[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SAINT MICHAEL'S UKRAINIAN GREEK 
               CATHOLIC CHURCH IN HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to the 100th 
anniversary of Saint Michael's Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in 
Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
  The foundations of St. Michael's Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church 
began in the late 19th Century when Eastern European immigrants came to 
Northeastern Pennsylvania to work in its mining industries.
  The first group of western Ukrainian immigrants settled in Hazleton 
in the 1880s.
  In 1910 a small group of Ukrainian immigrants purchased a church in 
Hazleton from the local Lithuanian community for $5,700, and 
established St. Michael's Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Despite 
limited resources and through hard labor, the founders paid back the 
debt they owed in one year.
  The Church initially had 70 member families in 1910, and by 1912 that 
number had doubled.
  The Church, however, was in great need of repairs. Over the next 100 
years, the members of the Church and its leadership would undertake 
extensive renovations to upgrade and maintain their place of worship.
  The first renovations began in the 1920s, when Rev. Joseph Boyarchuk 
led the congregation to paint the interior of the Church. In 1926, 
despite continued hard economic times, Rev. Lawrence Zakrevsky led a 
renovation of the exterior of the Church.
  After a fire damaged the Church in 1935, the exterior was again 
replaced in the 1940s under the guidance of Rev. Andrew Ulicky, and in 
1949, a new tile floor was added.
  During the 1950s, the interior was redecorated under Father 
Shymansky, and a $4,000 iconostasis was installed.
  After St. Michael's Church was rededicated in 1954, further 
renovations continued. In 1957 the roof was replaced, and during the 
1970s new doors were added and renovations were made to the property's 
sidewalks.
  In honor of the Church's 75th anniversary in 1985, the windows were 
replaced and the Church's interior was again repainted.
  Under the current leadership of Monsignor James Melnic, upgrades and 
renovations have continued to the building and its grounds.
  On Sunday, October 31, 2010 the Church will celebrate its centennial 
anniversary with a Pontifical Divine Liturgy.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing this milestone. Over the 
past 100 years, the dedicated members of St. Michael's Ukrainian Greek 
Catholic Church have demonstrated great pride in preserving the 
religious community that their ancestors worked so hard to create.

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