The memory of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church will live on even as it disappears from the site it has inhabited for almost a century at Lumni.
The last service held at the Lumni Church in the Ghost Pine area east of Three Hills was in 2009. Last week, a crew was on site dismantling the church and preparing the steeple to be saved and installed at the Lumni Cemetary.
The community of Lumni sprung up as several Slovak immigrants made the area its home, and the first church services were held in the homes of some of those families. That was until the school was built in 1914.
Quicky, the Parish of St.Theresa’s was formed by these early pioneers. John Hugo Sr. donated a one-acre parcel in 1928, and building commenced. Some of the families that were instrumental in the construction were the Hugos, Nakaskas, Stipkalas, Kanderkas and the Kubinecs.
Parish volunteers began hauling gravel and building material to the site. Plans were drawn up by the McFee Lumber Yard and carpenter Frank McCallum, who was the only paid worker.
They constructed the church with a full basement that could be utilized during the construction. By 1929, the upstairs to the church, which could accommodate up to 200 people, was complete. The first mass was held in December 1929, and on Sunday, June 1, 1930, the church was blessed by Archbishop O’Leary of Edmonton.
Father J.R. O’Neill was the parish priest from 1928-1931. It was a mission church, so he travelled from Three Hills.The first couple married in the church were Cecilla Kanderka and Steve Malaka in 1932. Among the first children baptized were John Jugo, Anne Muchka, Irene Kavalik and Zita Pavlik.
The church has endured, and the families continue to contribute to keep it up. The Lumni School, which was part of the Drumheller School Division, burned down in 1939, however, the school bell survived. It was purchased by the church and has hung in the steeple since.
They also took care of the cemetery. Joe Nakaska Sr. organized work crews to dig graves, and Mike Riley continued this until 1959 when they utilized a backhoe.
In 1978, the Parish Council moved to allow the MD of Kneehill to take care and control of the cemetery.
A regular mass schedule was maintained until 1995 when there was a shortage of priests, and mass could only be held once every two weeks in 1999, Lumni and Three Hills were amalgamated with St. Anne of the Prairies in Trochu, and for the next 10 years, the church was able to serve for about three or four masses a year, as well as other celebrations.
The church was deconsecrated in about 2015.
The church is about a mile from Harold King’s place, and as a youngster, he went to Lumni School.
He tells the Mail they have removed the steeple. The plans are to reshingle and refurbish it and install it in the Lumni Cemetary.
The Three Hills Museum is taking some of the trim and floorboards. He says the project is being undertaken by Greg Frolek and members of the Catholic community.
“I’m the only Protestant around there, but I went to the school,” chuckles King. “I used to kid the other students. The priest used to come for catechism at the school, and he used to bring me a chocolate bar, but not any of the other kids.”
He adds the land that was donated in 1928 by the Hugo family is being returned to the family.
Frolek’s marriage was the last one in the church in 1985.
He said the steeple is in surprisingly good shape, with some of the original shingles.
“We’re going to reshingle it and do a little bit of work to it and then set it on a cement pad. Hopefully, it will remain there for somebody else to appreciate."