www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Most Eastern Christian City In America

These two cities have just been brought to my attention as possibly having the highest percentage of Eastern Christians:

St. Clair, PA with 5 parishes and a population of 3,524.

Lyndora, PA with 4 parishes and a population of 1,167.

Dave

Since I think we can all agree, 'cept for maybe Alex, that Canada is little America, so shall I throw in the farm communities around Edmonton, or perhaps even Winnipeg?

-uc

Chtec,

St. Clair's a good one. I just passed through there and was thinking about that. There's Ukrainian Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, OCA, Uk. Orthodox, and Carpatho-Russian Orthodox that I know of. The ACROD church used to by pastored by my friend's dad. Dad's now a monk in Johnstown, son's a priest himself, and the church has 1 deacon there, just had a subdeacon ordained deacon, and has another subdeacon or 2 floating around. Truly blossoming parish!

Not too far away is the borough of Minersville: 1 Byzantine Church w/ primary school, 1 Ukrainian Catholic w/ primary school (2 EC schools in one tiny town!), 1 OCA, 1 Ukrainian Orthodox, maybe 1 or 2 others but I can't remember. But 2 schools and I think they're both still going.

If you take the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and not just the city, then the 'Burgh should have it nailed.

I've been Eastern Catholic most of my life. there are three Orthodox groups here in town: Greek, Russian, and Coptic. there may be a few more. as far as Eastern Catholic is concerned, there are four in Atlanta: Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Melchite, and Maronite. there is also a smorgasboard of Orthodox churches in Atlanta.thre is a Ruthenian mission near Knoxville, and a group hoping for mission status in Nashville. there just isn't anything here for me in Chattanooga, and I'm 120 miles from each of the cities mentioned. I just do what I have been doing for thirty years as an isolated EC and that's it, I suppose. wish some of you ECs up there would move here and bring the Light of the East here for me and those Latins who have seen the Light
Much Love,
Jonn

Would those churches (temples?) be recognized as Eastern if one stepped inside them?

I started a map awhile back in CAD with every Eastern temple/church/parish/monastery/chapel on it, whether Orthodox or Catholic. Unfortunately, it was wiped out with a hard drive crash. I thought I had a backup, but it was lost. I plan to redo the map again. I was almost complete with it and it looked like one of those pictures of the US from space highlighting all the 'lighted' areas. From what I remember, New York City and environs is the most packed Eastern area. I had to shrink the size of the parish lights in order to fit them in the same geographical area. (I based the locations on the longitude and latitude of their address/zip code) If I redo it, I will contemplate submitting it to the Administrator to post on the byzcath.org website for all to enjoy.

Joe


PS: Just don't let the lights go out.

According to the book Steel City : Gary.Indiana 1906-1950 by Raymond A Mohl and Neil Betten. Gary had the highest pct of Orthodox Christians of any major city in the US (I assume that means over 100.000) Unfortunately the authors don't give the exact year, but they do also mention that OC's outnumbered RC's. Now add to that the fact that Gary had a few EC churches as well and you have what was the most Eastern Christian city in America.

Joe,

You've got to redo it - I love it

Many years,

Neil

I would like to submit for your consideration the town of Mckeesport, which is south of Pittsburgh. It has two Byzantine Catholic (one Rusyn and one Magyan), One Ukrainian Catholic, One Car-Rus Orthodox, One Serbian Orthodox, One OCA church which became Synodal, and one Romanian Catholic Church.
At it hight it has one Polish, Slovak,Hungarian and Croatian, Roman Catholic Church.
Plus we has two Narodowy Churches one Polish and one Slovak, However we did not have any Slovak Protestant Churches, But we had two Hungarian Reformed Churches, and all of our Synagogues were Hungarian.

theodore wrote: Plus we has two Narodowy Churches one Polish and one Slovak

What affiliation was the Slovak church? Was it like a Slovak version of the Polish National Catholic Church?

Stojgniev

P.S. Just curious, never heard of such a thing.

Stojgniev

The PNCC has included over the years, Czech, Slovak and Lithuanian parishes.

Lawrence,

Thanks for the info. I was not aware of it. What survives today of those non-Polish parishes affiliated with PNCC?

Stojgniev

Check out their directory. Here's the page for New Jersey, for example, where there is still a Slovak parish in Passaic, and a Czech one in Perth Amboy:

http://www.pncc.org/parish_addresses.asp?parish_state=NJ&Submit=View+Church+List

Dave

The Czech, Lithuanian, and Slovak National Catholic Churches all arose from similar circumstances as caused the birth of the PNCC. Each began as an autonomous body, but all had loose connections with the PNCC, oldest and largest of the four, looking to it for continuation of episcopal orders, for instance.

Ultimately, each entered into formal union with the PNCC which, for a time, had an episcopal vicar for each of the ethnic groupings - although I think those are now a thing of the past and assimilation is relatively complete.

The Lituanians formally merged with the PNCC in about 1965, although there were a few dissidents that struck out on their own briefly - I think that if any of those are still extant, they are now stand-alone churches or have merged with various of the Old Catholic bodies in the US. The Slovak NCC, after a decades-long close relationship with the PNCC, ultimately became one with the PNCC in anout 1995 or 1996 - I don't believe that any were left behind in doing so.

The Czechs merged early, I believe, because I have a recollection that they actually had an ordinary of their own within the PNCC structure for some time.

The Slovak church in Passaic which Dave mentioned was, in fact, the Slovak National Cathedral until their merger with the PNCC.

Many years,

Neil

While we are on the subject of The Polish National Catholic Church, are there any Mariavite Churches in the USA?
Also, I know the reason that there was a split in the Slovak Catholic Church, Holy Trinity, was; that they were sent a German priest to be their pastor