The parish of Saint John the Baptist of McKeesport dates back to the turn of the century. Ukrainians, mostly from the Western and the Carpatho-Ukrainian territories, began arriving in the United States prior to 1870, with immigration reaching its peak during the years of 1905 to 1914. Conservative estimates place the number of Ukrainian immigrants between 500,000 and 700,000. Job opportunities in the mines, mills and factories in the highly industrialized Monogahela Valley attracted many Ukrainian settlers to the McKeesport area.
The spiritual needs of the founding members of our parish were met at first by attending the existing Byzantine Rite Churches of Saint Nicholas Church in McKeesport and Saint Nicholas Church of Duquesne. Later, because of the inherent social and political differences among the settlers, attributed to their different geographical areas and customs, the need to worship in a church of their own became apparent. In 1902, under the pastorate of Reverend Nicholas Stepanovich, the first congregational church building was purchased. It was located at the corner of Sinclair and Ringgold Streets. The purchase price was $10,800.
The labors and skills of our parishioners were employed to remodel the church building to suit their needs. It is recorded, among other things, that parishioner Peter Vangaka enlarged the balcony and Nikolai Spearnak built the pulpit. Placing the cross on the belfry and raising the bell with their own hands underscored the zeal and the cooperative effort displayed by the early parishioners. The membership of the original parish consisted of 40 families and of some 100 unmarried or single persons. The monthly assessment was set in the beginning at fifty cents per family and twenty-five cents per an individual member. The first officers of the church committee were: Michael Dzama, Michael Gracon, Peter Frinsko, and later Peter Sowa.
There was a period of financial difficulties and the failure of the parishioners to meet the mortgage commitments placed the church at one point on a sheriff's sale. However, thanks to the renewed generosity of all the members and the special efforts of the parishioner Dmytro Sowa, the parish was able to prevent the forclosure of the church building.
Other records show that the first child baptized in the parish was the son of Michael and Anna Hatalevic Gracon, John Gracon, born on November 26, 1902 and baptized on November 27, 1902 by the Reverend Nicholas Stepanovich.
The first recorded marriage was that of John Schur and Maria Nesterowich, which took place on November 15, 1902. The first recorded death was that of Joseph Bedzyk, son of Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Bedzyk. This child was only eleven months old. He was buried on January 24, 1903 at the Saint Mary's cemetery in McKeesport.
In September of 1915, Reverend John Theodorowich, formerly pastor at the Saint Nicholas Church in Duquesne, came to McKeesport and became pastor of our church. During his tenure as our pastor, which lasted for thirty-seven years, the parish grew and prospered. Socities, lodges and various church organizations were formed. New properties were acquired and a substantial bank account was established.
Ukrainian ethnic customs and ethnic traditions were kept alive by the numerous social groups. Concerts, plays and other social events were staged in the church hall and enjoyed with great enthusiasm by young and old. In August of 1919 a musical band was organized. The band had 24 talented members under the direction of the late John Snyder. The band was well known and it participated in many parades in the Pittsburgh area. By 1927 economic difficulties caused the gradual decline of membership terminating this colorful venture of musical activity in the parish.
The make-up of the original parish consisted not only of McKeesport residents; there were members from such communities as Duquesne, Elrama, Glassport, Wall, West Newton and Wilmerding. In the early twenties children from these communities traveled to the McKeesport church hall for the study of catechism and the Ukrainian language. The inconvenient traveling conditions made it necessary to make other accommodations. Private dwellings were purchased in the respective communities and covereted to classrooms. In Wilmerding a school property was purchased for $2,000; in Wall a similar accommodation was secured for the amount of $1,400. In the community of Glassport a private dwelling was used for classroom purposes.
Among the early important purchases of properties made were: the rectory building at Huey Street in McKeesport acquired in August 1916 for $9,500, and the site of the present cemetery consisting of twelve acres, located on Crooked Run Road in North Versailles. This purchase was made in 1919 at the cost of $3,500. The records show that in 1924 the church building was gutted by fire and that the church services were held in the basement until the damaged building was restored.
As the parish grew so did the need for new and larger facilities. In 1929 a house on the corner of Shaw and Huey Streets was purchased as the site for the new church. The purchase price was $29,500. To finance this purchase a loan was obtained from the "Financial Corporation" which was a parish financial organization headed by Father Theodorowich, George Hayduk, Nicholas Lazorchick and the trustees: Gregory Kunicky, Onufry Lesniak and Dmytro Sowa. This property was paid off and the ceremony of the "burning of the mortgage" was held on December 26, 1943.
