A Lebret couple that has published a book on Ukrainian churches in the Saskatchewan countryside was in the area last week distributing copies of their book, which they received from the publisher on June 6.
Lloyd and Rose Virag wrote the 320-page, full-colour book that contains photographs of 142 churches. It is called Reflections of Ukraine: Ukrainian Churches of the Saskatchewan Countryside.
This year commemorates 125 years of Ukrainian settlement in Canada, says the book’s dedication. “(It is) a fitting tribute to the Ukrainians who settled in Saskatchewan and worked hard to build these churches.
“The uniqueness and beauty of these churches dotting the countryside will be a source of admiration and enjoyment for years to come,” it says. “These Ukrainians came to Canada seeking freedom, a better life and an opportunity to escape a repressive government. Many came to Saskatchewan hoping to acquire a homestead. They had heard about the merits of relocating to the Canadian Prairies from government officials who travelled to Ukraine.”
Most of the churches have two pages of photos dedicated to them, Rose said last week after having dropped off copies of the book at the Canora Ukrainian Heritage Museum and at the offices of the RMs of Good Lake, Preeceville and Clayton.
The photos are of the outside of the churches, some of the interiors, the hall, the belfry, and the graveyards, especially if they contain signs, she said. In some cases the photos are of a site which once contained a church, particularly a site where there still exists a graveyard identified with a plaque that contains historical information.
“We started this project four years ago and we believe we’ve covered all the countryside Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox churches that are located in the province’s 52 rural municipalities, but not the churches in the towns, villages and cities,” she said, adding that her husband estimates that over the past four years they have travelled 10,000 kilometres around the province obtaining this information.
Within this area, the book contains two churches that are in the RM of Keys; six in the RM of Preeceville; nine, RM of Sliding Hills; two, RM of St. Philips; four, RM of Clayton; eight, RM of Good Lake; four, RM of Livingston and five at the RM of Calder.
Rose (nee Duryba) was born and raised in the Grenfell area in a Ukrainian family that had attended the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Grenfell. She is a former school teacher, postmaster and bank employee, while her husband is retired from the mining industry.
“With very few possessions and without knowing the language, they (Ukrainian immigrants) faced many hardships in their new country,” the dedication says. “Guided by their strong faith, these men and women worked tirelessly to achieve their dreams. They accomplished a great deal with very few tools and a lot of horsepower and manpower.
“With deep faith, courage and a great deal of perseverance, they helped to build our Province of Saskatchewan and country of Canada. Now, 125 years later, we need not look too far to see all that they have contributed to our society: successful farmers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, business owners and educators, to name a few.”
“We have included minimal text and feel that the photos speak for themselves because they are an important historical period of our province,” says the book’s preface. “Some of these churches are over 100 years old, structures that we can’t help but hold in awe. Some are tucked away in areas of the province where few people travel. All reflect some of the features of the churches in the “Old Country” thus the title: Reflections of Ukraine.
“After spending 40 years living in western Saskatchewan, an area known for its sand hills, hunting and flat, prairie farmland where you can see for miles, we moved to Lebret to be closer to our families and the countryside where we grew up,” the preface says. “Being semi-retired, we enjoy the opportunity to take long drives, camera in hand.
“For Rose, who was raised in a Ukrainian family, it was nice to once again see the beautiful Ukrainian churches in the countryside.
“Lloyd, who enjoys photography, began taking pictures of the churches. More drives and more photos soon meant a full photo album which we took along with us. People we met along the way urged us to put these into a book, which we decided to do.
“We were determined to photograph every Ukrainian church in the Saskatchewan countryside. For the last several years we have crisscrossed the province. We debated how to display these photos in our book and decided to simply arrange them by numerical order of the rural municipality in which they are located.
“We look back on our travels as an opportunity to have seen many of the towns and villages of the Saskatchewan countryside and to have met many wonderful people along the way,” it says.
The couple is still in the process of setting up a method of selling copies on the Internet, but Rose said that arrangements can be made to purchase copies either at the RM offices where they left copies, or from them by contacting lvirag@sasktel.net.
