While working on an article about Lemko Rusyn businessmen (& a businesswoman) in Shamokin, Northumberland County (forthcoming), it became clear that I often have to keep piecing together a list of all of the Carpatho-Rusyn churches founded in the U.S. and in what year they were founded.
To definitively establish a year of founding can be a challenge due to varying circumstances in the history of each parish. I have tried to use the date generally accepted both by the parish and in primary sources of the time to say that this parish/church was unquestionably in existence at some point that year. Generally this would either be the granting of a civil charter to the parish, the existence of a permanent place of worship, and/or the assignment of a priest (or a visiting priest making regular visits for services and sacraments).
Occasionally the date I use conflicts with the date used by the parish. For example, Shamokin's Transfiguration Church has celebrated its anniversaries based on 1884, when Father Ivan Voljans'kyj began to visit the Shamokin/Excelsior area occasionally. However, a church was not built until 1889 (the date I am using here); the parish was chartered only in 1892.
For my own reference and for your interest, here's that list, from the first in 1884 through 1900. The list is always open to correction and improvement.
Locations are in Pennsylvania unless otherwise noted; all are Greek Catholic unless otherwise noted. Within each year, parish is listed alphabetically rather than chronologically. While some of the Greek Catholic parishes were assigned in 1916 to the Galician/Ukrainian jurisdiction in Philadelphia, all those mentioned here were founded by Carpatho-Rusyns and remained (with two exceptions) almost entirely or substantially Carpatho-Rusyn to the present time.
 |
| Shenandoah (1884) |
 |
| Freeland (1886) |
 |
| Jersey City (1887) |
 |
| Minneapolis (1887) |
 |
| Punxsutawney (1893) |
 |
| Trauger (1894) |
| Location | Name |
| 1884 |
| Shenandoah | Immaculate Conception, later
St. Michael |
| 1886 |
| Freeland | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| 1887 |
| Jersey City, NJ | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Kingston | St. Mary (Protection) |
| Minneapolis, MN (became Orthodox) | St. Mary (Protection) |
| 1888 |
| Olyphant | Ss. Cyril & Methodius |
| Wilkes-Barre (became Orthodox; returned to Gr. Cath.) | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| 1889 |
| Hazleton | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| Shamokin | Transfiguration |
| 1890 |
| Duquesne (became Orthodox) | St. Nicholas |
| Passaic, NJ | St. Michael |
| Osceola Mills (became Orthodox) | St. Mary (Nativity) |
| 1891 |
| Brooklyn, NY | St. Elias |
| Mahanoy City | St. Mary (Protection) |
| Mayfield (became Orthodox) | St. John the Baptist |
| McAdoo | St. Mary (Protection) |
| Mount Carmel | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Old Forge (became Orthodox) | St. Michael |
| Philadelphia | Holy Ghost |
| Pittsburgh (Greek Catholic) | St. John the Baptist |
| Pittsburgh (Orthodox) | St. Alexander Nevsky |
| Scranton | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| Trenton, NJ | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| 1892 |
| Chicago, IL (Orthodox) | St. Vladimir, later Holy Trinity |
| Cleveland, OH (became Hungarian GC) | St. John the Baptist |
| Lansford | St. John the Baptist |
| Leisenring | St. Stephen |
| Yonkers, NY | St. Nicholas |
| 1893 |
| Hazleton (2nd Greek Catholic parish) | St. John the Baptist |
| Punxsutawney | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Ramey | St. Mary (Annunciation) |
| 1894 |
| Alden Station | St. Vladimir |
| Bridgeport, CT (became Hungarian GC) | St. Elias, later Holy Trinity |
| Bridgeport, CT (Orthodox) | Holy Ghost |
| Brookside, AL (became Orthodox) | St. George, later St. Mary and St. Nicholas |
| Buffalo, NY (became Orthodox) | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Philipsburg (Orthodox) | St. John the Baptist |
| Sheppton (became Orthodox) | St. John the Baptist |
| Streator, IL (Orthodox) | Three Hierarchs |
| Trauger | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| 1895 |
| Ansonia, CT (Orthodox) | Three Saints |
| Beaver Meadows | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Elmira, NY | St. Nicholas |
| Glen Lyon | St. Nicholas |
