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A Work of Art
Debbie Romesberg‘s home features a new work of art, commemorating a historic Rusyn church attended by her grandmother, Mary Drabish—Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Goodtown, Pennsylvania.
“This past year, I commissioned my high school classmate (who is a professional artist) to paint the rural scene,” Debbie explains. “It includes the blue painted onion domed church, a silo of long-ago (which belonged to a burned-down horse farm in the center of the painting), and three wind turbines (instead of three crosses) on a distant mountain in the upper right-hand corner.” The painting, created by Dino Massaroni, now hangs in Debbie’s home office.
“I live in Ohio, and we only travel there once a year for a family reunion in that area. I have only been in that church about three or four times in my whole life—once when my grandmother, Mary Drabish, died in 1970 and to visit or tour the church since then.”
Debbie shared an anonymous write-up which details the church’s history. Dated 2008, the document explains:
Early in the 20th century, immigrants from Europe came to the United States seeking a better lifestyle. Because the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania reminded these settlers of their homeland, along with the opportunity to improve their lives, they settled in the small mining towns of Somerset County. Many of the people who settled in the Goodtown and MacDonaldton areas came from the same localities in Europe, namely Austria.
After they arrived in this country and adequately settled down, they found that they were in need of a place to perpetuate Orthodox Christianity. A committee was formed to establish a place to worship. Some of the people who worked with this committee were: the first priest, the Very Reverend Father John Komar; Frank Mohilchock, president; Nicholas Rizak, vice-president; Lishko Linko, secretary; and treasurer, John Basara. After much prayer and planning, Saints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church was built in 1917 in the booming mining town of Goodtown, PA.
Some of the early families that were members included: Kutzmeda, Bruce, Hummel, Nider, Russian, Chipelock, Biconich, Drabish, Druzitsky, Swet Slivkanics (Slifco), Petro, Ferrance, Matieszyn and Popovich. Many names of these founding members are still familiar in the area today.
Throughout the ninety-one years of its existence in Goodtown, the little church has been served by a number of priests. These include the Very Reverend Fathers Komar, Luzak, Hanchak, Pianovich, Kurharsky, Lazar, Kirichenkoff, Barna, Okaly, Barany, Staphanko, Yankovich and presently the Very Reverend Father John Govrusik.
The first couple to be married in this church was John Swet and Lena Yonish in the year 1919.
Some of the current officers include Joe Petro, president; Bill Slifco, vice-president; and Dorothy Sue Slifco, secretary.
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