Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics in the U.S.A

Gathered Fragments The Publication of the Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania Historia Fidei Lux Vol. X, No. 2, Fall 1999 Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics in the U.S.A. By Fr. John Louis Mina, Ph.D. areas. The most successful of these attempts were in Galicia and, surpris ingly, among the ethnic islands of transplanted Ruthenians in Batchka - today's Yugoslav Vojvodina. The edu cated element, which at that time was limited mostly to clergy, clergy fami lies, and a few teachers, generally had These newcomers were mostly Greek Catholics, i.e., ~ in union with the Holy See ~ of Rome, but of the ~ Byzantine or Greek rite ~ and ecclesiastical tradi- ~ tion. Their liturgical lan- ~ guage, "Church ~ Slavonic," was one of GO dances, the important written ancient tales and languages of medieval <..i1_ folk customs. Europe. Springing from ~ Many excelled in superb ninth-century ~ various folk crafts, translations from Greek into including wood Bulgarian Slavonic of the carving, embroidery, saintly brothers Cyril and and the making of Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs, pysanky (elaborately dec Church Slavonic became the foun orated Easter eggs). Like dation and early medium of flourish other peoples of Central ing Eastern Christian cultures in much Europe, the Ruthenians have an of the Blakans and ancient Rus '. It continues today as a cherished sacred language of liturgy and Scripture. On a more mundane level, the Fall Lecture Oct. 17 at Synod Hall Ruthenians before the Great War employed a somewhat bookish redac tion of the Russian language for liter Father Jo~ Louis Mina, Ph.D., will be the Historical Society's featured ary purposes. There were also experi speaker this fall. Author of the cover story in this issue of Gathered ments in creating a literature in the Fra~ments, Father Mina is archivist for the Byzantine Catholic Archdiocese vernacular, based on different dialect of Pittsburgh. He will speak on the 75th anniversary of the archdiocese at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 17, in Synod Hall, 125 North Craig St., Oakland. Gathered Fragments extensive repertoire of paraliturgical for ecclesial authority and the Greek Catholics from the lands of pre songs for every liturgical season. strengthening of control over these de war Hungary, this Church now Bordering on the folkloric and some facto independent parishes by lay encompasses persons of many differ times comprising many verses, these curators. ent ethnic backgrounds. It comprises songs were developed and transmitted In 1890, Father Alexis Toth, a wid the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan during the great annual pilgrimages to ower from the Eparchy of Presov, pre Province of Pittsburgh with its suffra the sites of miraculous icons and sented himself before the archbishop gan eparchies of Passaic, Parma, and renowned monasteries. Often set to of Minneapolis with a request for fac Van Nuys. This Church boasts an hauntingly beautiful melodies, these ulties but was summarily refused. The impressive new cathedral and cathe hymns are still sung before and after Ruthenian parish in that city remained dral complex in the Pittsburgh suburb the Divine Liturgy and during the without liturgical services. As a former of Munhall, a seminary on the North communion of the faithful. professor of Church law and history, Side of Pittsburgh, a Basilian mother Coming to the United States, the Father Toth sought a way out of this house and major pilgrimage site at Ruthenians brought with them a sim canonical impasse. Shortly afterward, Uniontown, other monasteries, con ple, firm faith and an intense attach he established contact with the mis vents, schools, and numerous beauti ment to their spiritual traditions. In the sionary Russian Orthodox bishop, res fully appointed parish churches. view of the American Roman Catholic ident at that time in San Francisco, and Byzantine Catholics are important par hierarchy of that time, who were strug on March 25, 1891, Father Toth and ticipants in state, national, and interna gling in the face of immense bigotry to his flock were received into the tional synods and also active in the weld the diverse immigrant groups Russian Orthodox Church. By the time cause of ecumenism. into one monolithic ecclesial body, the of his death in 1909, Archpriest Alexis Milestones in the history of the arrival of these Eastern-rite Catholics Toth had brought more than 20,000 Ruthenian Catholic Church of could not have been more inoppor Ruthenians into the Russian church. Pittsburgh include the arrival of tune. From the very beginning, two In order to improve the unsatisfac Bishop Basil Takach in 1924. grave problems arose: first, the prob tory situation in the parishes and stem Although according to the letter of lem of jurisdiction - the .Greek defections, in 1902 the Holy See sent appointment, the episcopal residence Catholic priests claimed jurisdiction Canon Andrew Hodobay from was to be in New York, the concentra from their bishops in Europe; and sec Hungary as apostolic visitator to the tion of Ruthenian Catholics in