Presentation

St. Nicholas Church, Duquesne, PA

Please join us Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at our center.  We will present a talk by Father David Lesko, pastor and historian of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.

St. Nicholas

On the occasion of its 120th anniversary we have invited Fr. David, the current and longest-serving (since 1973) pastor, to chronicle its documented history.  The parish was founded in 1890 as a Greek Catholic Church.  It has witnessed the growth and decline of the steel industry in the Mon Valley and has experienced a complex jurisdictional history.  Fr. David will talk about the fascinating history of his parish, the oldest Carpatho-Rusyn church community in western Pennsylvania.  Founded in 1890, the parish has been served by major figures in Rusyn ecclesiastical history.  These include Fr. Aleksander  (later Bishop Stephen) Dzubaj, Stephen Jackovich, and (later Metropolitan) Orestes Chornock.  The church has experienced a fascinating history of affiliations - Greek Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Carpatho-Russian Orthodox, and finally the Metropolia/Orthodox Church in America.

In 1990, in observance of the parish's 100th anniversary, Fr. David researched and wrote Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church Centennial Commemoration.

Written by: John Schweich, C-RS Board Trustee.