The Centennial of the Parish in Manassas — Welcoming Community That Knows How to Love

History

Parish life began to take root in the Manassas area when Greek Catholic farmers from Pennsylvania and Ohio moved to Virginia in the 1920s. Most of these families came from the Eparchies of Prešov and Mukachevo. At first, before a mission parish was established, families prayed in the home of Danylo Duritsa, and occasionally Rev. Korytniowsky from the Pittsburgh Exarchate would visit them. On July 26, 1925, the faithful received permission to build a church from Bishop Basil Takach of the same exarchate.

The church was built and designed not by a professional architect but by an invited master carpenter, George Thomas, who drafted the initial plans for the future building. He was an African-American Methodist, so the newly built structure resembled colonial-style Methodist churches. All the wood for the church was donated by parishioners from their own forests, and they also constructed the church themselves. At that time, land was also purchased near the church for a parish cemetery, located adjacent to the building.

Since the Pittsburgh Exarchate (Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church) could not provide a priest for the Manassas mission, the Philadelphia Exarchate (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) sent priests from St. Michael Parish in Baltimore to care for it, which they did from the beginning until 1949. Liturgies were held once or twice a month. Later, from 1949 to 1981, the parish was served by priests from the Holy Family Parish in Washington, D.C. Since then and until today, the Annunciation Parish has been cared for by priests from the Holy Trinity Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.

In the early days, parishioners sang the services in plain chant (простопініє) and prayed in Slovak and English. Later, English became the primary language of the liturgy, but parishioners still use the melodies sung by the parish founders. In 1956, the parish also voted to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian liturgical calendar.

From the beginning, parishioners lovingly cared for their church. Over the years, they added a front tower, topped it with a dome, and built a sacristy behind the sanctuary. The altar, donated by the family of Ivan Hertnik, was made in England and for some time was kept in the private chapel of Alfred Joseph Pike near Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1953, a cross was erected in the parish cemetery. This cross was made by Mr. Ivan Shutlack, affectionately called Big John for his tall stature, from wood donated by Ivan Pavlovich. The parish iconostasis was installed in 1957 and consecrated by Bishop Constantine Bohachevsky on January 5, 1958.

In 1991, the parish received stained glass windows from the old St. Michael Church in Baltimore, MD. The Gospel analogion is a gift from St. Nicholas Parish in Nanticoke, PA.

Father Alexander Dumenko, Pastor

“Our parish is small — about twenty families. But they are very close-knit, knowing that their numbers are few, so they stick together. They are united, selfless, work together, love each other, live without conflicts, help one another, and do everything for the good of the parish. Most importantly, they love their parish. For any priest, this is the most precious thing — when parishioners love their community and do everything they can for it.

When a parish is large, some may work while others just watch. But when there are few people, everyone knows that their contribution matters.

I love praying with them. Sunday liturgy is at 8:30 a.m.; I wake up at 5 a.m. and pray the rosary on the way. Sometimes people come sleepy, so I try to share my energy with them.

I approach the celebration with feelings of emotion, joy, and support from the Blessed Mother. I feel that She helps in the preparation. I am grateful to Her for guidance and to the people for their help. This is not my first parish jubilee: I’ve celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Shenandoah parish and the opening of the parish in Toms River. Preparation now goes smoothly — perhaps thanks to experience. I am happy, content, and eagerly looking forward to the celebration. So are the parishioners.”

Father Taras Lonchyna (served at the parish 1981–2011)

“Serving at the Manassas parish was very rewarding. It is a small but welcoming community that truly loves its parish. During my service there, 20–25 people regularly attended. The church is small but cozy — everyone fits. The parish also has its own cemetery.

While I was there, several Roman Catholic families with children regularly came. There were also Orthodox Palestinians. It was a very interesting parish. Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper also belonged to it. She and her husband came to the liturgy every Sunday. Legendary were the annual picnics in the garden of the Cybula family.

In summary, I must admit that I loved this parish very much.”

Pastors of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

1920-1930 Rev. Wasyl Maniosky

1930-1931 Rev. Michael Koltutsky

1931-1946 Rev. Wasyl Maniosky

1946-1948 Rev. Bohdan Voloshin

1948-1949 Rev. Wasyl Seredovytch

1949-1950 Rev. Vladimir Wozniak

1950-1951 Rev. Gregory Kanda

1951-1955 Rev. Volodymyr Pylypec

1955 Rev. Henry Sagan

1955-1956 Rev. John Litwak

1956 Rev. Paul Harchison

1956-1968 Rev. Theodore Danusiar

1968 Rev. Vladimir Krayewsky, CSsR

1968 Rev. Myron Sozanski, CSsR

1968-1971 Rev. Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky

1971-1972 Msgr. Basil Makuch

1972-1980 Rev. Stephen J. Shawel, CSsR

1973-1974 Rev. Andrew Krafchik

1973-1980 Rev. Joseph Denischuk

1980 Rev. Martin Canavan

1981 Rev. Michael Sopp

1981-2011 Rev. Taras Lonchyna

1998-1999 Rev. Wasyl Kharuk

2011-2013 Rev. Volodymyr Baran, CSsR

2013-2016 Rev. Petro Zvarych

2016- now Rev. Alexander Dumenko

Prepared collaboratively by the Archives and Communications Departments