Saint Nicholas of Myra

Address:
1104 East 15th Street
Ashtabula, OH 44004

Contact Information:
Telephone: 330-833-8501
FAX: 330-833-3359
Email: N/A
Website Address: N/A


Pastor: Father A. Edward Gretchko

Liturgy Schedule:
N/A
The history of St. Nicholas Greek Catholic Church began with the emigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire who settled along the southern shores of Lake Erie in Ashtabula County around 1885. While they were able to maintain their Catholic faith in the Roman Catholic parishes, they longed to celebrate their own Eastern Rite Liturgy.

On February 11, 1906, twenty-five of these hardy and religious people met with Fr. Julius Orosz of Cleveland to establish a church which would be titled, “St. Nicholas Magyar Greek Catholic Church.” The first thirty years of the small parish were affected by the scarcity of clergy. The congregation experienced difficulty in not having a priest available to them. In the 1930’s the priest would commute from Cleveland to Fairport Harbor and to Ashtabula.

From 1940 until 1969, there was no resident priest and the Divine Liturgy was celebrated irregularly. During these years most of the parishioners attended the Liturgy at Roman Catholic parishes in the city and sent their children to the local Catholic schools. Some joined these parishes and did not return to St. Nicholas.

By the time of the Diamond Jubilee in 1981, St. Nicholas was still a small parish. History notes that at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, there were more guests than parishioners in the church. Nevertheless, this community of faith had managed for seventy-five years to continue the sacred traditions of the Byzantine Catholic Church.

More recently, St. Nicholas Church has been served by priests who have assisted the Archieparchial Church. Fr. Francis Duchala, a Franciscan, served faithfully into his eighties. The present pastor, Fr. Edward Gretchko, has served since 1996 and travels nearly 200 miles each week celebrate the Divine Liturgy and to minister the other services of the Church.

On August 10, 1997, Metropolitan Judson Procyk, gathered with the people and pastor of St. Nicholas to celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of this small Byzantine Catholic family in Ohio’s northern-most county. On this joyful occasion, the parishioners celebrated the faith that has served to keep them together despite all of the difficulties throughout the years. Families of these founding fathers still live in the surrounding area and have made great contributions to their church and community. Today, the work of our holy Eastern Church continues in Ashtabula.

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