A piece of Meadow Lake’s history is no more. Parishioners at All Saints Orthodox Church and community members as a whole were both shocked and saddened to awaken last Thursday (Oct. 1) to discover the nearly 70-year-old place of worship had burned to the ground during the early morning hours. “It is with tremendous sorrow we inform you all our beloved All Saints parish burned in a fire last night,” read a statement on the church’s Facebook page. “No one was hurt, for which we are immensely thankful. While our sure hope in Christ is not confined to any structure, we still mourn the loss of our beautiful hall, its many icons and the years of care that were lovingly poured into the sacred space… Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.”
In an interview conducted that morning, parishioner Kent Vidal described the situation as “shocking.” “You see stories like this and don’t think it will happen to your community,” Vidal told Northern Pride. “I’m so grateful no one was hurt, but mourning the lost icons that are nearly irreplaceable. The parish was so beautiful despite its age and it’s just a horrible shame to have to accept. Our hope goes beyond the walls of the building, so while I’m grieving now, I’m grateful God’s peace extends well beyond any four walls.”
According to information provided by the Archdiocese of Canada, the church building itself was constructed in 1957 with the parish officially founding its community in 1958. Meanwhile, the structural layout of the building carried deep historical roots. Petro Krasicki, a self-taught master carpenter who immigrated from Ukraine, served as the head carpenter alongside a local crew. To build the structure, Krasicki and his team utilized blueprints borrowed from an Orthodox church in North Battleford, scaling down the dimensions to fit the Meadow Lake site. Designing and constructing the traditional Eastern European banyas (onion domes) required highly specialized skills. A dedicated craftsman was brought in from Winnipeg specifically to build the domes and mount them to the roof. Winnipeg was also the sourcing origin for the interior iconography that decorated the church. The parish operated independently for several decades before being formally received into the OCA’s Archdiocese of Canada in 2008. All Saints was also distinct for holding its liturgical services entirely in English. And, In 2019, the parish celebrated a local milestone during the Feast of Theophany, during which parishioners gathered outside to perform the “Great Blessing of Water” over the Meadow River—marking the first time the local river system had ever been traditionally blessed by the church. “We don’t have a huge group supporting the church, so some of us would chip in to help run services and maintain the place in the absence of a full-time priest,” Vidal added.
As of this week’s news deadline, the fire remained under investigation. “We were called shortly after 2 a.m.,” noted Meadow Lake RCMP S/Sgt. Dean Kabaroff. “The fire department will be doing its investigation and we are in the preliminary stages of our investigation, but would encourage the public to come forward with any information. I don’t have anything to add at the moment other than the Saskatchewan Fire Examiner and the Meadow Lake Fire Department are still investigating. Hopefully we will know more in the next few days.” This was echoed by Meadow Lake fire chief Joe Grela. “We were dispatched at 2:02 a.m.,” Grela said. “There were 12 fire fighters on scene. We had two engines on scene for about five hours and one unit on scene for seven hours monitoring hot spots. The cause is under investigation and a provincial fire investigator was also called in.”
Among those deeply impacted by the fire is local resident Paul Szpakowski who serves as church president and long-time caretaker. Szpakowski spoke with the CBC recently, noting how devastating it was to learn his beloved church had been destroyed. “I cried like a baby,” Szpakowski said. “It’s almost like losing a family member… It’s so much of your life. Just totally devastating… You almost want to give your left arm for your church.” Szpakowski went on to note, when he received the phone call informing him of the fire, he initially thought it was a cruel joke. “You can’t even explain it,” he said. “I got married there. My children, my two daughters were baptized there. My grandchildren got baptized there. And, my mother and dad got buried there. Church, in our family, was number one. I know it’s only a building made out of wood, stone and concrete, but it’s what went on inside it that’s very deep.” Szpakowski also estimates the cost to rebuild the church would be between $2 million and $2.5 million. Most of which he believes would be covered by insurance. “I was told today, ‘well, we can rebuild another building,’” he said. “That’s true, but the meaning behind this thing, all the memories in there and all the pictures of all the different things including the sod-turning, which I don’t even remember… there were pictures on the basement wall that all perished… I made sure my treasurer paid for the insurance, so I’m looking forward to rebuilding it. I need to have a place to get buried in.”
Community members also reacted strongly to the fire, many turning to social media to offer messages of hope. “What a sad loss for our community,” Judy Pigott wrote via social media. “There are many different comments on social media representing many opinions. I just want to clarify the Orthodox Church is the oldest Christian church. It is a church built on the Lord’s disciples teachings. It’s not just a building. It’s a place of worship, a place of forgiveness, a place of refuge, security, hope, love, happiness, healing, connection, a fresh start, It’s not just a building. When I see the icons of many martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Christianity, St. Mary’s tears when she endured the grief of her only son’s pain and suffering and the crucifixion of our Lord, these icons are not for decor. These icons teach perseverance, give us strength in our lives, hope and help us to forgive others and ourselves. It’s not just a a building. May the Lord bless its congregation, give them strength, perseverance and bless all your memories you created in this beautiful church. I believe the Lord will bless you in rebuilding and creating more memories… May the Lord have mercy on us all.”
More words of support were shared by Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake MP Rosemarie Falk. “Heartbroken to see the devastating loss of All Saints Orthodox Church in Meadow Lake,” Falk noted. “My thoughts are with the parishioners and the entire church community. This is a place of faith, fellowship and tradition that has served the community for generations. We have seen too many churches across Canada damaged or destroyed by fire in recent years. While the cause of this fire remains under investigation, every place of worship should be a place where people can gather and worship without fear.”
Last week’s fire occurred a little more than two years after a similar incident in the Village of Loon Lake. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2024, Loon Lake RCMP responded to reports of a fire at a church on the community’s main street. When officers arrived, the structure – St. George’s Anglican Church – was fully engulfed. Meanwhile, other churches in Meadow Lake have also been reaching out to offer a helping hand including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which offered the All Saints congregation use its church building to conduct its services. “I reached out to them Friday (Oct. 2) to see whether or not that would work for them,” confirmed Andrew Spencer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “One of our congregations in Cherry Grove had their church burn down a few years ago and local people helped them out at that point. We want to extend that same courtesy to local congregations here in town.”
However, the All Saints Facebook page did later indicate a gathering was scheduled for this past Sunday (Oct. 4) from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in the Meadow Lake Co-op Centre. The gathering featured a potluck brunch as well as some readings. “It will be good to meet in spite of the loss of our regular meeting place,” the post read. “We are also seeking photo and video submissions of All Saints to establish a catalogue of media to commemorate our former building.