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https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/3dd427627fa7f3b9482aec533788ad08.pdf
cd8a95771d84662fb1499cc8a6e88139
PDF Text
Text
emeries of
"Rooted in Tradition, Growing in the Faith"
��Alrivettuly. Aa I thought about
cu
1~
al d ._ fond memoriN d cu kMd ones
churc:hthat youaa.nd oncea week and
, rich In hlllary and peraonallllel that are
ifilrl IOicuyMahfouzwaacu
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priest and MarianCharlel'
wry devout and preclle about how cu
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w--mes when ChuckNmif
_.. he would"lhllnp• UI on the heed wllh hil finger to
bUt"" ...
bffllllla--rs
INtorll -
learned about obllgation,
and ....... wentoff to N1W In the rnlltllry durllM09 al d cu parents would gather In smal
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1-d.._ealdllrl.
llwayl lhil underamll1td anxiety
=.ij~ii;;~
on INwt lheywere welcomed with hugs and
1"hirew a COllltant round d vllb 1Ddifferent
•
hi.Ilg on their fMl'I word as they described
IIMIN d faraway places were lnlroClu:1latclllll, lie. On Monday we wouldgo to
1ft .., ...
IIIIIIL It waaoftendlfflcult beeaUle we
wa al to new and vwy, vwy different to imagine
••r.ect.
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10 PIJlllct
our hom•nd. PatNlved In'the mlllary throUgh
Afghalflltlln and Iraq. Y•. the
IDcu
cxxnry.
lt11llnldllll
taldng. The
day and
cuatonry
Bec81•w
pledyoung
The c:hurchel
and .. onJ, .....
a place for theN groups_..~.~
COll'llry". One cld nat mid
South Side ttae axilted ...
many others.
Anolharkey lntlllullon
Milles Bullar.They Wlft
citizenlhip. Thay ...
the East Side to Soultl 111!-•~IIIIM.111
point of Long Aw,nue.
revered by al d the
A key annual 8V9lt
held at lclewild on
tended. For days
and attend to the ro
How did this
w
Th
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�Eastern and Western wor1dsfor six centunes. The Ottoman Empire came to an end, as a regime under
an lmpenal monarchy, on November 1, 1922 It formally ended, as a de Jure state, on July 24, 1923, under the Treaty of Lausanne. It was succeeded by the Republic of Turkey which was officially proclaimed
on October 29, 1923.
The third noteworthy site is the Hosn Hospital, which was started in
the late 1940's by the immigrants, many from western Pennsylvania,
Michigan and Trinidad from the Wadi AI-Nasara. When these immigrants came to America they did not forget their homeland. They operated under the name of: "The American Hosn Welfare Association."
The hospital is located approximately 4 miles north of the highway
connecting Homs (on the East) and Latakia a Mediterranean port and
resort on the West. The hospital is located on 10 hectares
(approximately 13 acres) at the entrance to the Wadi AI-Nasara
near the town of H'wash.
WADI Al NASARA
Most of the founders of St. Elias came from the villages located in
Wadi Al-Nasara (Valley of the Christians). To give the reader a
picture, Wadi Al-Nasara is located west of Damascus, the capital
For many decades these immigrants collected their coins and sponsored events to build the hospital.
Each year they held a "hafli" (large party open to the public) and picnic to raise funds for the hospital.
These picnics were usually very elaborate three day events held in New Kensington, PA. They offered all
of the Arabic foods and desserts, live entertainment (Arabic and western), and several other activities.
These events were very well attended by thousands of immigrants and their descendants. Many of participants came from the Midwest, New England and Trinidad to attend.
of Syria, Most of the villages are Christian, however several are Moslem. Generally, they maintain this separation until this day. There is
no open animosity that is just the way it is.
