www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Byzantine Hungarian Parishes - US

I understand that there are 5 Byzantine Hungarian Catholic parishes in the US. Most, if not all, I think, are situated in Ruthenian jursidictions, either having been established there initially or
having asked and been granted admission to the jurisdiction.

I've been able to identify 2:

St Michael's, Oregon, OH (Parma)
Holy Cross (or, perhaps, Exhaltation of the Holy Cross NYC (Passaic)

Can anyone verify those 3 and/or provide me with the names and locations of the others.

Many years.

Neil

There WAS one in Trenton, NJ, but it closed a few years ago.

Dave

Regarding Byzantine Hungarian Parishes-St. John's Solon, OH (Eparchy of Parma)... Anna

Add to the list, St Michael in Perth Amboy, NJ (Passaic).

Steve

Were there any Hungarian parishes or parishioners
in the ACROGCC Johnstown Diocese? Since most Greek Catholic parishes in the the U.S. also had a small number of Magyarized Greek Catholics, there has to be a few who were absorbed into the
ACROGCC after it was created in the 1930's.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

In the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the following parishes are either currently listed or were at least founded as Hungarian/Magyar Greek Catholic churches:

(1) St. Nicholas, Ashtabula, OH
(2) St. Mary, Duquesne, PA
(3) Transfiguration, McKeesport, PA
(4) St. Elias, Munhall, PA
(5) St. George, Youngstown, OH

(Prof.) J. Michael Thompson
Byzantine Catholic Seminary
Pittsburgh, PA

But are there any of these Magyarized Greek Catholics in the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese, you would think there would be some of them in the Orthodox parishes. Does not Met. Nicholas' home parish of Perth Amboy NJ have a pronounced Magyarized influence in their architecture?

The ACROD church in Rahway, NJ has the word "Hungarian" in their official incorporation and etched on their cornerstone (something like "Saint John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Hungarian Greek Catholic Church"); however, this church was founded under the Metropolia and didn't enter ACROD until later, like the '50s or '60s.

I would assume that there were Magyarized individuals in the ACROD, but I don't think they ever sought to be distinct. The ACROD was formed in order to preserve being Carpatho-Russian "Greek Catholics" in the face of Russification, Ukrainianization, Magyarization, Latinization, other -izations, etc. Many of the early clergy were combatting Magyarization in the Greek Catholic Church, so I doubt they'd support a Hungarian parish. Bishop Basil Takach, I believe, only spoke Hungarian to his clergy, and this is one thing many didn't like. Bishop Orestes and company were very proud of their Rusyn tradition, as well as being in the United States.

Dave

May I ask how the "Magyarized" influence in architecture appears in these churches?

Do they also have a certain style of iconography/paintings on the iconostas and throughout the church?

Thanks,

Sam

Perth Amboy parish is a facsimile of the Mariapoch church, complete with a copy of the Weaping Icon of Mariapoch. Mariapoch is the center of the Magyarized or Hungarian Greek Catholics.

Ung-Certez

The Mariapocs... woops, that's Hungarian spelling... Marijapovch Icon is venerated by many in "that area of the world" not just Hungarian Greek Catholics. The image of the icon over the shrine church is also at the ACROD church in Rockaway, NJ, at least last time I was there. There is even a copy of the Mariapocs icon at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre in their St. Alexis Man-of-God chapel. Mariapocs devotion doesn't equal being Hungarian. It was all Austria-Hungary, but it doesn't mean we're all Hungarians! :p

Dave

I believe there is still the Hungarian Greek Catholic Mariapoch Shrine in Burton, OH where my Spiritual Father in the Byzantine Catholic Church, Fr John Kovach is the priest.

Brian,
Glory to Jesus Christ!

Yes, the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapocs is in Burton. During the summer, Divine Liturgies are celebrated in the afternoon, with the sisters serving their delicious chicken dinner following the liturgy.

The Pilgrimage still occurs on the weekend of the Dormition.

However, the Hungarian character of the Shrine has been difficult to maintain. Most of the current generations Ruthenians have assimilated so much into American culture that the Hungarian patrimony and liturgical language are very difficult to maintain.

The same is even more pronounced at St. John�s in Solon OH. The parish was founded in 1892 as a Hungarian parish. At that time, that entire Buckeye Rd neighborhood of Cleveland was Hungarian. Hungarian was spoken in all the stores (some did not use English at all), there were Hungarian newspapers and radio stations.
In the 1950�s English was added to liturgical services. The parish then had one Hungarian liturgy, and one in English.

As the character of the neighborhood changed radically in the 1960�s, the Hungarians and their next generation children moved. Scattered would be a better word. No single neighborhood remained the gathering place of Hungarians. The parish eventually closed the Buckeye Rd location and was very fortunate to �rise from the ashes� with the new location in Solon OH.

Now, the parish evangelism was directed to local residents, non-Hungarian. It did not take much time for Hungarian to drop from liturgical celebrations. Today, the parish has a small but strong following and the liturgical celebrations are 100% English.

From my perspective, I am happy that the parish and the Shrine are still in existence, serving the people who feel the closeness of the Eastern Catholic spirituality. The loss of Hungarian is unfortunate, but the continuation of the ability to serve parishioners is of far greater importance.

Please keep these people in your prayers,
Deacon El

I believe that Holy Trinity BC Church in Bridgeport, CT was also heavily Hungarian or Magyarized Rusyns. They co-existed with St. John the Baptist in the same city. It is now served by the priest from St. John the Baptist (now located in the nearby suburb of Trumbull, CT).

And we shouldn't forget St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church in New Brunswick, NJ. This parish is served by Fr. Stephen Skinta OSBM.