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WHEREAS, St. George’s Parish is a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), which is the largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches. St. George’s is a Church of the Byzantine rite in full ecclesial communion with the Pope of Rome and acknowledge his spiritual and jurisdictional authority; and,
WHEREAS, emigrants from Western Ukraine came to the United States of America in the latter half of the nineteenth century and settled on the North Side of Pittsburgh during the late 1880s. They first worshiped with the congregation of Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church, now located on Superior Avenue, before relocating to Woods Run. However, these early immigrants wanted to worship God in their new homeland according to the ancient traditions of their own ancestors. This ardent desire, and the wish to preserve a spiritual and cultural heritage for their children, prompted them to organize a Ukrainian Catholic Church of their own; and,
WHEREAS, ground-breaking ceremonies for St. George’s Parish took place on July 2, 1967. Construction of the church and rectory began in August and continued through the following year. The first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the new building on January 19, 1969, when the move to the new location was complete; and,
WHEREAS, the construction completed, the congregation continued its intense efforts to furnish and decorate the church in a traditional Byzantine style. On a pay-as-you-go basis, the stained glass windows, icon mosaics, an iconostasis, was well as artful decoration of the interior, were all added to make St. George’s one of the most beautiful examples of a Ukrainian Catholic Church in typical Greco-Byzantine style. The completely redecorated church was rededicated by our Eparchial Bishop His Grace Bishop Robert (Moskal) on May 19, 1985; and,
WHEREAS, on August 1, 2001, Fr. Valerian M. Michlik began his priestly ministry serving St. George’s parish family. During Fr. Valerian’s tenure, parish activities were revitalized and new programs introduced. In August 2012, after eleven years of service Fr. Valerian Michlik moved on to a new parish and was succeeded by Fr. Ihor Hohosha. Fr. Ihor was known to parishioners at St. George as he was the pastor at a neighboring parish, St. John the Baptist in McKees Rocks; and,
WHEREAS, during the summer of 2016 a major renovation project on the interior of the church was undertaken. The interior renovations were planned, supervised, and executed by Volodymyr Mayorchak. The interior was repainted in its entirety, three new icons were added, and plaster repair work was performed. The new icons in the dome behind the altar honor Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky and Patriarch Josyf Slipyj; and,
WHEREAS, in November 2016 and November 2017, Pierogi Fest was introduced as a major fundraiser and both were resounding successes; and,
WHEREAS, many more people and activities have made it possible for the parish of St. George to reach this point in its history - 100 years. We celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the Church by remembering sacrifices made by its ancestors, original founders, and the priests who have served this church and worked to make it a vibrant source of spiritual strength and comfort for its parishioners, and the parishioners who work to assure the continuity of the Church; and,
WHEREAS, while remembering those who have already passed into eternity, St. George’s Parish looks forward to the future and works to transmit its faith and traditions to the children of the parish. St. George’s Parish and the City of Pittsburgh look forward to another 100 years of faith and history!
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare June 17th, 2018, to be “St. George’s Parish Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.