The valley is about 25 mites west of Homs and about 40 miles east of
Latakia, which is a port on the Mediterranean. The entrance to Wadi
AI-Nasara is located on the highway connecting Homs and Latakia;
and is less than 7 miles from the northern border of Lebanon. You
can see the mountains of Lebanon from the highway. The largest village is H'wash; other Christian villages are named. Kamie, Miklos, Marmarita, Sofita, etc.
At his writing, the hospital is fully functional and operating, was renovated during the early 2000's and
several new pieces of equipment were installed. The hospital serves all of the residents of Wadi Nassar,
regardless of race or religion. The founders wished to ensure universal access to medical treatment;
therefore a founding principle was that a patient did not have to pay for treatment if they chose not to pay.
The majority of the patients at the hospital separate into two primary areas: cardiac related or burns. The
burns are a result of the cooking on propane devices that children can easily access.
Wadi Nassar is very idyllic and is a mosaic of small farms, orchards, pastures and several small villages.
The climate Is temperate, because of the breeze coming off the Mediterranean, and is now a summer
vacation area for people who wish to leave the heat of the cities. As of 1995, air-conditioning was not
prevalent in Syria, except in the hotels that catered to westerners.
Three generations of parents, children and grandchildren looked after the funding of the Hosn Hospital as
they do at this writing. The hospital, land and trust funds were given to the Antiochian Archdiocese of
North America during the 1990's. Currently, the operation of the hospital is overseen by the Patriarch of
Antioch located in Damascus.
The valley has three noteworthy sites, 1) Krac des Chevalier, 2) Saint George Orthodox monastery and
the Hosn Hospital.
WHY DID OUR ANCESTORS COME TO AMERICA?
Krac des Chevalier, the original fortress at this location
was built in 1031 and is massive. During the Frst Crusade in
1099 it was re-captured by Crusaders, but then abandoned
when the Crusaders continued their march towards Jerusalem.
It was reoccupied again in 1110. In 1142 it was given to the
Hospitallers, contemporaries of the Knights Templar. The fortress was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller dunng
the Crusades. It was expanded between 1150 and 1250 and
eventually housed a garrison of 2,000. There were several
sieges and eventually in 1271 the fortress was captured by
Mamluk Sultan Baibars on April 8.
The Saint George Antiochian Orthodox_Monastery is located approximately ten miles due West from the Krac De Chevalier. St.
George is a fully functioning monastery that is used daily.
The original church was built in the 4th century AD, three hundred
years later the "new" church was built on top of the "old" church.
Both churches are in perfect condition and are used daily. What is
remarkable is that the wood in both churches are original and virtually flawless, because of the low humidity. The total St. George complex / campus are quite large covering several acres. Both the
church and the fortress are built from the local beige colored limestone.
The constant oppression by the Turks and the dire living conditions motivated the Christians to immigrate to America and strive
for a new and better life. America was seen as the shining land of
unbounded opportunity. The stories regarding how great America
was and the money that came back from immigrants, who had left
earlier, dazzled the Syrians that stayed behind.
•
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The majority of the immigrants did not have any formal education
and spoke only the vernacular of Arabic that was prevalent in the
mountainous areas of Syria. In Syria, many of these immigrants
were known as farmers (falaheen). After many years in the United States they usually spoke only a few
words of English. The author knows of only one family that could read and write Arabic and some English
- Abraham Deep and Joe Deep. For illiterate immigrants, they would be considered successful; they had
jobs at the "tin mill", owned their homes and had devoted wives and families. The vast majority of the marriages were between couples that came from Wadi AI-Nasara.
For many years the family members wondered why several of the daughters had light hazel, almost green
eyes. It appeared that there may have been some fraternization between the Crusaders, stationed at
Krac De Chevalier and the local residents of Wadi Al Nasara. Yes, the history of our ancestors reaches
back to the 10th century.
At the height of the migration, Syria was ruled by the Turks during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. The residents of Wadi Nassar were very careful not to do anything that may provoke the Turks and
cause an incident, which would usually end up badly for the Christians. Therefore, they learned to say
very little and spoke softly, almost subserviently. However, when the men or woman gathered in their
homes the conversations were active and animated .
