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Mohyla Institute

St. Petro Mohyla Institute (SPMI) is located near the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Through its summer language courses and its university residence, SPMI serves the cultural needs of the Ukrainian Canadian community in the city.

SPMI is a home away from home for students including, but not limited to, those of Ukrainian ancestry from all parts of Saskatchewan, as well as other provinces, while they are pursuing higher education at University, Business College or Technical School.

It is a centre for the extra-curricular activities of its resident students, students outside the Institute, and for the continuation of adult education.

The SPMI has developed courses for studies in Ukrainian literature, history and arts, and has fostered the finest cultural elements and traditions of the Ukrainian people, including folk music, folk dancing, handicrafts and domestic arts and crafts.

The SPMI carries out extension work in all parts of the province to make its services available to everyone requesting them.

The institute serves as a centre for cultural activities for Canadians of Ukrainian descent in the province of Saskatchewan.

The institute was founded in 1916, and named after the Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan, St. Petro Mohyla. Later the institute moved from its original location on Main Street to its current address at 1240 Temperance Street in the 1960s.

During the first decade of the last century, after attending to their basic needs, recent immigrants from Ukraine turned their attention to the education of their children. At that time, a number of teachers and students of Ukrainian origin formed a student society. They were very concerned about the economic and cultural well-being of their fellow Ukrainian-Canadians. They had decided to establish a Ukrainian based institution in Sakatoon. In 1916, a fundraising campaign for the establishment of such a facility was launched.

The campaign was highly successful and in June, 1916, a call for students went out. These students would attend public schools, secondary schools, Normal Schools (teachers' college) and university. Both sexes would be accepted. The institute would offer Ukrainian language, history and literature classes. An underlying principle of the institution was 'To be a good Canadian citizen, it was desireable to maintain one's origin and national culture'.

Later that year the institute was opened and named in honour of Petro Mohyla, an outstanding educationalist and dignitary of the Orthodox Church in Kyiv. It was housed in rented premises. There were 35 students in this non-sectarian institution. In 1917, the St. Petro Mohyla Institute was incorporated. That year, the number of students increased to 70. The next major decision was to purchase and remodel a suitable building to house the institute. A building was obtained and served as the institute to the end of 1964. During these years, the mix of students shifted gradually from a predominance of public and high school to the present situation where virtually all are pursuing university or other post-secondary education.

In the summertime, Mohyla Institute serves as a youth hostel. It is the only hostel listed for Saskatoon in the Canadian Hostel Handbook.

The institute serves as a practice facility for the city's Ukrainian Orthodox youth choir, Lastiwka.

• Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
• Ukrainian Canadian

• St. Petro Mohyla Institute
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
• Lastiwka Ukrainian Orthodox Youth Choir
• Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Saskatchewan

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