They were moved in by last weekend as St. Vincent of Lerins Othodox Church congregation took up residence in their new home – the historic Third Avenue United Church of Saskatoon.

St. Vincent had been located on Avenue E but made the decision to move to a larger space that would accommodate the church’s programming and community use as well as give better access to public transportation.

Parish priest, Fr. Herman Fields, recognizes that many in the community will want to know about the intentions for this historic landmark. A number of projects are planned including:

• Finishing the repairs to the church roof, which has been leaking heavily for years
• Repairing water-damaged plaster throughout the facility
• Installing a new pipe system to replace the dated sump pump
• Fixing the kitchen ventilation and dishwasher
• Servicing the old elevator and boiler
• Removing some spruce trees to protect the stained glass windows
• Making the space suitable for an orthodox service

A key stipulation of the sale is that the Church’s heritage items, which include the organ, the ceiling acoustics, the stained glass windows, and the outer structure, cannot be altered without the owner first gaining permission from the City of Saskatoon – and St Vincent has no plans to make alterations to any of the heritage features.

The Third Avenue United Church was granted municipal heritage status in 2017 but is in a state of disrepair and hasn’t seen a service since 2018.