Leckrone church to observe 100th anniversary
The parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help/St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Leckrone will host a special evening Mass of Celebration and Thanksgiving on Saturday, June 29, as the German Township church continues the celebration of its 100th anniversary. “We’re going to have a full church,’ said Agnes Nalepka, a member of the 100th anniversary/renovations committee. “People are coming from everywhere.’
Bishop Anthony G. Bosco, spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, will preside at the Mass, which begins at 6 p.m. Concelebrants will include the Rev. Andrew Kawecki, pastor; the Rev. Kenneth Zaccagnini, head of the local deanery and pastor of St. Therese Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown; the Rev. Anthony Wozniak, former pastor of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church in Fairchance, now retired; and the Rev. James Popochock, pastor of St. Procopius Parish in New Salem and St. Thomas Parish in Footedale.
The church is inviting all parishioners, former parishioners, priests who formerly served the parish, neighboring priests, nuns who formerly worked at the parish as well as relatives, friends and classmates of the former St. Mary’s Catholic School to attend the event.
A light reception at St. Mary’s Social Hall will follow the conclusion of the Mass. Those attending the reception will be treated to a display of the church’s history that’s told in artifacts and photographs.
There are photos of weddings, baptisms, Communion and confirmation ceremonies as well as documents that illustrate the vision of the church and its ties to the Diocese of Greensburg.
Enthusiasm for St. Mary’s has not changed from its earliest days when it was begun by Slovak coal miners whom, Rev. Kawecki pointed out, sometimes sacrificed the needs of their family to build the church.
“I feel honored being a member of this parish with all the history I’ve learned,’ said Vicki Kerwatski, who joined the parish 11 years ago and is also a member of the anniversary/renovations committee.
Nalepka, who joined St. Mary’s when she married her husband Edward 55 years ago, said, “The parish is wonderful. I love to come and worship. I’m at peace when I’m here.’
According to a church brochure, St. Mary’s was established on June 16, 1902, when the Rev. William J. Drum became the first resident priest. At first, the church was known as St. Columbkill and later named Our Lady of Perpetual Help but more conveniently called St. Mary’s. The first church was a frame structure built on land donated by H.C. Frick Co. Bishop Richard Phelan of the Pittsburgh Diocese dedicated the first church on Oct. 9, 1904. It was destroyed by fire in 1907.
Although the cemetery remains on this land, a new wooden church was built nearby on another parcel donated by Frick. In 1907, St. Mary’s also acquired a mission church at Gates, where Mass was celebrated every Sunday. The present church was constructed by parishioners and the cornerstone was laid Aug. 7, 1910.’
“When the church was built, a group came from the mine and made the bricks. The building is handmade from top to bottom,’ Rev. Kawecki said. “The bricks were made out of coal ashes.’
Now covered with white stucco, St. Mary’s is a beautiful building that stands idyllically in the midst of its country setting. Outside and inside, it’s adorned with special banners that mark the anniversary. Inside, the church has undergone recent renovations that included the vestibule, altar, and pews, painting and plastering, Stations of the Cross, sculptures. “It was quite extensive,’ noted Rev. Kawecki.
Parishioners who serve on the anniversary/renovations committee include Eric Culleton, chairman; Mary Ann and Larry Fell, Mary Ann Hritz, Vicki Kerwatski, Agnes Nalepka, Freda Hispidavis, Bob Brown, Rudy Malinsky and Sue Ann Malinsky.
They are representatives of the 300 families who attend St. Mary’s. The parishioners come from Ronco, Masontown, Leckrone, Gates, Edenborn and Uniontown.
“There are a lot of them scattered around,’ said Rev. Kawecki, explaining, “Originally, this was a Slovak parish and then it became territorial.’
There have been other changes as well. The mines that led to the creation of the church closed. St. Mary’s School, which opened in 1908, closed in the 1960s. The school offered classes for students in grades one through eight and was serviced by the Vincentian Sisters.
The social hall, built in 1975, includes a photo gallery of priests who have served the parish. They include the Rev. William Drum, founding pastor, 1902-06; the Rev. Francis Polivka, 1906-08; the Rev. John W. Kovalsky, 1908-10; the Rev. John Blazic, 1910-27; the Rev. Bernard J. McBride, 1926-27; the Rev. Fabian S. Kondrla, 1927-56; the Rev. Anthony G. Hardy, 1956-63; the Rev. Joseph J. Hmelyar, 1963-75; the Rev. Stanislaus J. Walczak, 1975-82; the Rev. Leonard J. McAlpin, 1982-85; the Rev. George R. Pierce, 1985-95; and Rev. Kawecki, who came here in 1995.
Parochial vicars included: the Rev. Andrew J. Charnoki, 1947-53; the Rev. Andrew Horvath, 1953; the Rev. Anthony Rakauskas, 1953-56; the Rev. Edward Boley, 1956-57; the Rev. Michael Bienia, 1961-62; and the Rev. Apolinarius Murawski.
The parish staff includes Mary Lou Mesich, secretary; George Satovich, director of music; Susan Catanzarite, coordinator of religious education for children; Jane Pramuk, coordinator of religious education for adults; Michael Dumbrowsky, parish custodian; and Rudy Malinsky, cemetery coordinator. The church also offers a Web site at www.olph-stmary.org.
The social hall today includes congratulations for the 100th anniversary sent by Pope John Paul II, President George W. Bush, Bishop Bosco and former Gov. Tom Ridge.
The anniversary celebration began in February with a Valentine’s dinner dance in the social hall. There was a Palm Sunday Mass of Healing with the Rev. William Kiel, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown; and vespers to end the Easter season on Pentecost Sunday.
St. Mary’s will conclude its anniversary celebration on Friday, Dec. 6, with a Mass at 6 p.m., followed by a novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. A reception will take place afterwards in the social hall.
For more information on Our Lady of Perpetual Help/St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, phone 724-737-5736.