Parishioners flock to McAdoo church for 125th anniversary celebration
For 125 years, the faithful parishioners of St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in McAdoo have made their patronage every Sunday — and this Sunday, the archbishop decided to join them.
More than 100 people packed into the ornate Ukrainian church, tucked into the heart of McAdoo along West Blaine Street.
With ribbons adorning the front fence, and a large greeting of “Vitayemo!” — Ukrainian for welcome — the churchgoers of St. Mary’s came out in numbers to celebrate.
“I’ve been a member for life,” Russell Postupack of McAdoo said, while attending with his wife, Diane.
“We wanted to come out since we weren’t sure we’d ever see another milestone like this again.”
The service began at 1 p.m. and was standing room only by the time the liturgy began.
“We wanted to come out to celebrate,” Vladimir Holoviak of Sugarloaf Township added, with his father at his side. “My grandmother’s a member; we wanted to celebrate the milestone.”
This marks the capstone for the 125th anniversary celebrations, which also involved the pilgrimage of over 25 St. Mary’s parishioners from McAdoo to Shenandoah in September.
“It’s so wonderful to see the pews so filled,” photographer and parishioner Bill Reshetar said.
“There will be a book released, too, featuring photos throughout the years up until today telling the history of this church.”
In addition to the usual parish family, today’s mass also featured Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia presiding over mass.
After the sermon, a light reception was held for the attendees at Genetti Catering, Hazleton.
With many local churches merging or closing their doors, seeing St. Mary’s full of life and continuing strong brought joy to many of the locals, both inside and outside of the church.
“One hundred twenty-five years is really a reason to celebrate,” Reshetar said with a smile, as he snapped photos during the sermon.
Rachel Holly
