St. John's Ukrainian Catholic Church. Belfield, North Dakota

Belfield, North Dakota has a population of 800 people and four Catholic Churches, which says something about the nature of this region of the United States.  One of those four, St. John's, is a Ukrainian Catholic Church.

We featured a Ukrainian Catholic Church here for the first time yesterday.  Here we are doing it for a second time in the same region, and in fact at a location that's only a few miles down the highway from the one we featured yesterday.

In parts of the United States we've featured before, such as East Texas, seeing something like this in regards to Baptist churches wouldn't be unusual.  Here we're seeing a much different cultural history at work, and a very interesting one at that.

Catholic Co Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Houston Texas

This is  the new Co Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, which replaced the old one in 2005.  The new cathedral is a very large church located just one block from the old cathedral.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Salt Lake City Utah

This is Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Salt Lake City. This Greek Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1923, and is located in downtown Salt Lake.

The Cathedral is one of two Greek Orthodox churches in Salt Lake, both of which are part of the Metropolis of Denver. Salt Lake has at least three other Orthodox churches, however, including a Russian Orthodox Church and a Antiochian Orthodox Church. The Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City also has a school.

Of interest, two of the three Greek Orthodox Churches in nearby Wyoming, which are also part of the Metropolis of Denver, are named Holy Family, including the church in Casper.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Rock Springs Wyoming

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is located one block from St. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Rock Springs in what was probably an ethnic neighborhood at the time the churches were built.  In addition to having a sizable Slavic Community, Rock Springs had a sizable Greek community as well, both drawn to the area in the early 20th Century by coal mining.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Worland Wyoming

This church was a bit of a surprise as I wasn't aware there was a Greek Orthodox Church in Worland.  I don't know anything else about it.  The structure is interesting as it's sort of a modified Prairie Gothic structure.

Temple Events Center, formally Temple Emanuel Synagogue

It took me some time to figure out what this building is, or was. Given the styling, I thought perhaps it had been built as an Eastern Rite or Orthodox church.

No, in fact it was a synagogue. This building was the Temple Emanuel Synagogue, built in 1899. I don't know its history beyond that, but today it is an events center and available for various uses.

Photograph with the Catholic Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the background.

Of interest, this building strongly resembles the St. Peter and St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City, which was also originally built as a synagogue.

Observant folks might notice that this post was first made in February 2011, but has now reappeared in November, 2012.  The reason is that I happened to be parked in this neighborhood a couple of days ago and had the opportunity to take photographs of this structure from the sidewalk, as opposed to from inside my vehicle, as the first photo was taken.

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Cheyenne Wyoming

This is Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I unfortunately do not know the date of the church's construction.

This is one of three Greek Orthodox Churches in Wyoming, and one of four total Orthodox Churches. The church is in the downtown section of Cheyenne. The church is classically styled in the Greek fashion, with the Lord's Prayer carved into a portion of the building, as depicted above.

First Christian Church, Tulsa Oklahoma

This unusual church is the First Christian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Located in downtown Tulsa, in a district which includes several classically styled churches, this church, which I otherwise know nothing about, was dedicated in 1940.

The church has a very Byzantine appearance, and upon seeing it I mistook it for a Greek Orthodox Church. The unusual appearance is somewhat accentuated by the presence of a Christian Scientist church across the street, which I did not photograph as it was fully in shadow at the time I was there, which also features a very large dome and Greek classical features. The church is extremely Eastern in appearance, and while a beautiful structure, this choice of architecture is curious for the denomination.

Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Denver

This is the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Denver Colorado, the Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral. It's in a neighborhood with heavy traffic, so these photographs were taken from a vehicle, making them less than ideal. The Cathedral offices, which look like a Greek Orthodox Church, are on the same ground and are also included here. Theotokos roughly translates as Mother of God, so the Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Holy Name Roman Catholic Church, Sheridan Wyoming

This is Holy Name Roman Catholic Church in Sheridan Wyoming. This is a pretty church, but it's very hard to photograph because of its location and round shape.

I'm not sure how to classify the architecture of this church, but it has an almost Byzantine appearance.

First Methodist (First Methodist Episcopal), Salt Lake City, Utah

This the First Methodist Church in Salt Lake City. Like Holy Trinity Methodist Church in Denver Colorado, it was originally a Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1906.

Corpus Christi, Newcastle Wyoming

This is Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Newcastle Wyoming. The church was built in 1951, but I otherwise do not know anything about this particular church. The architecture of this attractive Roman Catholic church is somewhat surprising.

The website for the churches served by this parish is here.

St Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church, Salt Lake City Utah

Salt Lake City, while commonly associated with the LDS Church, is a city that features a large number of classically constructed churches in the downtown area. This church, the Orthodox Church of St. Peter & St. Paul is one such surprising example, although it was not originally constructed as a church, but rather as a synagogue in 1903. In 1987 the building was sold to an Assemblies of God Congregation, and then later to the Antiochian Orthodox Church. In construction, it is remarkably church like the former Temple Emanuel in Denver which also is no longer used as a synagogue. Also like that building, the building has a strongly eastern character.

Located quite near downtown, the church features the quote, above the front door; "It was in Antioch that they were first called Christians." The Church itself is, as noted, an Antiochian Orthodox Church, a branch of the Orthodox Church, so perhaps that is not surprising. As the Antiochian Orthodox Church is the branch of the Orthodox Church associated with Orthodox Arabs, however, finding this church in Salt Lake City is a bit of a surprise.

Photograph taken with a cell phone.