There is no road to St. Lupicin shown on the Official Highway Map of Manitoba. But St. Lupicin itself is.
St. Lupicin is a locality south of Provincial Road 246, 35 km (22 miles) southwest of Carman in the Rural Municipality of Lorne. It could also probably claim to be the only community in Manitoba with just two buildings.
Vehicular access to St. Lupin is possible by way of an unpaved road that runs across rolling hills and through scenic valleys, a road that could become badly rutted and flooded during wet weather.
A commemorative plaque in the village records Jean-Antoine Bourrier (1831-1917) and his family as the first settlers in the area. The Bourrier family left Lozere, France, in April 1891 and arrived in St. Lupicin in mid October. For some years thereafter the Bourrier home was the place of worship for the settlers. Some of those homesteading families were Chaleil, Portal, Soulodre, Chabidon, Brunel, and Bergeron.
The parish was named by R. P. Benoit, Superior of the Community of Notre Dame de Lourdes. St. Lupicin, once part of Notre Dame de Lourdes, became a separate parish in 1891. It was established 11 km (7 m) southeast of its mother church.
The Faure School District was established in May 1897. It was responsible for a one-room schoolhouse.
The Post Office opened in 1923. It was closed temporarily in 1975, then was closed permanently in 1977.
For many years a group of artists successfully ran the St. Lupicin Craft Gallery Co-op in the rectory beside the church. This ceased to exist, however, after the sudden passing in 2004 of its owner, Ken Chambers, the carver. The rectory became a private residence.
More information on St. Lupicin Roman Catholic Church and cemetery can be found in the publications of the Manitoba Genealogical Society.
• Published in Senior Scope, July 15, 2020.