Our Parish History

The parish was founded in 1903 as St Peter & St Paul Russian Greek Catholic Congregation.

The worship was Eastern, but with some Western influences.

For the first 45 years the parish fluctuated in its loyalties, mostly between association with the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese and with being an independent parish. The parish was independent for its first 6 years.

There also was always a strong Orthodox presence.

In 1909 and group left the parish after our associating with Bishop Sotir Ortynsky to form Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church right next door. 

In the 1920's Fr. Zuk, who would become the first Ukrainian Orthodox Bishop in the US, led the parish to break ties with the Ukr, Catholic Diocese.  The parish briefly was under a Orthodox jurisdiction before a new parish council opted to remain an independent congregation.

The parish remained independent till the late 1940's when Fr. Marion Kucher led the parish back to the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese.

A major court case ensued. A number of years of court hearings and appeals resulted in the defendants, those supporting Fr. Kucher, losing the case and eventually becoming Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Carnegie under the Ukrainian Catholic diocese in Philadelphia.  The plaintiffs, in 1951 made association with the Ukrainian Orthodox diocese in NJ of which we are still under today.

Pictures and complete Parish history up to our 100th Anniversary Year can be viewed in our Parish Museum which is located on the 2nd floor of the Church Hall.