CANORA – A busy summer has resulted in a successful facelift for the country hall affiliated with the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church at Drobot, Sask., locally known as Drobot Hall.
The Drobot Church was established in 1909 on four acres of land donated by pioneer Gregoryi Kereluik, located 12 miles north of Theodore, according to Mamornitz Revisited by Jennie Dutchak Zayachkowski. The initial purpose was to serve immigrants who came from neighbouring villages in Bukovyna in Europe, mainly Dobrynivtsi, Doroshivtsi, Horoshivtsi, Tovtry, Vaslovivtsi and Vashkivtski. The certificate of title was issued to trustees Thomas Drobot, Aleksander Wasylowych, Tanasko Dariechuk, George Pasichnyk and Domentyi Hupka.
The church, built of logs in the traditional architectural style of a boat topped by a pear-shaped cupola and cross, was destroyed by fire in 1927 along with all its records, according to Mamornitz Revisited. All that remains today of that original church are a scorched banner and wooden cross.
Within a year of the fire, the congregation had replaced the church, adding a parish residence, a belfry housing four bells and a horse shed, according to Mamornitz Revisited. The adjacent cemetery contained over 200 graves dating back to 1902, some transferred from a nearby site.
In 1947, the very active parish of over 100 families purchased a large mess hall from the RCAF station in Yorkton, declared surplus by the army, according to Mamornitz Revisited. The parish paid $1,200 for the hall, sided with green cedar shakes, and an additional $1,200 for transportation to the current site. The hall became a community centre as well as a church hall, the site of many country dances, showers, church dinners, plays, cultural events and weddings. The first wedding was Matt and Rose Danyliuk in 1949.
In 2025 came the sad realization that the cedar shake siding, now greater than 80 years old, had deteriorated to the point that water was seeping into the structure. A decision needed to be made quickly by the members, each of whom is descended from many generations interred in the cemetery. All were aware that the loss of the hall likely meant the loss of the annual liturgies and dinners where the families of the 350-plus persons resting in that cemetery return to lay flowers, participate in Orthodox tradition, and renew acquaintances over traditional Ukrainian food. Rather than allow the hall to deteriorate to the point of demolition, members made the decision to upgrade. Considering the limited funds, the work was to be done by members Dennis and Chris Drobot, Don and Janet Dziacuck, Barry and Wendy Koshman, and Kevin and Lorraine Stewart, supported by Orville and Angie Drobot.
Over the weeks of summer, the unlikely construction crew installed soffits and fascia, removed the cedar shake siding (no longer green), replaced the windows which required restructuring both outside and inside, repaired inner walls and removed abandoned side buildings.
The workers then balanced on a Telehandler supplied by Koshman Farms, on ladders, or perched on roofs to enclose the structure along with its two porches in metal. Brad Dariechuk, viewing the work in progress, stepped in to patch the original foundation.
Families of those resting in the cemetery provided donations to fund the ongoing costs. Bats quickly moved on while bees, resident in the walls, returned many times.
But, at last, the work was all but complete with members tired but happy to have salvaged their hall at this country cemetery where generations related to the original pioneers continue to return for final rest.
(EDITOR’S NOTE; Prepared with excerpts and information from Mamornitz Revisited by Jennie Dutchak Zayachkowski)
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