The Holy Rosary Church erected here on the southeast quarter of Section 34, Township 17, Range 3 (East of the Prime Merdian), in the R. M. of St. Andrews marks its centenary as 100 years passed since its building by the Polish pioneers of the area. This section of land was first homesteaded by Stefan Yurkowski (Jurkowski) and family. It is believed that Stefan donated a parcel of his Iand to be set aside for a church and adjoining cemetery. Census. Records show that he was here in 1901 and 1906. In 1911, however, this section of land was occupied by Fred Orlowski (Orlowsky) and his wife Annie Zawacki (Zawadski) he had married in 1909, Therefore, it becomes slightly unclear as to who had actually donated the land for the church.

Polish pioneers first began settling in the Pleasant Home district west of Winnipeg Beach starting in 1898.

On May 6, 1898, a Polish Oblate father and missionary arrived in Winnipeg and resided at St. Mary's Rectory. He first arrived in the Pleasant Home area in February 1899, and celebrated the first mass in the settlement and administered the first baptism. His second visit to the settlement was not until July 23rd of that year. Before a visit, he first notified a parishioner by Ietter of the date of his arrival by train at Teulon. The parishioner would then meet him at the station after walking the distance of twenty-odd miles from his home. Because the train arrived in the evening they would spend the night in Teulon before setting out to the settler homestead. In summer, they sloshed through swamps deep in water warding off swarms of mosquitoes. In winter, it was a tough trek through the snow. Roch Pawulski was the first Polish settler in the area responsible for picking up and transporting him about to hold masses at various settlements in the area for as much as two to three weeks. Masses were held in his three-room log home as it served at times the priest's headquarters.

Earliest masses were often held outdoors. A wooden cross once stood in a field on the ridge one mile north of this site which marked the spot where masses were held before a chapel was built.

Soon the Polish settlers and parishioners in the area felt a need to have their own chapel and would follow in the footsteps of their neighbours to the northeast who had already built their own in the Husavick area.

The Holy Rosary Chapel was built in 1908-1909. Many of the early Polish pioneers listed on the cairn erected on this site in 1999 were its original founders and builders. This little church that they built was dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

The Oblate fathers would serve this mission until about 1919 which was when diocesan priests from St. Mary's Cathedral would take over until 1924. Between 1924-1933 priests from Camp Morton were responsible for the mission chapel. From 1933 onward, the Holy Rosary Church would be served by resident priests from Winnipeg Beach.

Masses at the Holy Rosary Church were usually held once a month and occasionally on special occasions, Christmas Eve Mass being one of them.

During Pentecost Sunday, the mass ritual consisted of a procession around the church three times by the congregation. Richard Rogosky, grandson of Adolphand Frances, was one of the designated cross carriers to head this procession. 

Following Sunday mass, the priest would be invited for dinner to one of the parishioner's homes. Several parish families took turns bringing the priest home for dinner. They included: Nick and Michalina Swirski, Stefan and Nettie Srutwa, Andrew and Frances Srutwa, Peter and Anne Dendewich, and Tom and Margaret Srutwa to name a few.

For many years, Kasmir Adamiak served as the church caretaker. Along with his daughter Anne Dendewich and her husband Peter and their three children Rose, Phyllis and Ted they maintained the cemetery by cutting the grass and washed and cleaned the inside of the church, which included scraping the candle wax from off the church floors. Anne was responsible for washing the altar linens and shared job with Margaret Srutwa. Carol Poborsa was also another parishioner who helped in the cleaning of the Church.

Throughout the years many baptisms, holy communions, marriages and burials occurred in this church. The first recorded burial in the church cemetery was that of Mary Zawacki, wife of Paul Zawacki, in 1902. One of the earliest known baptismals at the Holy Rosary was that of Rose Ksiazek (Ksionzek) in 1914. The last known baptismal in the church was that of Larry Skwarek in 1953. The earliest known marriages at the church were that of Dmytro (Pat) Bilan and Tekla (Maggie) Rogowski in January of 1916 followed in May of that year by the marriage of Walczyan (Dan) Rogowski and Phyllis Zilinski. The last known marriage was that of Frank Poborsa and Carol Fence in 1944 and the last known burial service out of the church was that of Andrew Srutwa in 1960.

Holy Rosary Church closed sometime in the early 1960s. It is believed that Father Hubicz was responsible for having the altar and its contents removed from the church and some of the relics were brought to Our Lady Of the Lake Church in Winnipeg Beach. The whereabouts of the rest remains unknown. Later the church organ was also removed and was given to Nick Ruta by Nick Huminicki. All that remains of the original church furniture are a few foldable wooden chairs.

The Holy Rosary Church has never been a part of or under the care of the Archdiocese of Winnipeg or the parishes of Winnipeg Beach or Gimli. Its sole survival has rested entirely in the hands of an elected committee of people both past and present and annual paying members who have been responsible for the financial affairs and maintenance of the church and cemetery over all these years.

The Holy Rosary Church which may often be referred to as "The Forgotten Church on the Hill", will continue to live on in the hearts and memories of the living descendants whose ancestors played such an enormous role in the history and growth of this special little church so many years ago and who have now found their eternal rest here in the churchyard cemetery.

(Source: Parish History written by Marlene (Rogoski) Smith [Adapted])

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Established in 1901.

(Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society )

The Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church building was built in 1909 at this site in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews. A plaque dated 5 July 2009 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the church.

(Source: Manitoba Historical Society)

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Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD02-34-17-03-E1

In the Rural Municipality of St Andrews

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A part of the town's story, and those of its inhabitants, from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1999 is told in the volume "Beyond the Gates of Lower Fort Garry 1880-1981", especially starting on page 66, where an image is found and the mention is made of the fact this was a Polish congregation. A free digital version of this and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #0751), transcribed by a member or members in 1993 and updated in 2018. Also available to MGS members is a searchable online database named the "MGS Manitoba Name Index" (or MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication "Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites" (revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages).

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Additionally, the Ogniwo Polish Museum centralizes, curates and makes available extensive records from various groups related to the communities established by the families of Polish descent who settled lived in, died in, or contributed to the story of Manitoba.