By Clara Hittel (Ollenberger)

Photos by Carol Sieben

Pilgrims once again gathered on the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua June 13 at the historic church named in the beloved saint’s honour, for the annual Grosswerder pilgrimage, thanking God for many blessings and for the rain.

Honouring those who built the church in 1912 and those who attended it throughout the generations, the annual pilgrimage again included a procession from the St. Anthony cemetery, to the historic church, which was closed in 1982.

Volunteers in the area continue to maintain the cemetery site and church building in the western part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.

Celebrant for the Eucharist this year was Fr. Edward Gibney, pastor at St. Gabriel, Biggar and Our Lady of Fatima, Landis.

Concelebrants were Fr. Santhosh Thekkekulam, VC, pastor at St. Mary Parish, Macklin, Sacred Heart Parish, Denzil, and St. Donatus Parish, Cactus Lake; Fr. Rinesh Menambadath Chacko, VC, pastor at St. James Parish, Wilkie, St. Mary (Our Lady of the Assumption) Parish, Handel, and St. Paschal Parish, Leipzig; and Fr. Christopher Selvaraj Rayappan, SAC, pastor at St. Mary Parish, Provost, AB, and Corpus Christi, Consort, AB.

More information about pilgrimages – LINK

Blumenfeld Pilgrimage held June 8 – LINK

Grosswerder is one of the Jubilee 2025 sacred sites identified by Bishop Mark Hagemoen where visitors who fulfill the conditions laid out in Catholic teaching can obtain a Jubilee Indulgence this year.

History of the Grosswerder Pilgrimage

By Nadine Hewkko (2019)

This annual celebration has been around since 1907 when the settlers arrived. These were brave souls who left their homes in southern Russia and immigrated to Grosswerder, Saskatchewan. These pioneers were part of a larger group known as the St. Joseph’s colonists who settled in the area from Leipzig, through Tramping Lake, to Grosswerder and across to the Alberta border.

This particular district of the St. Joseph Colony was named Grosswerder after the home village in southern Russia of some of the settlers. The families in the area were devout Roman Catholics who gathered in their homes to pray. As they wished to have a church to worship in, they built a small, sod church and named it St. Anthony after the patron saint of settlers from another village.

The men hauled poplar poles from Sounding Lake with their wagons and oxen to build the roof. This was covered with sod and leaked when it rained. A lumber addition to the building was built, but that also became too small. The people realized they needed a proper church so they applied to their bishop for help. At that time this area was part of the Prince Albert diocese. With a loan from the bishop and many sacrifices on the part of the parishioners, enough money was raised to build.

On July 10, 1912, the cornerstone of the new church building was laid. Max Kasberger was the chief carpenter. St. Anthony’s was built by volunteers who walked many miles from their homes to help with the construction.

The church was officially consecrated on Nov. 13, 1912. It still needed interior work, but Mass could be celebrated. Three bells were ordered from the Bell Foundry of Fritz Hamm in Germany in 1913 and were hung on a stand for display until 1915 when they were raised with horses and pulleys up into the bell tower, firmly attached and covered with the steeple. Their special sound could be heard for over two miles.

The church became the centre of the district, with a rectory built for the priest. The first parish priest was Fr. Palm after whom the school was named. The school was moved closer to the church and a teacherage provided for the teachers. This beautiful church served the district for 70 years until 1982, when it was closed due to a shortage of priests. The parishioners then chose between attending Sacred Heart Church at Denzil or St. Mary Church in Macklin. But the people of St. Anthony Parish wanted to keep alive the memory of those early settlers who brought the faith here with them.

The St. Anthony Historical Committee was formed in 1982 and in 1983 St. Anthony Church was designated as Municipal  Heritage Property by the Rural Municipality of Eye Hill.

It was decided to hold an annual Mass in memory of the pioneers and in honour of St. Anthony, our patron saint on June 13 if possible, or a date closest to that day. Local men and women work hard to clean and prepare for this celebration.

On August 11, 2001, a fierce hailstorm ripped through this district breaking many windows in the church as well as in homes in the area. The church windows were promptly repaired but it was realized that more work needed to be done.

A committee under the head of Clara Ollenberger with help from Naden Hewko applied for a grant under the Saskatchewan Heritage Program. This had to be matched so they launched a huge fundraising campaign. Work under Zak’s Building Supplies and Contractor from Hague began. With advice and help from Dennis Sieben the restoration was completed in 2006.

In July 2007, the extended community of St. Anthony’s celebrated 100 years of faith with an afternoon Mass. This was followed by an outdoor program. Holding the annual St. Anthony’s Mass continues to be a priority.

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