Saint George

With the great help of the fraternal lodges - the Ukrainian Knights of St. George, a branch of the Providence Association, and the Taras Shevchenko Branch of the National Aid Association - St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church was founded in 1918 as a mission. Divine Services were conducted in a rented hall by visiting priests from neighboring paris... hes. On April 14, 1918, with the appointment of Rev. Wolodymyr Ulianytsky as pastor and 18,000 dollars in the treasury, a decision was made to purchase property at 60 Doerr Street for the building of a church and school. Construction began that year and was completed the next. The church was dedicated on April 27, 1919, by the Apostolic Administrator for Ukrainian Catholics in the United States, the Right Reverend Peter Poniatishyn, who would himself become the pastor twenty-four years later, in 1943. This was an admirable achievement by the founders of St. George's parish that were, for the most part, people with little, if any, financial resources! The church became the center of community life for North Side Ukrainians. An early cantor and choir director, Mr. Wasyl Lozynsky, conducted daily Ukrainian school classes and organized the first church choir. In 1921, Professor John Korbecky assumed the post and held it until his death in 1969. Under his leadership the religious and cultural life of the parish soared to new heights. Over 150 students were enrolled annually in the school. The parish choir achieved great prominence in the Western Pennsylvania Ukrainian community and a drama group under his direction presented stage performances, providing parishioners with some welcome relaxation from their daily cares and woes. Although the parish and its members endured extreme economic hardships during the Great Depression, by the grace of God and their firm faith, the parish survived under the leadership of Rev. Wolodymyr Kozoriz. With the improving economic conditions of the late 1930's, and the arrival of Rev. Peter Oleksiw as pastor in 1938, the parish devoted its ...Read More