138 YEARS AGO TODAY
138 YEARS AGO TODAY, on December 18, 1884, the first known Greek Catholic service was conducted on American soil in Shenandoah, PA.
On the second story of the Kern Hall, on North Main Street, a group of coal miners with their families gathered for Vespers for the Feast of St. Nicholas.
Leading Vespers was the twenty-seven-year-old Fr. Ivan Voliansky, who arrived in the United States just three days prior with his wife Pavlina on the S.S. Pennland. A priest of the Archeparchy of L’viv, he and Pavlina were sent to minister to the immigrants by Bishop Sylvester Sembratovych, the soon-to-be Metropolitan Archbishop of L’viv and later a Cardinal.
The second-floor chapel, which became the first Greek Catholic Church in America, was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception (December 22nd on the Julian Calendar). Initially Fr. Voliansky had approached a local, predominately Polish Roman Catholic church in Shenandoah for use of their church but was refused. The acceptance of Greek Catholic married clergy by Roman Clergy was in many ways non-existent—and often hostile— for decades which gave rise to several large Orthodox jurisdictions, founded mostly by former Greek Catholics.
The first baptism in the Kern Hall building chapel was celebrated a few days later on December 25th (Julian Calendar Christmas is on January 7th). In January of 1885 the first wedding was celebrated and then the first funeral followed—that of an infant girl.
The Volianskys lived on the third floor of the Kern Building above the second-story chapel. Unfortunately, this building demolished in 2016. Land was purchased in 1885 to build a church dedicated to St. Michael. The parish, now in its 4th church building, continues to this day in Shenandoah and is in the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. Patriarch Sviatoslav visited Shenandoah, the birthplace of the Greek Catholic Church on American soil, in November 2015.
In sending Fr. Voliansky to America, Bishop Sylvester wrote this to the people in Shenandoah in response to their 1882 petition for a priest:
"Beloved in Christ, my dear Ruthenians, faithful of the Greek Catholic Rite in America! Praised be Jesus Christ! Having been invited for the blessing of a church in Krynytsi, I visited that mountainous region near Horlicy, Yaslo, Zmyhorod, Dukzia. I was also in the towns of Zegestiv, Mushyna, Wes, Rozdil, Bodnarka, Perehrimtsi, Doshnytsia, Mshana and other towns and villages, and there I heard that many of our people had gone away to find work. I was very sorry to hear that they did not have their own spiritual father who would in time of necessity, be able to encourage them and to give them God's graces, take care of their spiritual needs, confess them and nourish them with Holy Communion, reunite them with God, when the Lord God would call them to Himself. I was therefore, very pleased when I received your letter with your signatures and request for a pastor of souls. At this moment I have for you one of our Ruthenian pastors from the Archdiocese of Lviv. He will leave for America shortly, as soon as passage money can be obtained, and since he is married, even though he does not have any children, the fifty dollars you sent is not enough for the two of them to make the trip. He will be ready to go to Shenandoah in America in a few days. His name is Ivan Volansky and I presume that you will be pleased with him.
"Strive to remain true to your Ruthenian Rite and our Greek Catholic Church and the merciful
God will not abandon you, but will send you His Heavenly blessings, for which I pray and which I
myself send you.
"For the time being, I am writing to you briefly. Write to me concerning whatever you may need, and I will see to it that you receive it. May God grant you an abundance' of graces and all good things. I greet you once more and admonish you to behave yourselves morally, industriously, virtuously, soberly, as true Christians."
Photos:
Kern Hall, Shenandoah, PA
Fr. Ivan Voliansky
Current image of St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Shenandoah, PA
S.S. Pennland list of passengers showing Rev. I. Walanski and his wife on lines 3 and 4
S.S. Pennland
Note: In many places Fr. Voliansky's name is spelled as: Wolansky, Wolanski, Volansky, etc. His first name is often given as John, the English equivelant of Ivan.
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