On Sunday, September 20, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in St. Clair, Pennsylvania, celebrated its 120th anniversary, bringing together clergy, parishioners, families, and friends to give thanks for more than a century of faith and community.
Metropolitan-Archbishop Borys Gudziak presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. The anniversary celebration took place during the liturgical period surrounding the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a theme that Archbishop Borys connected in his homily with the history of the parish and the faith of the generations who built and sustained it.
The Archbishop began by reflecting on the meaning of the Cross. Historically a symbol of humiliation and a brutal form of execution, the Cross was transformed through Christ’s death and Resurrection into a sign of victory, hope, and salvation. He reminded the faithful that this faith has stood at the heart of the parish community throughout its 120-year history.
Looking back at the beginnings of St. Nicholas Parish, Archbishop Borys recalled the immigrants who came from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to work in Pennsylvania’s coal mines. Many arrived with few resources, faced language barriers and prejudice, and endured difficult working conditions.
The Archbishop invited those present to imagine the lives of the early miners. They descended into the mines while it was still dark and often returned after darkness had fallen. Despite their demanding work and limited means, they joined together and sacrificed what they had to build their church.
“They worked very hard, and they put their pennies together to build this church,” Archbishop Borys said.
For these families, the church represented much more than a building. The Archbishop reflected on what it must have meant for a man who spent his working days in the darkness of the coal mines to enter the church on Sunday and encounter the beauty of the Divine Liturgy — its prayer, singing, and incense.
Inside the church, distinctions of profession and social standing gave way to a common identity before God. Archbishop Borys recalled how men would enter wearing their hats and ties, remove their hats, and kneel in prayer. The coal miner, the lawyer, and the doctor all stood before God together.
“There is no social hierarchy in the Kingdom other than the hierarchy of holiness,” Archbishop Borys said.
He emphasized that the faith of the parish’s founders gave them hope and direction despite poverty, hardship, and prejudice. The Cross was for them a sign of victory and a spiritual guide that helped them distinguish right from wrong and truth from falsehood.
Archbishop Borys contrasted that sense of spiritual direction with the uncertainty experienced by many people today. He encouraged the faithful to recognize the inheritance that has been passed on to them: the conviction that life has a purpose, that God accompanies His people on their journey, and that death is not the end.
Reflecting on St. Paul’s words that Christ lives in him, the Archbishop reminded the faithful that Christians are called to take up the Cross not simply as an obligation or as a symbol of suffering, but as a sign of God’s victory over sin and death.
The Archbishop also placed the anniversary within the broader history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He recalled the severe persecution the Church endured in its homeland, when it was forced underground, and pointed to its renewal in the decades that followed. He noted that when Ukrainian immigrants began arriving in the United States around the beginning of the twentieth century, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church had only a small number of dioceses and bishops, while today it has grown throughout the world.
He also recalled that the Church is once again facing persecution in Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation.
Against this history, the 120th anniversary of St. Nicholas Parish was not only an opportunity to remember the past, but also a call to carry its spiritual inheritance forward.
“There is so much of this legacy that is valuable for today,” Archbishop Borys expressed his hope that the faith received from previous generations would continue to be passed on.
For 120 years, St. Nicholas Parish has been a place where generations have gathered in prayer, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Mysteries, accompanied one another through moments of joy and sorrow, and handed their faith on to their children.
Concluding his homily, Archbishop Borys called the faithful to remain confident in Christ’s victory over evil, sin, and death and to live in the hope of the Resurrection.
Today, St. Nicholas Parish is served by Rev. Mark Fesniak, pastor and Dean of the South Anthracite Deanery, together with Rev. Bohdan Vasyliv, parochial vicar.
Following the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, parishioners and guests continued the anniversary celebration with a luncheon at St. Nicholas Hall in Minersville, sharing fellowship and gratitude for this historic milestone.