�When our ancestors reached Ellis Island they were asked the r name: the immigrant would give the authorities their full name. Their first and middle names were usually from the Bible and therefore easy to
translate. For example: "Hunah Dayoub Al Durah". Because Hunah and Dayoub are Biblical names they
were easily translated to John and David, the surname "Al Durah" was completely dropped. Later, some
government official decided that "David" was not a suitable last name, so some minor official changed his
last name to "Davis", which has its ongins In Wales. These errors would cause confusion the remainder of
their lives. Several examples were: Abe Abraham, Sam Sams, etc. As recently as 2010 when the author
was doing research, the clerk at the Lawrence County Court House asked if he was Welsh because he
did not look like a Welshman, yet had a last name which was Welsh in ongin.
HOW DID OUR ANCESTORS GET TO NEW CASTLE?
The Pittsburgh area was a focal point for these immigrants to come because there was a large Arabic community and it was relatively easy to find
work in the steel mills. Soon these immigrants moved to Ford City, Bridgeville, Ambridge and New Castle in search of work. Most were very generous and sent money to their relative in Syria on a regular basis. They
would go to Abraham Deep and have him write a letter and to the best of
this author's knowledge, Mr. Deep never charged for his assistance.
ish. established their worship site on Howard Way (an alley that connects Long Avenue and Reynolds
Street). It was a very simple block building, but served their purposes for a number of years. After Father
Hammaty was reassigned, the Reverend Solomon Boulos Merhige established his pastorate here in 1918
and stayed until 1922.
During this time the Greek Orthodox Church on Reynolds Street, was very gracious, and served as their
alternate "home" when a larger site was needed.
••
••
The journey to America was not always easy; and many potential Middle Eastern immigrants used the
"French Line Company" fleet of ships to come here This usually required a stop at Marseille, France for a
"health inspection·. During 1905, the author's grandmother, mother and six month old aunt traveled to
Beirut, Lebanon and got on a French Line ship to America, leaving the remainder of their family behind.
The inspection staff at the port of Marseilles, France conducted health inspections on the ships that were
headed to America. Evidently, there was an outbreak of "Pink Eye", which is infectious, and the ship was
not permitted to go to America.
At this point, they could not go back to Syria, because they had allegedly bribed the Turkish o"ic1als to let
them go. They stayed in Marseilles for two months. Following their stay there, they sailed to Vera Cruz
(Yucatan) in Mexico. From there they travelled to Chihuahua, Mexico and then to Mex co City where they
stayed for three months. Keep in mind: this took place during the Mexican revolution, led by Pancho Villa,
resulting in very dangerous times. They made their way through the steaming jungles of the Yucatan to
Mexico City. Consider the challenge; neither of the two was literate, spoke Spanish, or had any idea of
where they were. They had probably never heard of Mexico.
The reader is probably wondering how they carried their money yet were not robbed or mugged. First,
they carried a bunch of small gold coins, believed to be French in origin. They very carefully sewed the
coins into their underwear, taking out only what they needed for a few days. Several of the coins were
sewed into the baby's clothes and blankets. After 3 - 4 months they were able to make their way to El
Paso, TX. Consider El Paso in 1906. It was the Wild West. They stayed several weeks in El Paso and
then went on to Ford City later in 1906.
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Not much is known about the early days, however this photo was found by
Lori Arafa and Vivian Gabriel, in their family archives. It is a photo of the
Men's Church School class (circa 1920).
In the early 1920's they were able to buy a building at 14 West Reynolds
Street that served as our church for many years. Mrs. Rosie Davis remembered that we paid the electrician a whopping $9 to wire the entire building. The women continued to work hard baking, cooking and selling their
goods to raise money for a "real" church. Finally, due to the faith, and hard
work of our forefathers and mothers, we purchased the church, at 102 E.
