'We will rebuild': Fire destroys 118-year-old Orthodox church in eastern Alberta
A Romanian Orthodox church east of Edmonton burned nearly to the ground on Tuesday.
St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church was built and blessed in 1905 outside a Romanian settlement called Boian northwest of the community of Two Hills.
The Two Hills County fire department was called around 6 p.m. and asked for help from the RCMP a short time later.
Police are investigating but told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday it was too early to know whether the fire is suspicious.
At the end of July, the church was scheduled to host a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Romanians' arrival in Boian.
According to the church's website, St. Mary's was designated a provincial historic resource in 1976.
The Canadian Romanian Society of Alberta in a public statement said it was working "out a way for all of us to help and to rebuild the church in a timely fashion."
“My grandparents are buried here, my husband is buried here, we got married here, our nephews were baptized in this church," she told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.
She raised her daughter Wanda Lutyck-Neufeld in a home about five kilometres north of the church site.
“Driving up today, when I got to the highway and I’m looking over it's like you can't tell this spot exists anymore. You know what I mean, it's like there’s nothing there,” Lutyck-Neufeld tearfully told CTV News Edmonton.
She said seeing the photos of the fire was heartbreaking.
"When I saw the one of the church with the fire literally in the church. To me it almost defied belief like it’s burning internally, it’s devastating. I felt like it gutted me.”
Mircea Panciuk served as the priest at the church for 54 years.
He retired in March, and now lives in Montreal.
He had returned to the community on Tuesday for what was supposed to be a farewell dinner.
"I flew in yesterday and landed, got some phone calls right away. Yeah, very very shocked about what happened," he said.
"Already I've found a feeling of we will rebuild, we will continue what was left to us by these pioneers that came here."
The church plans to hold services outside in the interim.
Two Hills is about 140 kilometres east of Alberta's capital city.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.