Holy Trinity Sobor (also known as Russian Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral) is the oldest Orthodox Church in Winnipeg.

Our Roots

Our community dates back to the early 1890s, when waves of Slavic immigrants first arrived in Canada. Many of these immigrants were Orthodox Christians, mostly from Bukovina and Carpathian Rus (or Subcarpathian Rus). Since immigration to Western Canada was through Winnipeg, it was natural for many of these people to settle in and around the city. 

Our Holy Temple

The first efforts to create an Orthodox church were crowned with success in 1904, when Bishop Tikhon of North America (now Saint Tikhon) blessed the creation of Holy Trinity Church as part of the Russian Mission in North America, the foundation of what is now the Autocephalous (self governing) Orthodox Church in America. Construction of the temple began in 1904, and in the fall of 1905, the new building was consecrated by St. Tikhon. 

A little over ten years later, in 1916, Bishop Alexander (Nemolovsky) was transferred to Canada and appointed bishop of the Winnipeg and Canadian diocese, becoming Canada’s first resident Orthodox bishop. Our church thus became the spiritual and administrative center in Canada in those early formative years.

The Canadian Orthodox Church

You may have heard of Orthodoxy in terms of its various cultural expressions: Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Romanian and so on. While the worship of the Church may be expressed with a variety of unique local characteristic, the core of the Faith remains the same: Orthodoxy!

In 2021, our Archdiocese of Canada (OCA) was federally incorporated as “The Canadian Orthodox Church”. The incorporation of the Canadian Orthodox Church is in keeping with St Tikhon’s vision for the Church to be a light for all the peoples of these lands, regardless of ethnicity. Holy Trinity has been the spiritual home for generations of Russians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Syrians, Romanians, Serbs, and Bulgarians. Today, Canadians of all cultures are finding their way to Holy Orthodoxy, and we at Holy Trinity Cathedral strive to support St. Tikhon's vision by providing a place of hospitality for all. 

Holy Trinity Cathedral remains one dynamic community, holding services in both Church-Slavonic and English languages.

In the mid 1970’s, English started to be incorporated in the liturgical and pastoral life of Holy Trinity.  Although the use of English was limited and sometimes inconsistent, it nonetheless was a touchstone for what Orthodoxy could be in Canada, inspiring  many new Orthodox English speaking missions across the country,  including the Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring Mission here in Winnipeg.  

In the winter of 2016/17, with the blessing of Archbishop Irénée, the Mission of the Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring joined the Russian Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Sobor, as a practical consideration to further strengthen the witness of Orthodoxy in Winnipeg . Without sacrificing the diverse liturgical and pastoral life of either the Slavic or English members,  the Cathedral strives to be a witness of unity with separate services in two liturgical languages (English and Church-Slavonic) and on two calendars (old and new) while simultaneously existing as a single parish of the Russian Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Sobor, further embodying the vision of St Tikhon.

We are a diverse group; cradle Orthodox and convert, young and old, belonging to a wide variety of cultures. No matter where you’re from or what stage of life you’re in, you can find a home here.

This site is dedicated to the services in English and following the new (revised-Julian) Calendar, but please visit our sister website holytrinitysobor.ca for more information about our services which follow the old (Julian) calendar.