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Some of our history
What is now St. John's Byzantine Catholic Church was once St. John's Greek Catholic Church. The church family began meeting in 1910 in Lyndora, Pennsylvania, a small town that sprang up around the steel mills about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh. Most of the people in Lyndora were immigrants, many from the Carpathian regions of Czechoslovakia. They brought with them their religion and traditions. They had no official church building at the time, and met in a hall which they rented for $10 a month. They met here for a little over 2 years, while planning to build a true church building. The contract for the church was made on August 28, 1912. This is why 1912 is considered the "true" beginning of the church, and the year from which we count our anniversaries.  Though the parish had a building, they had some difficulty in getting a priest. Many of the early priests who served the church stayed only a short time.  For a short time, the parishioners even used the services of  priests from the Russian Orthodox Mission, though there was a condition that all the customs and traditions of the Greek Catholic Church would be adhered to.  The church grew, and thrived. Eventually the members raised enough money to purchase lots at the Rose Hill Cemetery, to build a rectory adjacent to the church, and to buy a lot for parking. It took until 1923 for the church to become a true Greek Catholic church once more.
As the church grew, and celebrated it's 40 anniversary in 1952, it became clear that the present structure was too small to accommodate the congregation.  Groundbreaking for the new church was held on September 26, 1954, with the pastor Stephen Kocisko (the now late archbishop). The new church was completed and dedicated on November 13, 1955. The very steel companies in which the community was built around were instrumental in helping with the new church. Pullman Standard Car Company donated use of their cafeteria for church services and use of their auditorium for social activities. Armco Steel donated stainless steel for the construction of the new church.
The church is still very much the same as it was in the early 1900's. It was not until 1960 that English was slowly introduced into Sunday Divine Liturgies. Today, most of the liturgies are said in English, but the responses and songs are often sung in both English and Slavonic. We hold fast to the traditions passed down from our families and the church. We are a very "ethnic" church, with special traditions especially at Christmas and Easter. See the links page for more information on the Byzantine Catholic Faith and traditions.