The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
St. Nicholas congregation marks its Byzantine heritage
Lorain’s St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church opened its doors on March 1 for an evening of prayer, food and celebration of eastern European culture.
Several parishioners made the trip to eastern Europe in summer 2018 and had the opportunity to visit 30 different Byzantine shrines.
“There was a pilgrimage to eastern Europe this past summer. So several of our parishioners had voyaged out to the eastern side of Europe and they visited all the different Byzantine Catholic churches and they brought all their stories and their experiences back to us,” said parishioner Kaitlyn Knick.”
Knick, the 2011 Slovak Queen in the Lorain International Princess Festival, said the March 1 event was about rediscovery, in addition to enjoying some traditional ethnic food such as haluski and pierogi.
“So today is an event where we will share those stories and rediscover our roots and how our faith,” Knick said. “Our parish and Byzantine Catholic in general has rediscovered its ethnic traditions.”
Parishioner Linda Skibo went on the trip to the homeland of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics and was able to make an incredible discovery.
“In September there were 35 of us that went to the homeland of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics. And it’s part of
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Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine,” Skibo said. “And my husband Bruce actually found his father’s house where he lived when he was a little boy. He came here when he was 9 years old and he never thought we would find it but we did.”
They visited churches and basilicas across the region and returned inspired with stories to share with the Lorain community who came out in droves to support St. Nicholas.
“It was about finding our roots and people found them. All of my grandparents were from that area. A lot of city names have changed, borders have changed but it’s all there. But everywhere we went we sang the same Carpathian plain chant that we sing here in this church.”
Skibo said the church was filled more people than it had been in decades.
“We think it’s already successful. It’s amazing. This is probably the most people we’ve had in here in 30-40 years,” Skibo said. “We’re a very small parish. We’re an old ethnic parish. So on the weekend we maybe have 60 people total come to church. So when you can get this many people here it’s amazing.”
The event brought out many from Cleveland’ eastern European community. Laurel A. Tombazzi is the chairperson for the East- ern European Congress of Ohio. She has a petition before U.S. Congress aiming to get the month of April declared as Eastern European Month across the country.
“Eastern Europeans have not been really represented among state officials, government officials, among our schools,” Tombazzi said. The first time you hear about eastern Europe is when a Serb shot someone to start WWI. But we’ve got a whole history before that as well.”