John Rushofosky, having supported within multiple defunct parishes providing some cultural groups on the Pittsburgh diocese

John Rushofosky, having supported within multiple defunct parishes providing some cultural groups on the Pittsburgh diocese

Anthony during a keen German mass I attended around into the 2004

Federal teams, for instance the Shine Western Congress and you will American Hungarian Traditions Association, say people churches was in fact damage as congregations got old and individuals escaped the new urban centers into the suburbs.

“One ethnic heritage is not as crucial that you young age bracket,” told you this new Rev. He said the increased loss of those people places of worship left of numerous old people aggravated.

“It’s humdrum to them because In my opinion exactly what it way to her or him is the fact enough the ethnic community appears important link to getting are overlooked,” the guy told you.

During the Pittsburgh’s Polish Slope community, Immaculate Center out-of Mary however caters to the latest ethnic area, a mass being told you from inside the Gloss within 8 a.yards. every Sunday. The latest chapel university, where Shine is educated, could have been signed for decades; the latest Bulk draws just about fifty somebody-for the a chapel which could effortlessly keep a couple of times one to amount.

A lot of people which sit-in was middle-aged or elderly. Olaf Saykiewicz, a 30-year-old Gloss immigrant, goes toward Immaculate Heart off Mary to save his traditions real time.

Throughout West Pennsylvania the summer there are numerous Catholic parish celebrations stored given that fundraisers. The fresh new photos above is actually taken from the publisher when my wife and i also were asked to greatly help during the Saint Anthony Parish “Festa” whenever we lived in Monongahela. They shows a mix of Italian and you can Slovakian cuisne. As to the reasons so it combination? Better, if Italians visited settle regarding Mon Valley they had been not allowed in the Italian language, Shine, and you may Irish Catholic places of worship here. So they shaped St. Anthony parish from inside the 1904. A couple of years later the brand new Slovaks involved an equivalent town, in addition they walked up to Monongahela finding a Catholic church so you’re able to sit-in. No church manage greet him or her, so that the bishop within the Pittsburgh led the latest Saint Anthony church to help you make the Slovaks inside. Then it absolutely was a keen Italian-Slovak church. That it tale is told by new priest in the St. New size was with a good Slovak food. The brand new diocese told the people from the St. Anthony one to their church was closing, and they had a need to begin going to the former German-Irish church, renamed St. Damien out of Transfiguration. Some individuals with the each party just weren’t comforatble to your intermixing, and diocese was exhausted into reopening St. Anthony for Saturday-night size. This was centuries after a majority of their ancestors came to The united states. However, I got currently heard of these departments when you are living in Mt. Charming, PA.

When i leftover Pennsylvania I discovered that this new diocese was closure and you may merging a few of the Catholic church buildings regarding Pittsburgh town

Whenever i basic moved to Pennsylvania We pointed out that there had been multiple Catholic places of worship doing my personal this new home town out-of Mt. Charming. I imagined I will check out any or them. We saw in the news in which Transfiguration parish (a different sort of Transfiguration than just Monongahela) is actually finding your way through their summer festival, so i chose to go voluntary to help. I delivered me personally because the new around, and started to generate stands, an such like. I didn’t observe that these people every got tresses lighter than mine. Eventually anyone explained this particular was actually a shine church, hence St. Pius X was the latest Italian-Irish chapel and you can Visitation was what they called the “Hunky” church. It told you which cordially for me. It started to chat certainly by themselves regarding the weren’t all of us only Western Catholics now? and exactly why achieved it nevertheless amount? and perhaps you will definitely so it beginner help to “integrate” the latest chapel. (I’m Caucasian.) One man are extremely type and i also also offered your good journey domestic. A couple months later the newest Diocese of Greensburg closed the fresh Transfiguration church because of structural inadequacies. Even though beautiful, it was deemed as well hazardous. The fresh new church are demolished as well as Gloss-American congregation advised first off probably one other a couple of Catholic places of worship in town. Particular performed, however some former Transfiguration parishoners refused. Afterwards they started to save up money in order to reconstruct good the Shine Transfiguration chapel that was outside of the Roman Catholic jurisdiction. Such as Monongahela, this was centuries shortly after a majority of their ancestors involved The united states.

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