In April of 1953 Reverend John A. Litwak was appointed the new pastor and administrator of St. John's, replacing the retiring pastor Father Theodorowich. At this time a new and vigorous campaign was launched to secure sufficient funds for the construction of a new church. The challenge to finance the new building program was successfully met by organizing different fund raising programs and by an appeal to the parishioners for additional contributions.
Because of the realization that the property at Shaw and Huey Streets lacked a sufficient parking area, space for expansion and was generally inadequate for the new planned church building, a new site was sought. In 1954 a two and one-half acre plot of ground on Eden Park Boulevard was purchased for $50,000. On May 18, 1958 the Very Reverend Dean Ignatius Haluska of Jeannette blessed this ground. On November 30, 1959, His Excellency The Most Reverend Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky blessed the cornerstone for the new building. The construction work began immediately and a year later Father Litwak blessed the altar and officially occupied the new edifice. Solemn consecration and the dedication of the new St. John's Church took place on June 26, 1960.
The church was built according to a modified version of the Eastern Byzantine architectural design. The two front towers symbolize the two natures of Christ. The outside masonry walls were constructed of crab orchard stone, trimmed in smooth Indiana limestone, possessing self-cleaning properties. The stained glass windows were imported from Belgium. The marble altars and the mosaic icons were brought from Pietrosant and Venice, Italy. The overall length of the building is 103 feet; the width is 56 feet. The main nave has a seating capacity for 250 people. The choir loft holds about seventy-five people. The basement contains a social hall, kitchen, storage rooms, rest rooms and a boiler room. The cost of the basic structure was $200,000. Under the pastoral guidance of Rev. Paul Burak, in the Diamond Jubilee year of 1977, the interior of the church was painted and the contract for installation of the iconostasis was made.
Christine Dochwat, one of the foremost iconographers of Ukrainian descent in America, has directed and designed the decorations. The main icon, located on the apse (back of the church) is that of the Pantocrator. This image of Christ, "Ruler of All", dominates the whole edifice and traditionally is the largest and most impressive of the icons. He is the head of the church. Jesus holds the book of the Gospel in His left hand and blesses with His right hand.
Most Byzantine churches have an iconostasis or icon screen. The royal doors depict the four Evangelists. The two deacon doors are that of Saint Stephen, the first deacon, and Saint Michael the Archangel. The four main icons are traditionally that of Christ the Teacher, the Mother of God holding the Child Jesus, Saint John the Baptist (or the patron saint of the church) and Saint Nicholas, patron saint of Eastern churches. Our iconostasis, which was designed by Christine Dochwat and carved by the Matthews Church Furniture Company of Luzerne, Pennsylvania, has a second tier depicting the twelve major feasts of Our Lord and Blessed Lady. The icon screen has been constructed in such a way as to focus complete attention on the main icon of the church i.e., the Pantocrator.
In 1984, our current pastor, the Very Reverend Canon Robert S. Hnatyshyn, began his tenure as our spiritual leader. He has nurtured our community by looking after the spiritual well being of the parish. A true testimony to his devotion and hard work can be witnessed from his many hours spent visiting our sick and homebound to helping out in the pyrohy kitchen. Under his tenure, the landscape of the church and rectory have been improved and impeccably maintained, drawing frequent praise from our many visitors.
Our parish boasts several vocations. One of our sons born in Wall, Pennsylvania achieved one of the highest offices in the Ukrainian Catholic Church-that of an Archbishop-His Excellency The Most Reverend Joseph Michael Schmondiuk. Another son, Monsignor Michael Nestor, ordained April 1, 1965, even served as our pastor for awhile. The newest vocation, Reverend Doctor Mark M. Morozowich was ordained April 28, 1991, and has recently completed his doctorate in Liturgy. We are also proud that one of our daughters, the former Miss Martha Biaco, became Reverend Sister M. Tekla, OSBM.
As we look back on this 100th anniversary of our parish we gain a new respect and appreciation of all the parishioners who have sacrificed and worked diligently to perpetuate the national, cultural and religious heritage of the founders of St. John's Ukrainian Church. Congratulations! You have justly earned the respect and admiration of the community for your accomplishments.
