For as long as the National Doukhobor Heritage Village has existed in Veregin, the third Sunday in July was reserved as Heritage Day, a day to celebrate Doukhobor Heritage by way of prayers, food, tours and a cultural program.
This year, in order to accommodate an expanded celebration in recognition of the centennial of the Veregin Prayer home, which is the heart of the village, and Canada’s 150th anniversary, the annual Heritage Day has been spread over two days: July 15 and 16.
“The weekend of July 15 and 16 has been designated as a time to celebrate Canda’s 150th birthday and to commemorate the 100 years of the historic Prayer Home,” said Walter Ostoforoff, chair of the Heritage Village committee. “It is hoped that we can provide the opportunity for our brothers, sisters and visitors from across Canada to participate in this event and reflect on our life in Canda since 1899 and the history of the Prayer Home.
“We welcome choral groups so that the air will once again resound with traditional song,” he said.
Registration begins Friday afternoon and continues on Saturday morning.
Members of the board of the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood (CCUB) will have a meeting in the Prayer Home at 10 a.m. and then lunch will be served by the New Horizons Centre committee.
Shortly before noon a bus tour of cemeteries and villages of the Veregin area will be held. Supper will be served beginning at 4 p.m., followed by time for socializing. At 7 p.m. there will be a program performance of choirs at the Heritage Village.
A prayer service in The Prayer Home will start Sunday’s activities. A blini ethnic brunch will be served beginning at 10 a.m., and then the Heritage Day program will begin at 1 p.m.
Among persons who have accepted invitations to speak during the program are Cathay Wagantall, Yorkton-Melville MP, and Terry Dennis, Canora-Pelly MLA. Also invited were Ken Cheveldayoff, minister of sport, recreation and culture, and John J. Verigin of Grand Forks, B.C., who is the executive director of the USCC and the great-grandson of Peter Verigin.
“We expect a larger Saskatchewan Doukhobor Heritage Choir to assemble for the occasion,” Ostoforoff said. “We are also expecting a large choir from the Castlegar, B.C. area, and a group from Victoria, B.C.
“In total we should have four choirs,” he said.
During the program, Laura Verigin of Yorkton will be speaking about the history of the building, which is still in excellent condition and is a Provincial Heritage Building.
The Veregin Prayer Home is an historic structure that recalls the first settlement of pioneers in northeastern Saskatchewan, Ostoforoff said. In 1899 the Doukhobors first arrived on Canadian soil believing in the principle of “toil and peaceful life” and “universal brotherhood.”
Dedication to this principle had resulted in the loss of lives and property under the czarist regime in Russia. This led to the migration of the Doukhobors to Canada during the reign of Queen Victoria who had granted the Doukhobors freedom of worship and exemption from military service.
A prayer home had been built north of Veregin in a former village known as Poterpevshi which was renamed Otrodno after the arrival of Peter Verigin. The prayer home was lost to fire so a decision was made to build a new structure in Veregin.
This new building was built by members of the CCUB in 1917 under the direction of P.V. Verigin and A.A. Horkoff, the architect, with carpenters F.F. Bloudoff, W.S. Lapshinoff and J.W. Horkoff and the exterior metalwork by J.J. Mahonin, he said.
The main floor was used for meetings and prayer services, while the second floor was used as living quarters for P.V. Verigin and guests, and later for his son Peter P. Verigin.
Following the bankruptcy of CCUB in 1938, the buildings at the Doukhobor village were purchase by Bill Walykhova from the CCUB receiver, he said. After the purchase, buildings were being demolished and the materials repurposed for use in the construction of other buildings.
The Prayer Home was one of the remaining structures left for demolition when the Veregin Doukhobor Society was given the opportunity to purchase the structure for $1,500. A group of members, including Joseph P. Fofonoff, Mike Deakoff, Andrew Bloudoff and Alex Sherstabitoff Sr. decided to raise the money to save the building.
The community was very supportive and the required money was raised, Ostoforoff said. The Prayer Home was registered under the name of the Doukhobor Society of Veregin.
In 1982, the entire building was designated a Provincial Heritage Site by the Province of Saskatchewan. It is now part of the National Doukhobor Heritage Village and while services are held on the lower floor, the upper floor has been converted into a museum.
