EASTERN RITES 127 



RuTHENiAN Immigration to America 



The Ruthenians are now firmly established in America. In 

 the United States they number over half a million, and in 

 Canada there are some two hundred and twenty thousand. 

 Every steamer brings more of them, and as they have raised 

 large families, the native born of Ruthenian parentage in- 

 crease steadily. As they are hard-working and eager to get 

 on and being steadily Americanized, it is our duty to co-oper- 

 ate with them, to understand their Greek rite and forms of 

 worship, their history and the ties which unite them with the 

 old country from which they came. 



Ruthenian immigration began about 1880, chiefly to Penn- 

 sylvania. As they increased in numbers they brought their 

 church here, too. In 1884 Father Ivan Volanski, the first Ru- 

 thenian Greek-Catholic priest in America, came from Galicia 

 to Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. In the following year he built 

 the first uniat Greek-Catholic church there. Two years later 

 another church was built at Hazletown, Pa., and the year fol- 

 lowing two more at Kingston and Olyphant, Pa. In the fol- 

 lowing year (1889) two more were established at Jersey City 

 and Minneapolis. The priests who immediately followed 

 Father Volanski were Revs. Zeno Lachovich, Constantine An- 

 drukovich, Theophan Obuskevich. Since then the Ruthenian 

 clergy have come in greater numbers, and the building of 

 churches and schools has gone on with increasing success. 

 Many very fine churches have been built in Pennsylvania, and 

 many churches have been purchased from Protestant denomi- 

 nations and turned into Catholic churches. 



Owing to the large cost of real estate in New York City 

 the Ruthenian Greek Catholics were late in establishing a 

 church here. But in 1905 the Ruthenian Greek Catholic 

 Church of St. George (originally on 20th Street, but now on 

 7th Street, near Cooper Union) was first organized and made 

 such progress that they purchased a larger building from the 

 Methodists. In 191 2 the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church 

 of St. Mary's was also organized. In Yonkers there are two 

 Ruthenian Greek Catholic churches, St. Nicholas of Myra 

 and St. Michael the Archangel. In Peekskill there is a Ru- 

 thenian Greek Catholic missionary chapel. There are also the 