| Johnstown | St. Mary (Protection) |
| 1896 |
| Braddock | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Cleveland, OH (Orthodox) | St. Theodosius |
| Homestead | St. John the Baptist |
| Minersville | St. George |
| Wilkeson, WA (Orthodox) | Holy Trinity |
| 1897 |
| Ansonia, CT | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Barnesboro | St. John the Baptist |
| Bayonne, NJ | St. John the Baptist |
| Hartshorne, OK (Orthodox) | Ss. Cyril & Methodius |
| Marblehead, OH | St. Mary |
| Mont Clare | St. Michael |
| Old Forge (new Greek Catholic parish) | St. Nicholas |
| Perth Amboy, NJ (became Orthodox) | St. John the Baptist |
| Philadelphia (Orthodox) | St. Andrew |
| Saint Clair | St. Michael |
| Scranton (2nd Greek Catholic parish) | St. John the Baptist |
| Scranton (Orthodox) | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Troy, NY (became Orthodox) | St. Nicholas |
| 1898 |
| Cleveland, OH (new Greek Catholic parish) | St. John the Baptist |
| Denver, CO (became Orthodox) | Transfiguration |
| Forest City | St. John the Baptist |
| Garfield, NJ (Orthodox) | Three Saints |
| Marblehead, OH (Orthodox) | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| Pleasant City, OH | St. Michael |
| Plymouth | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Yonkers, NY (Orthodox) | Holy Trinity |
| 1899 |
| Catasauqua (Orthodox) | Holy Trinity |
| Charleroi | Holy Ghost |
| Jessup | Holy Ghost |
| Whiting, IN | St. Mary (Dormition) |
| Yonkers, NY (2nd Greek Catholic parish) | St. Michael |
| 1900 |
| Madison, IL (Orthodox) | St. Mary (Nativity) |
| New Britain, CT | Holy Trinity |
| Northampton | St. John the Baptist |
| Patton | Ss. Peter & Paul |
| Pittsburgh (2nd Greek Catholic parish) | (Second) St. John the Baptist |
| Syracuse, NY | St. John the Baptist |
| Wilkes-Barre (Orthodox) | Holy Resurrection |
| Windber | St. Stephen, later St. Mary (Dormition) |
| Youngstown, OH | St. Mary (Dormition) |
(In case you're wondering -- all of these parishes still exist, except for Alden Station, Brooklyn, Bridgeport - Hungarian, Sheppton - Orthodox, and Streator.)
 |
| Alden Station (1894) |
 |
| Minersville (1896) |
 |
| Wilkeson (1896) |
 |
| Saint Clair (1897) |
 |
| Youngstown (1900) |
 |
| Madison (1900) |
Very nice work Rich. It shows the importance of the church in Carpatho-Rusyn culture. Everywhere they settled, it was the center of life.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to see St John the Baptist in Forest City on the list. My grandmother was married there in 1901 soon after arriving in America and after being widowed, married my grandfather there in 1920. My parents married there in 1943. Sadly very few parishioners left when I last visited in 2013. I remember when the old steeple was replaced for safety reasons in the 50s. I wish I had a photo of how it looked back then.
ReplyDeleteEileen Backofen
Eileen, please write me at rusynsofpa@gmail.com -- I have a postcard of the Forest City church with the old tower and will email a scan of it to you.
DeleteWould like to see Saint John the Baptist in Dundaff, PA on the list. My great grandfather was a founding member.
ReplyDeleteHi -- the list only goes to 1900; the community in Dundaff began to form in the 1920s but St. John's Church in Dundaff was founded only in 1938. The Rusyn community and church of Dundaff will certainly be covered in my book. Would love to hear about any info you have on the community's history. I have a 1988 50th anniversary book, which has some nice old photos, and have been to the church & cemetery and have info mainly from the Simpson churches' records that show who settled in Dundaff and from which European villages...
DeleteIn 1910, my grandmother was a founding member of St. Mary Greek Catholic church in Nesquehoning, PA.
ReplyDeleteSt Kohn the Baptist Church in Barnesboro , Pa was my Grandma church
ReplyDeleteHi Rich, I didn’t see St Nicholas of New Castle, PA on this list. It unfortunately closed after 110 years. I believe it started as a Greek Catholic Church.
ReplyDeleteRich, what year was St. Nicholas Church in Duquesne PA established before it became Orthodox??
ReplyDeleteOur church in Lorain, OH is still active. It was founded in 1913 as SS. Peter & Paul Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church.
ReplyDeleteHere is one in McKeesport, Pa https://archpitt.org/place/mckeesportpa/
ReplyDelete