Western ond, the celibacy issue. In a letter from Greek Catholics in the United States. Pennsylvania and the location here of October l, 1890, the Sacred Withdrawn in 1905, he was replaced in the central offices of the two Congregation for the Propagation of 1907 by Bishop Soter Ortynsky, a Ruthenian fraternal organizations, the the Faith established that only celibate Basilian monk from Galicia. In 1913 Greek Catholic Union and the United Greek Catholic clergy could serve in Bishop Ortynsky finally received ordi Societies, made Pittsburgh the more North America and that they would be nary authority, but he died in 1916. By logical site. Thus the large church of --subject te the authority -0f ·the -local the -end of the Great War .an unfortu St. John the Baptist in Homestead, Roman-rite ordinary. However well nate cleavage between the Ruthenians now the projected location of a intentioned, this ruling proved disas from Hungary and those from Galicia Ruthenian cultural center, became the trous. The first condition could not be had become so aggravated that the two first cathedral. An elegant episcopal implemented for many years simply communities were divided into two residence was constructed by the GCU because of the dearth of celibate apostolic administratures. The two across the street from the cathedral. Ruthenian priests. The second condi communities have remained separate Notwithstanding these auspicious tion was no less impracticable, due to ever since, and the Galician communi beginnings, Bishop Takach's path in the uninformed and mostly hostile atti ty under the name of the Ukrainian the new world was to be one of virtual tude of the American Roman Catholic Catholic Church has grown into the martyrdom for the sake of his flock. hierarchy and clergy of that time Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Precipitated by certain decrees of the toward the Eastern-rite Catholics. Province of Philadelphia, including Vatican, the two unresolved problems Severe conflicts ensued: Eastern the suffragan eparchies of Stamford, of authority over church property and Catholic priests were sometimes Chicago of St. Nicholas, and Parma of clerical celibacy came to a head in banned and their churches placed St. Josaphat. 1929, and their conjuncture was to under interdict, but instead of disap The Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic ignite the independence movement pearing, the Ruthenian communities Church of Pittsburgh is celebrating that took away approximately 40,000 continued to multiply, often function this year its diamond jubilee. Created faithful. In 1938, the independent can ing in defiance of the Church authori in 1924 for Carpatho-Russians, didate, the widowed Father Orestes ties. This led to an erosion of respect Slovak, Hungarian, and Croatian Chornyak, was consecrated bishop in Constantinople by Ecumenical Pittsburgh and Passaic. Bishop West Patterson, New Jersey. In 1995 Patriarch Benjamin I, who at the same Stephen Kocisko became the first Archbishop Judson Procyk, D.D., who time erected the Orthodox Carpatho bishop of Passaic. He succeeded had built the new cathedral complex in Russian Diocese of Johnstown. By Bishop Elko in Pittsburgh when the Munhall, became the third metropoli that time, however, thanks to the firm latter was recalled to Rome in 1967. In tan archbishop of Pittsburgh. The fol but patient policy of Bishop Takach, 1969 the Parma Eparchy was erected lowing year, Archbishop Procyk led the Ruthenian Catholic Church had for the Western states, with Bishop the Ruthenian hierarchs of North weathered the storm. Emil Mihalik (1969-1984) as the first America and Europe in a celebration In 1946 the ailing Bishop Takach bishop. That same year, the of the 350th anniversary of the union (d. 1948) received a coadjutor with the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Munhall of the Ruthenian Church with the Holy right of succession in the person of (since 1977, Pittsburgh of the See, held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Bishop Daniel Ivancho. During his Byzantines) was established, and presence of the Holy Father. The event short administration (1948-1954), Archbishop Stephen Kocisko (1969- was marked by the issuance by Pope Bishop Daniel erected the seminary 1991) became its first metropolitan. In John Paul II of a Apostolic Letter on and, aided by the influx of highly qual 1982 Bishop Thomas Dolinay was the Union of Uzhorod. The seventy ified refugee priests from Central appointed to head the new Eparchy of fifth anniversary of the Ruthenian Europe, he placed the seminary on Van Nuys, California. In 1990 he Catholic Church of Pittsburgh, which firm foundations. Under his successor, became archbishop-coadjutor with will be attended by hierarchs and faith Bishop Nicholas Elko (1954-1967), a right of succession to Archbishop ful from two continents, is a time to diocesan newspaper, the Byzantine Kocisko, whom he succeeded in 1991, renew ties and, appreciating past diffi Catholic World, was launched, the governing the archdiocese until his culties and accomplishments, look for English language was introduced into sudden death in 1993.

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