www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization St. Mary's Church Mountin Road Fallston, MD

This is truly an interesting topic because it is part of a small movement of a few Orthodox priests in the 1960s who made their way back to Rome. In each case this led to new divisions in the parishes they served. Other priests who returned to the Greek Catholic Church at the same time as Father Dornic were Father Andrew Musko who was pastor of St. John's Greek Catholic Church on Second Street in Allentown, PA and Father Andrew Zapotocky. In Allentown a lengthy court case ensued over title to the church property. Father Musko himself held the title to the church property. The PA courts ruled in favor of Fr. Musko and those parishioners who wished to remain part of ACROD were forced to leave. St. John's was rededicated as St. Andrew Byzantine Catholic Church and was closed by the Passaic Eparchy sometime in the early 1990s when Father Musko retired. Those who remained in ACROD later founded another church on 6th street in Allentown in what was a former synagogue. In each case these priests were initially received under the special jurisdiction of Cardinal Krol. I believe the ACROD 50th anniversary book from 1988 refers to this event as an attempted "plot" on the part of Cardinal Krol to destroy ACROD.

Both Fathers Musko and Zapotocky were ordained prior to 1938,I don't recall if either was originally ordained as Greek Catholic or Orthodox, but I suspect Orthodox given that they were contemporaries of Fr. Joe Mihaly. They were of a period where "back and forth" was not uncommon for clergy and parishes. I vaguely remember Fr. Zapotocky, he served my grandparents parish of St. Mary in Bayonne, NJ and I think he also was pastor briefly at St. George in Taylor, PA.

At the time of his death, Fr Zapotocky was the pastor of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Roebling NJ. It seems that St. Macrina in Monogahela was dedicated by Cardinal Krol. It then was then a parish of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia before later being transferred to the jurisdiction of the Metropoloa of Pittsburgh.

Another of our people's ironies. St Nicholas was the home parish of the late Protopresbyter John Yurcisin, longtime Chancellor of ACROD,and a fiery writer in the pages of the GCU Messenger and other publications prior to 1938 and thereafter in what became Orthodox papers.

DMD,
There are so many ironies. Here is an interesting link that I was able to dig up. It concerns the dedication of St. Macrina in Monongahela. It lists Cardinal Krol as "Apostolic Visitator" for Byzantine Catholics in the United States at the time. I am wondering if there is anyone he who has more information concerning how long he served in this role.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19670908&id=1nYfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=308EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5906,2274388

Here is also some other info regarding Father Andrew Musko:
http://articles.mcall.com/1986-06-28/news/2518831_1_altar-st-andrew-church

The summary of the judgment in the Court case involving the Allentown Parish and Fr. Musko:
http://pa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19720628_0040984.PA.htm/qx

My father, of course knew Fr. Musko well as they served in the same deanery from 1947 through 1965(?) or so when the troubles began. I recall that during the height of the litigation in 1967 he came to the Allentown hospital to annoint my brother who was killed by a drunk driver and to comfort my other brother who was critically injured - an act of kindness and priestly duty for which my parents were truly grateful. I don't know the cause of his falling out with Bishop Chornock, but such things were common in the ACROD, BCC and OCA in the "old days."

St.Michael's in Binghamton is another of the autonomously chartered Greek Catholic churches, its litigation ended with it being part of ACROD.

It would seem from the 1986 Allentown Morning Call article that Fr. Musko was well liked by the parishioners who remained at St. John's(Later St. Andrews). I have heard also from others that Fr. Musko remained good friends with some ACROD clergy even after he returned to Rome. From the same article though it does seem that the church was sort of his own little fiefdom which only continued to operate only until his retirement. The parish was then closed and merged with St. Michael's BCC a few blocks away. The church is very visible from the Tilghman Street Bridge. A few years ago I drove past out of curiosity and found that it is operating as a Hispanic Evangelical Church. It still has it's domes and three barred crosses intact though!