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Church historian writing book for St. Nicholas Byzantine
Wednesday, May 23, 2001 By Beth Hope-Cushey, Tri-State Sports & News Service
Duquesne was the center of worship for Byzantine Catholics in many Mon Valley communities in the late 1800s.
By 1901, though, more churches were needed as Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants found jobs in valley coal mines and steel mills.
To fill this need, St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church was founded in a former Methodist Episcopal Church in McKeesport. But the move proved to be short-lived, because the church was destroyed by fire in matter of weeks.
Newspaper reports contained speculation at that time that the cause was arson because all of the candles had been snuffed out and the furnace shut down before the building was locked for the night, church historian Leonard Chemsak said.
A replacement building continued in use until 1964 when it was razed and the present structure was built.
Chemsak said the only remnants of the original church are two stained glass windows bought in Munich, Germany, and installed in 1915.
Tradition has it that a smoke-stained icon survived the fire, but Chemsak said present-day parishioners can't find it.
Newspapers also reported and parishioners have long believed the original church was a wooden building. But Chemsak, a 60-year member, doubted it.
He traced old property records to determine that it was stone rather than wood, and his discovery will be recorded in the church's history book being written to commemorate the parish's centennial.
Festivities have been held or will be held every month this year.
The high point will come in November when St. Nicholas will join with St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church of McKeesport-Duquesne and Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church to celebrate 100 years of worship in America.
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