This is one of two Ukrainian Catholic Cemeteries near the city of Winnipeg.

The land was purchased on April 10, 1937, and then later blessed as Holy Family Cemetery on August 22, 1937. It was professionally landscaped in 1959 when four marble monuments were placed at the front section of the Cemetery, each marking one of the four sub-sections reserved for clergy:

- a statue of the Holy Family (Archbishop Ladyka's grave)

- a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Basilian Fathers section)

- a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate section) and 

- one of St. Joseph (Redemptorist section).

The gate enclosing the premises was built in 1971.

The Sacred Heart statue was erected in memory of Father Athanasius Filipow, OSBM, the second Parish Priest of St. Nicholas Church, who died in 1937, the year the cemetery was purchased. On October 1, 2005, it was re-blessed with an inscription to Fr. Filipow, donated by the KofC Fr. Filipow Council St. Nicholas parishioners.

(Source: St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church website [2023/11; Adapted])

Established in 1920.

(Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society [Adapted])

The first burial in this Ukrainian Catholic cemetery on Main Street the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul occurred in 1920.

(Source: Manitoba Historical Society [Adapted])

1908 to 1912 was a period of great expansion in Manitoba. Land values doubled, as real estate agents and speculators bought property hoping to make a quick return.

In 1912 River Lots 38 to 44 were owned by Drewery and Bannerman Real Estate Co. The 1913 municipal records list a R J Bateman of London, England as owner, we believe he sold to a Mr Kennedy. The Kennedys lived in St. Andrew's Municipality, Lot 1, which is on the north side of Parks Creek, and were quite prosperous.

It was Mr. Kennedy who began business as Riverside Cemetery. A mausoleum was built by him.

At that time cemeteries were exempt from municipal taxation. This irked the local council, who took the matter to court, and won — partly! The court ruled that a minimum of twenty acres could be owned by a church and would qualify for exemption of municipal taxation.

Riverside Cemetery owners then had the land subdivided and over the years sold it to various religious groups. If part of their land was used for agricultural purposes it could then be taxed.

(Source: The Changing Scene - A History of West St. Paul, p 85 [circa 1989; Adapted])

Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD01-13-12-03-E1

In the Rural Municipality of West St Paul

As noted above, though the cemetery serves the needs of many parishes in Manitoba, a part of the yard's story is told in the volume "The Changing Scene - A History of West St Paul", especially starting on page 85. 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 #0857), transcribed by a member or members in 1994. 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).

Additionally, the volume "Ukrainian Catholic Churches of Winnipeg Archeparchy", also freely available online via the U of Manitoba Digital Archives, provides information about this major parish in the province, especially starting on page 47. That one book is from Volume IV in the set entitled "History of Ukrainian Catholic Churches in Canada".

Also of note, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (Manitoba Branch) centralizes, curates and makes available extensive records from various groups related to the communities established by the families of Ukrainian descent who settled lived in, died in, or contributed to the story of Manitoba.