First Ukrainian church in the U.S. to be razed! Is it too late to save it?
The current state of St. Michael’s Church in Shenandoah.
By the time this article goes to print, the first church – the first building of the organized Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.A. may exist no longer. Yes, dear readers, it may be too late. Yes, maybe, as the Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan-Archbishop of Philadelphia Stephen Soroka lamented, the community and our “hromada” simply does not care enough to save this historic site.
Sunday, reviewing the latest posted news on Facebook, the foreboding headline, “Oldest Ukrainian church building facing demolition” sent me into a state of extreme distress. The article by John Usalis in the local Shenandoah, Pa., newspaper (Republicanherald.com, dated August 15, 2015), described the imminent situation: “The first church used by Ukrainian Byzantine Catholics in the United States will soon be no more…” The demolition had already begun and the interior was being dismantled. How could this be happening?
One may ask, why does it matter? Are we talking about saving a building that no one has raised a finger to help preserve and support for decades? Have we allowed it, as a community, to almost reach a point of no return and, now, suddenly have realized its value? If this modest, frankly, unattractive building has been stripped of its former glory as a church, does it still warrant our attention?
Yes, yes, and again, yes. I maintain that this humble building has great historic significance for all Ukrainian Americans – no matter what their confession. This humble church was the glue that held these God-fearing, hard-working immigrants together – spiritually, socially and physically. It may now be a stripped-down structure with four bare walls, but this is the very first building the Ukrainian immigrants built in their new country, America.
It is here where the organized Ukrainian American community (hromada) began. It is here that the first Ukrainian brotherhood in the U.S.A., St. Nicholas of Shenandoah, was established. Later, this became the first branch of the Ukrainian National Association.
In this building, the newspaper, America, was first printed. This is also the building that Father Ivan Wolansky, the first Ukrainian priest to arrive on U.S. soil, built his church, St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church. As we see, this simple building represents many extraordinary “firsts.”
St. Michael’s was and is significant from a purely American perspective, as these first coalminers’ experiences are woven into the fabric of this great nation. They contributed to America’s successful Industrial Revolution. They were also key players and, sadly, victims of the Labor strife.
St. Michael’s represented another unique quality in the America of the late 1880s, as noted in the Shenandoah Herald in 1887: “Father Wolansky has the largest parish in the United States because people from Baltimore, New York and other areas come to Shenandoah to be married.” The largest parish in all of America in 1887? Who knew?
Historic preservation is NOT, ultimately about preserving a building; it is about honoring the past and the contribution of those that came before us. We owe it to them. These pioneers experienced tremendous hardships and made extraordinary sacrifices to build their church and our community.
Our Ukrainian pioneers arrived from Galicia, Zakarpattia and Lemkivschyna in the late 1800s. They were brought over by unscrupulous coal barons to work in the mines, lured by promises of “streets lined in gold.” The Irish coalminers were striking against low wages of one dollar an hour and terribly dangerous working conditions. But the barons were not about to concede to the coalminers. They brought over the unsuspecting Ukrainians and paid them 29 cents an hour.
Instead of a welcome, they were greeted with scorn and disdain. Illiterate and lacking knowledge of English, they endured cruelty, abuse and discrimination. But toughened by life in their motherland Ukraine, they willingly worked in the dangerous mines, toiling long hours, to ensure their families a chance at a better future.
But with married priests and “strange rituals,” the discrimination against them, their church and customs was incredible. Imagine that on the day the settlers blessed the new church, the local Roman Catholic priest in the town threatened to expel any person from the Church who dared take part in that service. Yet, despite these hardships, Ukrainian pioneers persevered and prospered. They educated their children. Today, we are the fruit of their labor and sacrifice. This incredible story is one that descendants of those pioneers, as well as new immigrants from Ukraine, should know.
Today, the unused building on West Center Street in Shenandoah is located in a very depressed economic area. Maintaining it is a financial burden that the small parish cannot endure. We, as a community, should not expect them to maintain such a historic site alone.
At first, when I read the article, I thought that the parish was being forced to sell the lot on which the original building stands to obtain the necessary funds to repair the church building currently in use. These repairs, I was given to understand, reach six figures.
However, with the property values so low in the area, any outright sale of the lot seemed like a stop-gap measure that would never reach the amount required for repairs. It certainly could not ensure the continuity of the parish’s future.
Concerned, I reached out to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to see if the community could join in the effort to save the building. Perhaps we could begin a collective effort to obtain community support for the project of converting it to a museum, without increasing the burden on an already financially strapped parish. Perhaps organizations could help partner with the archdiocese in this effort.
The UNA certainly would be willing to help establish a Preservation Heritage Fund to fund-raise for the renovation and maintenance of this historic building if it was deemed structurally feasible. Perhaps other Ukrainian organizations would partner in this project.
I was very appreciative that Archbishop Soroka immediately returned my call. He also clarified some issues. He explained that the razing of the building was a conditional term made by the archdiocese for the parish to procure the monies needed for the extensive renovations needed by the current functioning church. There were no plans to sell the site. The archdiocese, however determined that the maintenance costs and the need to bring the old building to code to its former use as a banquet facility were too great for the parish to endure. The decision was made to raze the building.
Archbishop Soroka indicated that they would place a commemorative plaque on the site to mark the first building, but preserving the site for its historic value and converting it to a museum, or obtaining historic designation was not being considered. Nor was it up for a discussion. He had little faith that this building was of interest to the general public. As such, further community involvement was not warranted and any discussion with other organization or organizations, as I suggested, was not on the table.
I was saddened by the decision. Others, obviously, are too. A petition, “Save St. Michael’s Church,” has appeared on an online petition site www.change.org and is being circulated on Facebook. But, if the archbishop does not see saving the first church of the Ukrainian diaspora for its historic value, can it be that others share his viewpoint?
As a financial professional, I am well aware of the economic challenges associated with maintaining buildings. In this case, the responsibility should not be the solely the local parish’s. I also now recognize that the Archdiocese is not prepared to take on this challenge.
But I believe, this site – as the first building of the Ukrainian immigration on U.S soil is the collective responsibility of our diaspora in the U.S.A. After all, it is part of all of our Ukrainian American collective past.
I believe a Heritage Preservation Fund could and should be created. We are willing to do so. I call on other fraternal societies and academic institutions to do so.
Let us study the possibilities. I believe, the building would and could be supported by fundraising and grants, if the building could be designated a historic site. I wish we had time to investigate the available options. Obtaining historic preservation status for the site would increase access to preservation grants. Certainly, amongst our community are grant writers, historians and financial and legal professionals that may be willing to look for solutions that would preserve the building.
Preserving our heritage is a vital link to our cultural, educational, inspirational, and economic legacies – all of the things that quite literally make us who we are. Having visual symbols of the past helps build greater awareness of the contributions our first immigrants made. When people understand what the community has gone through and have visual reminders of their heritage, they will feel more connected to the physical place and more connected to those that came before them. Buildings, such as these, give future generations understanding, hope and inspiration for the future.
I hope we are not too late. I encourage those with ideas and comments to contact the Archdiocese 215-238-1430. If you want to pledge a donation, let the Archdiocese of Philadelphia know of your interest and support. If you would be interested in contributing to such a Preservation Heritage Fund, please contact me at [email protected], attention Roma Lisovich.
Let this be a lesson to us. Our history is who we were and who we are. Our collective history is being destroyed. We have a right to feel angst and distress. Let us try to save St. Michaels in Shenandoah and ask yourself the hard question, “How much is your heritage worth?”
Roma Lisovich is the Treasurer of Ukrainian National Association.