www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Slovak Greek Catholics in Canada

Dear Friends,

My parish is currently being shared by the Slovak Greek Catholics.

Now that I've had ample opportunity to observe them up close, could someone explaini to me if these are what BC's or Ruthenians are in the U.S.?

Why do they call themselves "Slovaks" (and they really DO!).

As Anhelyna says, "let the education continue!"

Alex

Remember, those in Toronto were under the influence of the late Mr. Stephen Roman and Bishop Rusnak (irony?). Most of those six parishes in Canada came from Rusyn villages. In America, those who call themselves "Slovaks" are simply not aware of their heritage.

Xpucmoc Bockpece!

Ungcsertezs

BOICTUHY BOCKPECE!

Is there a Metropolitan See who is the principal Slovak Greek Catholics See in N. America?

The Ukrainian Metropolitanate of Galicia (1807 to 1946). In Galicia, which in the partition of Poland became a part of Austria (1772), the Ukrainian Catholic Church, whose membership comprised almost the total Ukrainian population, was highly developed. The Austrian government gave to the Ukrainian Catholics a special name, "Greek Catholics," which is a misnomer.

Ukrainian Catholics in North America. There is a large Ukrainian Catholic diaspora in the United States, comprising four dioceses and 209 parishes. The Metropolitan See of Philadelphia is the principal Ukrainian Catholic See in the United States.

REF: New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 13023 pp. 15 vols.

Additional info I found in trying to understand the folks in Canada:

GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH (EASTERN CATHOLIC)
The Greek Catholic Church is a very tiny church that owes its existence to the reunion movement launched by Father John Marango (d. 1885) among Greek Orthodox in Istanbul. Father Isaias Papadopoulos formed a small group of zealous Greek Catholics in northern Greece. Bishop George Calavassy succeeded him and worked until his death in 1957 to make the Greek Catholic Church known in Greece by the works of corporal and spiritual mercy that he launched. The Catholic group in Turkey was practically dissolved when the Greeks were repatriated to Greece. Since 1957 the exarchate in Turkey has been directed by an apostolic administrator. In Greece the Greek Catholic Church has a resident Greek bishop in Athens. The Greek Orthodox Church has never warmed up to the Greek Catholic Church in its territory, viewing it as an intruder. It remains illegal for Greek Catholic priests to dress in Byzantine clerical style.

According to Wikipedia, Fr. Papadopolous was ordained a bishop in 1911.

Dear Kozache,

The Slovak Greek-Catholics used to belong to our Eastern Canada Eparchy and then formed their own Eparchy under Vladyka Rusnak.

We still have Romanian and Hungarian Greek-Catholics (are they Rusyns also, by any chance?)

Alex

Alex,

The politically-correct thinking is no, but mostly they were at one time before they assimilated.;)

Xpucmoc Bockpece (Foldamatt Krizstus)!

U-C

Mostly yes...all no!!!

Blessed Pascha!

Chris

Dear Friends,

What other national names do Rusyny go by? Can anyone do up a list?

And, oh yes, I knew they belonged to the BC Ruthenians when I overheard some of their English Liturgy . . .

Alex

...(deep breath..hear we go...)

"Rusyns,Carpatho-Rusyns,Rusins,Carpatho-Rusins, Ruthenians,Carpatho-Ruthenians,Carpatho-Russians,Carpatho-Ukrainians,Ruthenes,Uhro-Rusins,Magyar-Orosz(Hungarian Rusyns),Rusnaks,Rusyny,Rusiny,Rusniaks,Rusinians,Sotaks,Lemko, Boiko,Hutsul,Dolyniane,Verkhovynci,Little Russians,Hunkies,Po-Nashemu(Our People),Greek Catholic,Byzantine,.."

There are probably more but those at the ones that come to mind.

Xpucmoc Bockpece!

Ungcsertezs

"In America, those who call themselves "Slovaks" are simply not aware of their heritage."

Not all. I call myself Slovak for that is my heritage. My ancestors were Greek Catholic and Slovak, they do exist. Lutheran Slovaks (several entire parishes) returned to the Catholic Church and choose the Greek Catholic Church because Slavonic was as close as they could get to venacular at the time, even though Slavonic was an approved Language of the Roman Rite they weren't allowed to use it in Slovakia. There are yet others who claim to remain from the original mission of St. Cyril and Methodius. And there are yet others, who, as you state, call themselves Slovaks when they are really Rusyns simply from Slovakia.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Historically those Lutheran Slovaks-turned-Greek Catholic were only a handful of villages, especially Telgart and Sumiac in the former Gemer Co. and a few villages around Trebisov. Surely they exist, but that's a small percentage of the total number Greek Catholics from Slovakia.

X.B.! B.B.!

U-C

I read in the publication of the GC diocese of Presov where they mentioned the Slovak GC diocese in Canada and it seemed to imply that they were somehow under the "omofor" or connected to the Presov Diocese in Slovakia. Not to get confused over people calling themselves "Slovaks", they live in Slovakia just like Canadians or Americans. My grandfather's papers show his nationality as Slovak in the 1890's but under religion shows "Greek Catholic" written in Hungarian!

Dear Friends,

Well, at least those Slovaks know they are in a Ukrainian parish . . .

They get better food from our church kitchen cooks than any Ukie would . . .

Non-Ukrainian guests always get preferment . . .

Alex