| Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
 Saint Sava Church, pictured in 2018 | |
 Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church | |
| Location | 580 Talbot Avenue Winnipeg,Manitoba R2L 0R6 |
| Denomination | Serbian Orthodox |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1997 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Philip Ruh[1] |
| Architectural type | Serbo-Byzantine Revival |
| Years built | 1948–1952 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Canada |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor | Fr. Georgije Tubonjić |
Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian: Српска православна црква Светог Саве) is aSerbian Orthodox church located in the Talbot-Grey neighbourhood ofElmwood inWinnipeg,Manitoba.
It is notable for being the only Serbian Orthodox church in Manitoba.[2]
At the turn of the 20th century the Royal government of theKingdom of Serbia took an interest in the Serbiandiaspora. During the height of theGreat War,Helen Losanitch Frothingham who at the behest of the Serbian government came to visit theCanadian Prairies while on her way toVancouver andVictoria.[3] She stayed a few days at the Royal Alexander Hotel inWinnipeg. Winnipeg Serbs attended the lecture given by Losanitch-Frothingham about the conditions in war-torn Serbia and neighboring lands where Serbs were subjected to conscription in the military of the non-British Allied nations. After the talk, the Serbian anthem was played and a collection for Serbian Relief was taken. Later, in her diary, she wrote about leaving "Winnipeg Monday evening" by train and reaching "Toronto at 4 P.M. Wednesday", a long two-night journey and more.[3]
Another Serbian speaker, retired diplomatČedomilj Mijatović accompanied by one of the most famous Britishsuffragettes,Emmeline Pankhurst visited theUnited States of America andCanada, particularly theCanadian Prairies andBritish Columbia. With such a well-known person, crowds came to Mijatović's lectures and enabled him to have well-attended lectures and to give interviews to the leading dailies.[4] The dire situation in theBalkans spurred recruitment of Canadian doctors for civilian practice in Serbia while local doctors served in the Serbian Army.[5]
Some fifty Serbian families lived in Winnipeg and neighboringSt. Boniface at the outbreak ofWorld War I,[6] though not many in number but just as significant as any ethnic pioneer community in the Canadian West at the time.
From 1920 to the start of theSecond World War, Serbian immigrants began to arrive from the breakup ofAustrian Empire (Hungary, Bosnia, Romania) andOttoman Empire (Kosovo, Macedonia) in an increasing number that would slowly swell the Winnipeg Serbian population.
The next big wave of immigrants came after the war with the arrival of Serbianémigrés who fought under GeneralDragoljub Mihailovich to the Dominion of Canada. Attracting them to Winnipeg was a branch of theSerbian National Defense Council in existence since its fledgling beginnings. Although they were in a national political sense united, they desired to have a religious organization.
In all the years afterWorld War II, the Serbs of Winnipeg would ask a Russian priest to officiate in a rented, old woodenEastern Orthodox Church inSt. Boniface, the Indian andMetis suburb of Winnipeg. When the heritage building was sold, the Serbian community bought a Church building from thePresbyterians in 1967 even though they were without a parish priest. No improvements occurred untilBishop Sava (Vuković), on his way to Vancouver, accompanied by Rev, Vladimir Milinković and Protodeacon Dr. Nedeljko Grgurević visited the small community. Bishop Sava held a meeting with the local Serbs regarding the formation of a Church-School Congregation and Parish. Father Bogdan Zjalić visited Winnipeg on 18 March 1972 and upon his suggestion, the community center was transformed into a Church-School Congregation. Rev. Zjalić sent a membership list with a petition for the formation of a Church School Congregation and Parish to Bishop Sava (Vuković) for approval. The Church in Winnipeg was consecrated by Bishop Sava onPalm Sunday 1974 and Rev. Srboljub Jocković was appointed parish priest. later, the parish bought a building at Atlantic Avenue and adapted it into a Church. In addition to Father Srboljub Jocković, the following priests served in the parish: Živorad Gavrilović, Syngelos Nikodim Pribojan, Božo Bakajlić, Živorad Subotić, Vitomir Kostić, Slavisa Lekić, Mališa Milovanović.
During the start of the breakup of the formerYugoslavia, difficult times were endured by the Serbs inWinnipeg[7] as well as the communities across the country. There were curious happenings, incidents when humanitarian aid was not directed towards humans from fear of taking sides.[8] Yet everything imaginable was endured, forgotten, and forgiven according to the teachings of theSerbian Orthodox Church.
49°54′20″N97°05′56″W / 49.90553°N 97.09894°W /49.90553; -97.09894
