St. John the Baptist celebrates 100 years
Natalie Reid Miller/Observer-Reporter
The Rev. Joseph Oleynik, left, rector of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church of Canonsburg, talks with parishioner Paula Phillis about the upcoming 100th anniversary celebration.
Natalie Reid Miller/Observer-Reporter
Renovations were done in the church, located on Boone Avenue in Canonsburg, in the early 2000s. A major renovation, including the addition of classrooms and a new entrance and library, was completed in 2013.
CANONSBURG – Around 1916, a group of Canonsburg residents who had emigrated from Eastern Europe began meeting in the home of Dimitri Moskal.
“In a massive immigration, people tend to congregate with their own. It’s natural,” said the Rev. Joseph Oleynik.
On Jan. 19, 1918, a public church service was held at Miner’s Hall, near where the current Liberty Lumber is located. Father Gregory Kobasa, the first priest of of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, led the service. Within a few months, two lots on Vine Street were purchased for the construction of a church, which was complete in September 1919.
“They started with nothing and within years, had a church,” said Paula Phillis, who has attended St. John all of her life.
In May 1963, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new church on Boone Avenue, and in June 1964, a Pentecost Sunday Procession, with parishioners carrying banners, icons, crosses and candles, moved from the Vine Street church to the new facility “on the hill.”
The founders of the church created a community that Oleynik, rector of St. John, said he, the staff and the parish council endeavor to sustain.
Natalie Reid Miller/Observer-Reporter
Natalie Reid Miller/Observer-Reporter
Phillis and the anniversary committee have compiled a book of old photos and milestones to mark the occasion, including a photo of the Canonsburg ‘R’ Club, now called the Canonsburg ‘O’ Club, which provides spiritual, educational, social and athletic activities.
“We want people to get involved beyond Sunday morning,” he said.
In addition to adult Bible study and youth Sunday school, the church hosts the Canonsburg “O” Club, a chapter of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America. The club provides a variety of activities for members and participates in service projects. There is also a junior “O” club for youth.
An inspection of the commemorative book put together by the anniversary committee reveals a robust history.
Oleynik said that from the time he started as rector in 1981 to about the new millennium, the church’s population remained steady. Then, a surge of marriages and children resulted in more members.
To meet the growing needs of the church, the building was renovated in the early 2000s. A major renovation, including the addition of classrooms and a new entrance and library, was completed in 2013.
Natalie Reid Miller/Observer-Reporter
Natalie Reid Miller/Observer-Reporter
Phillis points to Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada from 1977-2002, who was born in Canonsburg. He’ll participate in the church’s celebration.
But Oleynik and Phillis said the collective focus is the future.
“People in the church are saying, ‘We can do more,'” Oleynik said. “What we do, we do well. Let’s do more of it. And, ultimately, it’s up to God. We work. We plant. He grows.”
The Centennial Anniversary of the parish will be celebrated this weekend, starting with a Vespers service at 5 p.m. Saturday, followed by an informal reception with Archbishop Melchisedek, Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.
A 9:30 a.m. service Sunday will include Metropolitan Tikhon, Archbishop Melchisedek and Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), with a banquet to be held in the afternoon at Racetrack DoubleTree Hotel.