Sophia and Kanistrat Welykholowa farmed in the Ukraine near the village of Clivestie. When Kanistrat was called into the military, he went to work for a rich family. With his wages he "paid off" the draft order and then immigrated to Canada with his wife in the early 1900's. They settled in the Canora area of Saskatchewan, one of the first Ukrainian block settlements with pioneers arriving as early as 1897.

In 1903, shortly after his arrival, Kanistrat, Tom Krawchuk and their neighbours, many from the village of Stowchin, Bukovina, began building a little log chapel. The land was probably donated by Tom Krawchuk and assistance was provided by Alex Boychuk, George Andrewchuk and Ted Stefiuk, amongst others. This church became known as the `Kaplechka' (or chapel in English). Since the congregation did not have an ordained minister, William Andrychuk served as the lay minister until the 1930`s.

In 1924, a new church was built a mile north because the Kaplechka was too small, the land was too low (causing water problems when digging graves) and the access road was very poor. Thereafter services were only held once a month at the Kaplechka.

Ted Bodnaryk was born two miles west of the church in 1902, a year before the Kaplechka was built. He knew the church as the "Ascension Church". On Nov. 11, 1924, he married Agnes Babuik in the little church. When interviewed in August, 1992, he described how the bride and groom usually came to the church separately for the wedding ceremony. During the ceremony, the bride wore a crown of willow twigs which he believed was probably still hanging on the wall of the little church. The young children wore flowers. After the wedding the bride and groom returned to their own separate homes and separate parties because the houses weren`t big enough for the combined group. Then, in the evening, the groom and best man would go and fetch the bride. Ted laughed when he recalled that he had to use a sleigh because of the snow.

'Kaplechka' or 'Ascension' Ukrainian Orthodox Church is probably the oldest Ukrainian Orthodox church in Saskatchewan.