another over the size, style, materials, and decoration of their places of worship. However, the rise of individualism has negatively affected these same congregations leading to multiple church closings, communal breakdown, and redevelopments. Perin’s fascinating work is a lens to understanding how this once overwhelmingly Protestant city became a symbol of diversity.




Hlus' Church


Book Description

Buczacz (also spelled Buchach) is an area near the town of Innisfree, Alberta.