1) The Basilian Fathers Museum is owned and operated by The Order of St. Basil the Great (short name: Basilian Fathers).The museum was established in 1953 with the goal of preserving the history of the Basilian Fathers as well as the culture and religion of the Ukrainian people who settled in the Beaver Lake‒ Mundare area. The museum first opened in the two-storey building behind the present church; the current facility was built in 1990 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Ukrainian settlers in Canada. The exterior and interior design of the museum combines ecclesiastical and folk architecture. The central arches and the high vaulted ceilings are modeled after churches, while the thatched roof-like wings are typical of Ukrainian folk architecture.
2) The Pioneer Chapel (also known as the first Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church) was built in 1904 on the original Basilian homestead‒farm, two miles east of Mundare Junction on Highway 16. The chapel was used until 1910, when the second Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church was built in the village of Mundare. The chapel was moved to the present site beside the museum in 1984. Only the altar is original. The decorative candle holders are from St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hilliard, AB. (Open to the public during the summer; contact the museum for viewing.)
In 2011, Parks Canada recognized the arrival of the Basilian Fathers as being of national historic and cultural significance. A bronze marker highlighting the significance of the Basilian Order in Canada is located in front of the chapel.
3) The current Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church was built in 1968. The church contains a beautiful series of frescoes by the Ukrainian iconographer Mykola Denysenko; stained glass windows from the Franz Mayer & Co. studio in Munich, Germany; a chandelier imported from Greece; and a much venerated icon of the Mother of God of Pochaiv, a reproduction painted by the Italian artist, De Filippi. (Contact the museum for viewing.)
Several markers are located around the church:
On the front lawn is a monument honouring the early Basilian missionaries in Canada: Fr. Platonides Filas, Fr. Sozont Dydyk, and Fr. Naucratius Kryzanowsky. The names of the other Basilian Fathers and lay brothers who came to Canada as missionaries (1902‒1939) are inscribed on the six-foot granite pedestal.
The church bell tower was erected in 1969. The bells are dedicated (from top to bottom) to: St. Nicholas, St. Paul, St. Peter, and the Virgin Mary.
The corner stone stands on the location of the altar in the second Sts. Peter and Paul Church.
4) As in Ukraine, the Basilian Fathers in Canada had their own Printing Press to assist them in their religious and cultural work. In 1938, a building was constructed to house the press, where those Basilian Fathers and lay brothers trained in the printing trade began to publish books, newspapers, and pamphlets in Ukrainian. In 1949, the press was moved to Toronto, where it still operates today. (Not open to the public.)
5) Opened on August 23, 1923, the Basilian Fathers Monastery was built in Mundare to serve as the order’s Novitiate in Canada. The monastery, a two-storey brick structure, was designed by Fr. Phillip Ruh, O.M.I. Fr. Ruh served as a missionary among the Ukrainian settlers and became well known for building Ukrainian churches across Canada. In its’ early years, the monastery was the central motherhouse for Basilian clergy, who ministered not only in Alberta but also in the rest of Canada and the United States. (Not open to the public.)
6) A Grotto (north of the monastery) was completed in 1933. Constructed by hand under the direction of Fr. Porfirius Bodnar, the shrine resembles Mount Calvary, the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. A series of the fourteen Stations of the Cross leads to the summit of the grotto where, in 1938, a 50-foot metal cross was erected to mark the 950th anniversary of the baptism of Ukraine. When illuminated at night, the cross can be seen for miles around. In conjunction with the feast of the local patrons, Sts. Peter and Paul, an outdoor Divine Liturgy is celebrated every year at the Grotto (on the last Sunday in June) with the participation of the bishop, local clergy, and hundreds of faithful.
7) Ukraina Park and Campground is a fully serviced campsite and recreation area maintained by the Town of Mundare. The park’s amenities include ball diamonds, shower facilities, a picnic shelter, and large firepits.
