The Cathedral of St. George was completed in 1943, replacing an earlier structure purchased from St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Parish in 1917. This small building had originally been St. Paul’s Church. In 1918, it was moved to a site in Pleasant Hill and blessed by Blessed Bishop Nykyta Budka.

By 1939, the parish had outgrown this building, and construction of the present cathedral began. Fr. Philip Ruh, O.M.I., of Winnipeg, was commissioned to design the new church. The present building, made of brick and concrete, is dominated by a massive central dome surrounded by four smaller domes. It was blessed in 1957 by Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk and Bishop Andrew Roborecki.

The interior was lavishly decorated by local artist Theodore Baran, who worked on the cathedral from 1950 until 1968. Baran employed stylized motifs depicting the Holy Trinity, the Life of Christ, the Mother of God, and the Saints, using gold, green, blue, and other vibrant colours to create a striking interior. The building was named a cathedral in 1951.

Over the years, the Cathedral of St. George has been visited by many prominent and saintly figures. In 1972, Blessed Bishop Vasyl Velychkowsky celebrated a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy here. Every Patriarch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has visited this cathedral since Josyf Cardinal Slipyj’s visit in 1968.

The Cathedral of St. George stands today as a testament to the faith and devotion of its founders and community.

The information presented here is drawn in part from the work of Anna Maria Kowcz-Baran, Ukrainian Catholic Churches of Saskatchewan, published in 1977. This monumental historical survey is available for purchase at the Musée Ukraina Museum for $20.00.