Reynolds Street, from the Hungarian Baptist community. This was our
home from 1936 until 1969. The faithful found refuge in this holy place during the latter years of the Great
Depression, World War 11,and the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. If you are 50 - 80 years old,
you might have been baptized here. In fact, we do have many of the old baptismal certificates. Maybe we
have yours! Ask us.
During this time St. Elias was served by the following pastors: Reverend Luqa Khoury (1928 - 35; 1940 45) Reverend Constantine Abu Adal (1935 - 38), Reverend Basilious Mahfouz (1938 - 40; 1950 - 53),
Reverend Anthony Sakey (1945 - 46), Reverend Elias Nader (1947 - 50), Reverend Alexander Curry
(1953 - 66), Reverend Elias Gillett (1966), Reverend Jehad Michael (1966 - 68), Reverend Gabriel
Samne 1968 - 73). You can view photos of many of these holy men in later pages.
The parish was quite active in those early years, especially during the 1930's. One of the favorite social
activities was the annual "Oriental Dinner and Show''. This affair was typically held in the summer and
would feature the wonderful talent of St. Elias. Upwards of 500 people would attend this annual event.
Below is a portion of the program book from the June 1935 show. St. Elias parishioners seemed to be
quite talented.
PROGRAMME
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PROGRAAI '1E-(C..ntinurd)
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"Am•-
Si11iri•ir·
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FOUNDING OF ST. ELIAS
Jolia.1--. .
lira. Jade Allen. E:
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mmna
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and Eli
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Sy?ian !Jan~ ( In ancimt • •r!an co •
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We owe our thanks to the mothers of our community. While the men
were toiling in the steel and tin mills of New Castle, the women collected pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. and established a "church fund".
They baked and sold bread, baklawa and other foods. Father Mic_hael Saba Curry (father of our own Father Alexander Curry),
v1s1tedthe New Castle community often from his home parish in
Johnstown, Pa. to minister the flock in New Castle. He was asked
frequently to conduct Divine Liturgy, baptisms, marriages, and funer.
..
. als ~or the faithful. Father Saba would consistently encourage the
faithful to work diligently to establish their own place of worship. With his help, they established St. Elias
Orthodox church in the spring of 1913. Father Saba continued to minister to the flock for the next few
years until the Reverend Elias Hammaty was sent here, in 1915, to continue the development of the par-
br,
.
Ameri<tn Sonir
• • • • . . . .. . . . . .Anna. FAlilh and !'>far; Dttp
,_,·rian • on11.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...................
June Deep
..,......_.-....,
.... -: .- . ,--:-,-:-. Pllz:.l:,ttl, :aid :,,,,.,J>h!n~
American Son,:
....................................
Samyn Da'ria
Syrian song.
. • . . . . . . . . . . . .. Josephine John,. and Chonu
Syrian Dance..
. . • . . .. . ... . . .. . . ..
.. ..
. .......
. liar)' Joeeph
American song . • . . . . . . . . . . .. , ... Anna, Edith and Mary DHp
J:)T!an ,-ong
• ..
..
.. ..
•
.. .. .. .. ... J,-phine
Johna
synan ~lan<e
.
. . .. . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . .........
F.dna Kelly
~yrw, Song. .
.• •• . .Jo..,phine John.s. Elu:abt'tb Afb<,rt,June Deep
11 0
f.,t'f:o"m,~- ,~b·
• (in 'irab·•·c)
.. •• ' • .. ..• •Rev.
·" ..ColUltantine
• .. • • • • .Mary
Albart
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Abou-Adal
R•marb.
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• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hon. Chari~ B. Ma:mt'. lla:,or
'pt'llk<,..
llr. W. \\ altrr Braham.
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Georg,- D p, Dr. G. S. Bemu,tt,
l l:u id. Dr. ~~ ,· r .. f
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th l'athlerirh or Anuoth
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Buh1r, reprewntatin
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Radio ·tar
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This was submitted by Corgette Joseph Troutman from her Dad's archives. We have the entire program
book for review. Ask to see it!
�.---------------.
