Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Polish Church | Orolow, SK

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church was built in 1909 and used until 1985. We have visited this church a few times over the years. On our latest visit in 2017 we met a couple of women who were part of a group that was restoring the church. The church had a new roof since our last visit, you will see it in our photos but we aren’t sure how much further they got before it was sadly burned down in 2021. The fire was likely arson as it was in line with other churches being burned around the country.

The first Catholic settlers, of Polish and Ukrainian descent, who built the first Catholic church in the district of Orolow, had arrived in Canada in 1903 and settled in Fish Creek. There was a good number of Polish and Ukrainian settlers at Fish Creek who came mostly from the Sokal district in Poland, which at the time was part of Austria/Hungry. In Fish Creek there was a church already built and the oblate Fathers looked after the spiritual needs of the Métis and the new immigrants of the area.

In 1903, these newcomers moved in search of homesteads west of Petrofka, in what was rereferred at the time as the Great Deer Postal distract. This was later to become the Orolow, District. The Father from Fish Creek came occasionally to the settlers to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in one of the homes. In 1909, the settlers decided to build a church. The church was built in 1909/19010 by the Polish and Ukrainian Catholics.

In time, new arrivals kept taking up homesteads north of Orolow. This led to the original of parishes of St. Michael at Krydor, Holy Ghost at Albertown, St. Joseph at Alticane and St. Anthony at Redfied. St. Michael church soon became known as the Parish Church because the priest resided there. The other churches were rereferred to as missionaries. Mass was said once a moth at each of the churches. In 1941, the parishioners of Holy Trinity added an extension to the front main entrance of the original church. This included a new and bigger steeple.

Information shared with me by Sean @ prairieiconhouses

Sadly, in 2021it was burned down, likely arson. News article from when the church burned down:

https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/former-catholic-church-in-rural-sask-destroyed-in-fire-1.5502392