ig6 ANDREW J. SHIPMAN MEMORIAL 



venture also caused the suspension of Father Andrukovitch, 

 who returned to Galicia in 1892. The next three Greek clergy- 

 men were Rev. Theophan Obushkevitch (of Galicia), Rev. 

 Cornelius Laurisin and Rev. Augustin Laurisin (of Hungary), 

 who took up their missionary work energetically. The first 

 two are still Greek -Catholic parish priests in this country. Since 

 their coming there has been a constant accession of Ruthenian 

 Greek priests from Galicia and Hungary, and the building of 

 churches and schools has gone on with increasing success. 

 Even quite costly churches have been built. In Jersey City 

 the old church has given way to a fine stone and brick church, 

 which is an excellent specimen of Russian architecture, while 

 at Homestead and Shamokin, Pennsylvania, there are quite 

 costly churches erected. Many of the Greek churches are pur- 

 chases from Protestant denominations, altered and rearranged 

 for the necessities of their rite, while one or two are churches 

 brought over from the schismatics. The first Greek Catholic 

 Mass in New York City was celebrated in the basement of St. 

 Brigid's church on Avenue A (which was put at the disposal 

 of the Greeks by the late Archbishop Corrigan), on April 19, 

 1890, by the Rev. Alexander Dzubay, who is still in active 

 parish work in America. This Greek congregation afterwards 

 bought a church in Brooklyn (St. Elias, 1892), and there was 

 no Ruthenian church in Manhattan until the Greek Catholic 

 church of St. George was opened in 1905. In February, 1909, 

 the Greek Bishop Soter bought a Protestant Episcopal church 

 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, refitted it, and consecrated it 

 as the Greek Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Con- 

 ception, and in the adjoining parish house and rectory will also 

 open a seminary for the education of American priests of the 

 Greek Rite. Of course many Ruthenian settlements in various 

 localities are too poor to build and maintain a church, nor are 

 there just at present sufficient priests in America to attend to 

 their spiritual needs. Still there are at present (1909) about 

 140 Ruthenian Greek Catholic churches in the United States, 

 and there are also ten more new ones projected for waiting 

 congregations. Their churches are distributed as follows : 



Pennsylvania 80 



New York • 14 



Ohio 12 



New Jersey 10 



Connecticut 4 



