Description of Historic Place

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Municipal Heritage Property located approximately 6.5 kilometres north of the Hamlet of Wishart in the Rural Municipality of Emerald No. 277. Situated on 1.5 hectares of grounds, the property features a cemetery and a one-storey, log church clad in wood siding, built in 1909-1910.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Our Lady of Perpetual Help lies in its association with Polish settlement in the area. The first Polish settlers arrived in the area in 1906, eager to continue their religious practices in their new home. Initially, there were not enough Polish families to build their own church, so they decided to cooperate with the few Ukrainian families in the vicinity to build a common church. As more Polish and Ukrainian families settled in the area, it was decided that each group would construct their own church. In 1909, construction began on Our Lady of Perpetual Help. By 1917, the needs of the Polish congregation outgrew this building and another church was built next to it. By the 1950s, settlement had shifted southward toward the Village of Wishart and the 1917 church was dismantled and the material used to construct a new church in Wishart. While weekly services have ceased, an annual service is held in the church and the cemetery is still used making the property a local landmark.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Emerald No. 277 Bylaw 6/2004.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Our Lady of Perpetual Help resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that speak to the property's connection to Polish settlers, including the Cyrillic characters used on many of the grave markers and the commemorative plaques on the gate and the interior of the church;
-those elements that speak to the use of the property as a place of worship, such as the cross on top of the church, the large religious painting in the interior of the church, the stained glass, the signage on the front gate, and the cemetery, including crosses and religious ornamentation used on many of the tombstones.