Let us reflect back to a simpler time when the rhythm of life moved to a slower beat. It was a time
we often hear ourselves speak os as "the good old days". All of us at one time or another have sat
and listen to our elders tell stories from their youth. These stories often held our attention into the
wee hours of the morning. How often have we heard and take such stories for granted? How
many of these stories have we forgotten? How many times have we found ourselves saying to someone
"it seems to me I remember hearing something about that, but I can't quite remember". Isn't it sad
many of these stories that were told to us have been forgotten and thus lost with the passing of
time. How many of us can actually recall a story that has been passed down from our great
grandparents? I would guess few. Why have we forgotten our history? I believe one could give
many reasons but the one which stands out above all is that today the future is not taken
seriously.
There was a time when people had a greater respect for the future and worked till the day they
died so that their children and their heritage would prosper in the world of tomorrow. Such
individuals were the founding fathers of Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church.
It all began ninety years ago with seven men who had the courage and the insight to plant
the seeds of orthodoxy in the fields of Yonkers. William Prokopchak, Dimitry Dran, Peter
Shymansky, Theodore Shymansky, Simon Kosar, Theodore Rusinko, and John Hotz in the
year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, with God's blessings, were able to rent a
church on Oliver Avenue and give thanks to God as Orthodox Christians.
These seven men organized the St. John's Brotherhood, which was the powerhouse of the
newly formed parish. Sometime later, Jacob Kurila became the eighth member of the dynamo. In
December of 1898, these men built and installed the first iconostas. It was blessed by Father
Ptolomey, who also celebrated the first Divine Liturgy, which was attended by fifteen men and
three women.
By January 7, 1899, the church received five new members bringing the total to twenty
people. It was at this time that Peter Shymansky was elected as the first Senior Warden and
Father Zotikoff was asked to make the long journey from New York City to serve our community twice
a month.
It seems our founders from the beginning were most anxious about holding the keys to their
own church. And so it was after the third vespers service, plans were made to purchase a parcel
of land on 10 Seymour St. The lumber for the church was made possible by the Lawrence Brothers,
who allowed payments to be made over time. All the work to build the church was done by this
tiny dedicated community. Every good gift bestowed on these mem by God was returned to God by
young and old alike, as they labored applying their talents to build His house.
On Labor Day, the foundation for this church was blessed by Fathers Hotovitzky and
Zotikoff. By Christmas Day, 1899, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in their very own little
wooden church even though work had not been fully completed. The entire construction was
under the direction of a builder named Joseph Misler.
It is out of respect and appreciation that we recognize the builders and charter members of
the first, little but beautiful wooden church and keep them in our prayers.
In addition to Misler, there were: William Prokopchak, Dimitry Dran, Peter Shymansky,
Theodore Shymansky, Simon Kosar, Theodore Rusinko, John Hotz, Leonty Koval, Akilina
Misler, Joseph Smerek, Nestor Penkala, Andrew Sweda, Jacob Harshany, Myron Harshany,
Theodore Ketz, Ephrim Perog, Michael Ostrowski, and Simon Turchick.
In 1900, Peter Shymansky was one again elected Senior Warden of the church. Still they had
no priest of their own, but a priest from New York City did come to celebrate Divine Litergy
once or twice a month. By this time the parish had grown to about fifty people. A new iconosas was
built and a small bell was bought for this small wooden church. The parish continued to grow and in
1903 the parish was able to support it's own priest, Father Vladichevsky.
1903 must have been a joyous time in the life of our parish..It looked as if they, for the first
time, could relax and enjoy the fruits of their labors in a church and with a priest they could call
their own. Unfortunately the good times came to an end soon. Fire destroyed the little wooden
church in 1904.
Where others might of given up in despair, our founders took this tragedy and turned it into
an opportunity to build a larger and even more beautiful house of prayer. It was at this time five
lots were purchased at 46-48 Seymour Street, our present site. Accounts of that time have indicated
this period was one of many trials, obstacle, and disappointment. Mercifully, all were overcome with
God's blessing. When the people had finished rebuilding in September, 1905, the fruits of thier
labor revealed a beautiful brick structure with cupolas. Archbishop Tikhon came to consecrate
the church in that same month and was pleased to see how rapidly it had grown in just seven short
years. At this time there were roughly one hundred members.
In recognizing our founding fathers, let us not forget the names of Holy Trinity's early
spiritual shepards: Father Benidict Turkevich (1905-10 apx.), Father Klopotovsky (1910-16
apx.), Father Lachno (1916-21 apx.), Father Obushkevich (1921-32), and Father Kushwara
(1932-40).
From 1914-1918, a second great tide of Eastern European immigrants arrived on the shores
of America and some found their way to Yonkers and our parish. Now over 200 families were
listed on the church roster, and by 1932 the church was forced to enlarge to it's present size.
