128 ANDREW J. SHIPMAN MEMORIAL 



Ruthenian Greek Catholic churches of St. Nicholas, at Troy; 

 St. Nicholas, at Watervliet, Sts. Peter and Paul, at Cohoes. 



There are now about 165 Ruthenian Greek Catholic 

 churches in the United States and some 40 more in Canada, 

 as well as numerous missionary stations in both countries. 

 The Greek Catholic clergy here number 156 priests and one 

 bishop, and in Canada one bishop and 52 priests. The Ameri- 

 can-Ruthenian Greek Catholic bishop is the Right Rev. Soter 

 Ortynski ^ of Philadelphia, Pa., appointed by the Pope in 

 1907, and the Canadian bishop is the Right Rev. Nicetas 

 Budka, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, appointed by the Pope in 

 1 91 2. A full account of the Ruthenian Greek Catholics will 

 be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia, volume VI, under 

 "Greek Catholics in America." and in volume XIII, "Ru- 

 thenians." Their numbers have increased since that was 

 written, and they are making as rapid strides in progress, edu- 

 cation and wealth in America as any other nationality coming 

 here under the same conditions. 



They come of a race which is alien, or rather unknown to 

 us, in rite, in language and in history. They were very poor, 

 since their fate, in being under the rule of other races — the 

 Poles and the Hungarians — was singularly like that of Ire- 

 land, and like the men and women of the Irish race they have 

 kept alive their nationality and their Eastern Rite, and above 

 all they have kept up their language and their Slavic traditions. 



Being of the Greek Rite, they have been misunderstood and 

 neglected even by the American Catholics of the Latin Rite. 

 This has left them in some cases a prey to the proselyter, who 

 has installed sectarian services and under the guise of priest, 

 altar and missal leads them alike from their rite and their 

 Catholic faith. Two or three of these attempts have been suc- 

 cessfully checked. The Greek Orthodox Church of Russia 

 has also endeavored here in America to win them away from 

 Catholicism, and in many cases has succeeded. 



It behooves all Catholics to help their brethren, even if their 

 venerable, historic Eastern Rite be strange and almost unknown 

 to them. Remember that their Greek Catholic Rite is the rite 

 of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzen. 

 St. John Damascene and St. Cyril, and that sixteen of the 

 Popes were of this Eastern Rite. Among the Popes since the 



1 Died March 26, 19 16. 



