Construction of this small church in Elma in the Rural Municipality of Whitemouth took place between 1909 and 1912, replacing an earlier Ukrainian church and cemetery built before the arrival of the railway in 1908. In 1921, the interior of the building’s dome and walls were painted with religious iconography and murals by Winnipeg artist Hnat Sych, whose work can be seen in churches throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and it was renewed by V. Pushka in 1955. The church still holds monthly services and maintains a small cemetery, the first burial in which occurred in 1909.
Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church (October 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Aerial view of Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church (June 2019)
Source: George Penner
Interior of Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church (July 2015)
Source: George Penner
Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery (October 2013)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87439, W95.90122
denoted by symbol on the map above
A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society, including a searchable online database available to members at the MGS Manitoba Name Index (MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites, revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages.
Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church Cemetery - Elma MB, Waymarking.
Ukrainian Catholic Churches of Winnipeg Archeparchy by Anna Maria Kowcz-Baran, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 1991.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Christian Cassidy, and George Penner, and Peter McLure.
Page revised: 4 February 2023
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