In 1937, Satan's army marched its way into the midst of our congregation and threaten its
destruction through division. During the darkest days of this battle one daring man, Andrew
Waipa, was able to pull the parish back together again, with a great deal of faith and prayer, we
can be assured.
As the church began to mend its wounds, two appointments were made to our parish. In
1940, Father Joseph Pishtey, was now our new parish priest, and Professor Peter Kolzloff came
to be our new choir director.
Under the strong leadership of Father Pishtey, membership grew to well over 400 families.
In 1941, the church had a face lift, along with the installation of the new iconostas. More
property was purchased to the rear of the church and we could even boast of being debt free and in the
black. It was also during the 1940's that various groups such as the "R" club, the Boy and Girl Scouts,
Mother's Club, Men's Club, basketball teams, etc. were organized which made the church what it
should be, "the focal point of the community".
About 1945, the Russian American Memorial Park (RAMP) was purchased as a memorial to
our war veterans.
In the 1960's our parish saw another extensive building project, namely the parish house and
the Educational Building. In the 1970's the RAMP was sold to the Urban Development
Corporation for a housing project. A parking lot was constructed for the parishioners on Mulberry Street and
the apartment houses on the corner was razed. An Educational Fund was established to offer
financial assistance to our college students. It was quite clear major progress was made under Father
Pishtey.
We were honored in 1970 with the presence of His Grace Bishop Theodosius (now
Metropolitan), who for a time remained with us to serve Divine Liturgy, during Father Pishtey's
illness. Soon His Grace was called to his new assignment in Alaska, and Father Alvain
Smerensky came to us. On November 2, 1972, our parish experienced a terrible tragedy from which we have
clearly never recovered. Our dearly beloved Father Joseph J. Pishtey had fallen asleep in the lord.
On March 4, 1973, Father Vadim Progrebniak was installed as our rector. Under Father
Vadim's spiritual leadership, adult religious classes were instituted, the Sunday school was
reorganized, as well as the Junior "R" Club, and a church bulletin was put out on a weekly basis.
Of course who can forget the Russian-Slovak Heritage Day. On October 5, 1975, Trinity Plaza
was the place to be. No one will ever know how many people crowded into the plaza that day but
many call it a miracle. "God is with us for He gave us a beautiful day to show the city of Yonkers
there are Orthodox people living here and that we are proud of our heritage and faith." Not only
was this a time when our church truly came together and worked as one, But we reached to our
neighbors and banded together to achieve one of the most successful and spectacular events our
parish ever participated in. Although we worked so hard for this event, it could never been as
successful if weren't for the leadership of Father Vadim and Matushka Helen.
In 1977, the Verdin Company was called to electrify the church bells. At that time we
obtained some interesting information about our bells from their files. The church has three cast
bronze bells. These bells were cast by the Meneely Bell Company, Troy, New York. These
represent the musical notes A, C# and E, commonly known as an American Peal. The largest bell
(1,013 lbs) was shipped from Troy on October 27, 1905, and replaced an orginal 313 lbs bell cast
by Meneely in 1902. Later two smaller bells were shipped to the church on March 14, 1912.
Over the past fifteen years, Holy Trinity has been home for Father Vladimir Sovyrda
(1977-81), Father Daniel Pavelchak (1981-86), Father John Mason (1986-88) and Father
Joseph Kreshik (1988 -89).
As Christians we know how treacherous the father of all lie can be. He lies in waiting
patiently until we are most vulnerable, then he strikes like a serpent. Our parish became vulnerable when
the lord called Father Pishtey to his rest. We lost a man who was blessed with the gift of leadership.
Father Pishtey was like a foundation from which a sound church arose from the pieces he
inherited in 1940.
In the early 1980's, Holy Trinity found itself once again in the midst of a division. It was
truly a black period in our history Of those priest who helped us ride out this turbulent time we
ask forgiveness and their continued prayers for our strength and peace within our community. The
healing process takes time, for that which was done cannot be undone overnight. We must accept the fact
our foundation is again weak and we must again pick up the pieces in order to fortify that which
remains. We can see the evidence of the pieces slowly coming together again. It's all around us.
There is new life in our parish. How many new faces can you count now who were not present
even six years ago? This is a good sign, but we must continue to attract new faces for the continued
life of our parish..Other signs can be witnessed in the major refurbishing to out interior, now in
progress, and of course the great effort and cooperation seen in making our recent Penny Socials and flea
markets most successful. "It's good to give thanks to the Lord!" Let us lay aside the cares of this
world and turn our sights to Christ and His church. By working for the good of the church and
community we will continue to grow strong and prosper in the light of Christ.
"Blessed are the peacemakers..." As we stand on the threshold of a new decade, let us enter
united in faith, hope, and charity, and above all love towards our neighbor. If we take this
opportunity to start fresh at our 90th anniversary, with God's help our children will remember
with fondness the things we have done. Remember these are the good old day for our children of the
21st century.
