THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

On our 110th anniversary

Spotlight on UNA branches

Beginning with this issue, the UNA will spotlight its branches across North America. The information in this section was submitted to the UNA Home Office at the time of the organization's centennial. It is published here under the coordination of Oksana Trytjak, UNA fraternal activities and special projects coordinator.

BRANCH 1, SHAMOKIN, PA.

ST. ANDREW SOCIETY

Branch 1 of the Ukrainian National Association was the dream of the Ukrainian community.

As our Ukrainian people migrated from the Old World to the New World, many settled in the hard-coal region of Pennsylvania - Shamokin being one of the most popular places.

Not being well-educated, the majority went to work in the coal mines - a very dangerous occupation that left many immigrants dead or disabled. This affected both adults and children, who worked at the mines as coal breakers.

By the end of 1890 there were between 200,000 and 300,000 Ukrainians living in the United States. These arrived through the ports of New York (Ellis Island), Baltimore and Boston.

The majority of these immigrants settled in Shamokin, Mount Carmel, Shenandoah, Olyphant, Hazelton, Mayfare and Lansford, Pa.

These Ukrainian immigrants had many social, cultural and linguistic problems. They lacked leadership, except for the few priests that were available. Most of the people were of the Ruthenian (Ukrainian) Greek-Catholic rite and when adversity struck they banded together at their place of worship.

Their efforts to get a priest were realized in 1884 when the archbishop of Lviv sent the Rev. Ivan Voliansky, the first Ukrainian priest in the United States. However, he was sent to Shenandoah, Pa., approximately 20 miles from Shamokin.

By the fall of 1886 the first Ukrainian Catholic church was built in Shenandoah through the efforts of Father Voliansky and the Ukrainian community in Shenandoah. He organized the first choir, reading room and library in Shenandoah, as well as an evening school and fraternal societies.

The first Ukrainian immigrants settled in Shamokin around 1879. John Hasich, and Stephen and Phillys Murdza were the first three to settle here. The ever-increasing number of Ukrainians settling in Shamokin asked Father Voliansky to celebrate the liturgy in their community; this came to pass in 1884.

In 1890 their longing for a church of their own was realized when a wooden structure at Pearl and Pine streets in Shamokin was dedicated. Before that services were offered in private homes and buildings large enough to accommodate the parishioners.

Three years later the Rev. Ivan Konstankevych became the first pastor of the Shamokin parish, and under his leadership it became one of the largest and best organizations.

He organized laymen and taught them to teach the Ukrainian language. Their day school then became an evening school that taught religion, writing and language, because the children went to public school during the day. He organized the first Ruthenian (Ukrainian) band and the first choir, Boyan.

During this time the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Society was a principal fund-raiser. With more immigrants arriving in Shamokin, the need for a new church was evident. In 1907 the new church - a magnificent granite structure - was dedicated by Bishop Soter Ortynsky at the corner of Shamokin and Clay streets.

Next the Ukrainians wanted to establish their own Ukrainian Catholic church administration, which would control the priest and their activities, and bring order to their church. This move incurred the wrath of other Slavic and Latin rite church groups. The Ukrainians were considered radicals and were condemned by the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Ukrainians who supported such a change were barred from a decent burial in Catholic cemeteries.

Prejudice against Ukrainians existed not only in religious affairs, but in civic life as well. Ukrainians going to work were often beaten and their food was either taken away or was contaminated one way or another, so they went to work and had nothing to eat. With conditions like this and worse, the Ukrainian community began to understand that it had to band together for strength and security.

Brotherhoods were organized to look after the material needs of the community. These brotherhoods became the leading organizations in the town and helped in building churches. Dues paid by the members were eventually used to help convalescing workers and their families, and to help cover the cost of funerals.

The Ukrainian Brotherhood of Ss. Cyril and Methodius founded in 1887 in Shamokin was the most active. The Ukrainian Brotherhood of Taras Shevchenko was established in 1896. More brotherhoods were formed later.

The Union of the Greek-Catholic Russian Brotherhoods was founded in 1892 with Father Konstankevych elected to the Auditing Committee. Finding some excesses in the management of funds, Father Konstankevych and his supporters left the union in 1893 during its convention in Scranton, Pa. Immediately after that convention four Ukrainian priests, the Rev. Kon-stankevych, Theofan Obushkevych, Ambrose Poliansky and Hryhory Hrushka met in the latter's Jersey City, N.J., apartment and decided they needed a separate Ukrainian national organization, which they called the Rusyn National Association.

In November 1893 the Rev. Hrushka printed a full-page editorial in Svoboda titled "We Need a National Organization" stressing the urgency of a "soyuz." The Rev. Poliansky prepared the by-laws.

The assembly was called together in Shamokin's Columbus Hall, on Pearl and Vine streets, on George Washington's birthday, February 22, 1894. Svoboda reported the creation of the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) in its March 1, 1894, edition with a banner headline reading "It Has Come to Be."

In 1894 the Ukrainian National Association was composed of 13 original brotherhoods starting with 492 members and $605.60 in its treasury.

In the 1930s, the UNA founded a juvenile branch in Shamokin. New members organized a basketball team and the UNA paid for the equipment.

In more recent times, the branch's membership became scattered as industries in the region were closed down.

- compiled by George Pollyniak

Today the officers of Branch 1 are Joseph Klebon, president; George Pollyniak, secretary; and Marie Pollyniak, treasurer.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 7, 2004, No. 10, Vol. LXXII

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