Our History
Nine decades of faith, heritage, and service — from prairie parishes to a nationwide brotherhood.
A brotherhood born of the prairie parish
The first great wave of Ukrainian settlers reached the Canadian prairies at the turn of the twentieth century, carrying with them the faith of the Eastern Rite and a deep devotion to the Church. In parish halls and modest wooden churches across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, lay men gathered to sustain their clergy, teach the young, and hold their communities together far from the homeland.
Out of these local societies the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada was formally organized in 1932 — uniting scattered parish groups into a single national body devoted to faith, family, and the preservation of a sacred heritage.
A journey through the decades
The first settlers
Ukrainian pioneers establish parishes of the Eastern Rite across the Canadian prairies.
A Canadian eparchy
The Ukrainian Catholic Church is given its own hierarchy in Canada, anchoring parish life nationwide.
The Brotherhood is founded
Scattered lay societies unite as the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada, devoted to faith and heritage.
Cathedrals rise
Landmark churches such as St. Josaphat in Edmonton are consecrated, becoming centres of community life.
A national voice
Annual conventions, scholarships, and charitable works expand the Brotherhood’s reach across the country.
Faith for a new generation
Branches from coast to coast preserve the heritage while serving parishes, newcomers, and youth.
Carrying the heritage forward
From those first parish societies, the Brotherhood has grown into a nationwide fellowship of branches serving communities from the Pacific coast to Quebec. Its members support seminarians, preserve historic churches, fund scholarships, and stand with newcomers to Canada — living out the same devotion that moved the founders more than ninety years ago.
Today the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada remains what it has always been: a bridge between the faith of our grandfathers and the future of our children, and a witness to the enduring bond between Catholic tradition and Canadian civic life.