The parish experienced a very vibrant time in its history during the pastorate of Reverend Alexander Curry (1953 - 66). With his Khouria Vivian at his side the parish established an active SOYO chapter, youth
choir, church school program and building program.
This is an article found in the November 21, 1934 New Castle News. It looks like the faithful of St. Elias met frequently
for fun and fellowship. Check out the names as there are
many should be familiar.
r1El'1as
c·h rch
J ·• ··'· ·
•-----------•
I wonder what those dainty Syrian sweets were. Maybe baklawa? Why don't we initiate a series of events like these.
Interested?
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During the 1930's, St. El as was served by the following
priests-Father Luqa Khoury, Father Constantine Abu Adal,
and Father Basrlious Mahfouz
The "Recreation Center" became the definitive landmark on Long
Avenue. It was the site of many social events, such as huflees, musical programs and athletic events. For a number of years, St. Elias
bingo games attracted the largest crowds in the city. These "fun"
and "fundraising events" helped us build our E. Lynn Street worship
site without need for a
mortgage.
Here is a photo that we have of the church at 102 E.
Reynolds is one from Mooney and Eleanor Deep's wedding in 1947. We see Najla Tony m the dress with a
young Martha ·che Che" Pappas in front.
Mary "Usma· Moses, Jennie Barkett and Helen Farah
are also in the photo. The gentleman is Charles Isaac.
I
The 1940's brought World War II to New Castle and
world. It is quite remarkable to think that a total of 84
members of St. Elias Orthodox Church served honorably
during World War II (81 men and 3 women). These courageous men and women are memorialized in a plaque
that is permanently displayed in our church hall
•rcb
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M mban oJ u,e LAdlcS'
'cl.J
Lh 81.. Eli
Or l odo. clrnrd1 Hel
l.hrlr
re
•"•n
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lh•
rn~t.
Unfortunately,
Ithere
was little
time for fun
fellowship.
While
our men and
women were
away at war, the home front needed to be protected and cared
for by those who were left.
-.seru:nL
AL
re, el~cled ,.. Lt\ lhe re ulu: pr-.1ddel\t.. Ml'!, A.
: Ylce prfftd nl., 'N.rL B.
Orr: cnaaure:-,M
A. Chulu and
aecretar)', M . N, 0 Peters.
O
• h
Tile oc otr1cer: Lank ahalfl • nd
ur pans was served by the Reverend Fathers-Father Luqa
& CtOUP commit.la
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lected (1940-45), Father Anthony Sakey (1945-46), Father Elias
wl\h Mh. Oeorp Ha.l'lnA,ch11rl y. Nader (1946-51 ).
Beln'Shm.tnt.l
aerved J1\.tr by
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Mn. G. Tala
d le tor t.ht
Al
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l L meelq
alchurch •t 1 P· Ladie's Society Meeting from New Castle News-1940
omura
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•
•
The 1950's and 60's were
a busy time for the parish.
The faithful would gather
each Sunday for Divine
Liturgy and also very often
for fellowship. Since the
Recreation Center could
comfortably accommodate
upwards of 600 people, on
the main floor, it became
the focal point of our social
activities.
nr We<Ulead•Y and
Cl'\Urch
In fact, it was in the
year 1957 that the
parish built the Recreation Center on Long
Ave. It was our faithful men, who would
gather each evening
after laboring at their
day jobs, to build the
"Hall". They literally
placed all the block,
brick, and mortar, by
hand to complete this
massive project.
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As earlier stated, Father
Curry and Khouria Vivian
re-established a Youth
Choir and SOYO group.
The article, on the right,
attests to that as "Youth
Sunday" was celebrated in
September 1961.
-------------St.Elias
Church
SetsYou1hSunday
C
11K' t, f-!l,•s Srriu
Orl
E. Resnolds St..
l!Rh.
clAY ,ornor.ro
)OUl
o"
Ul Ill\!!
'Ih.e mnnth c ~J)ttmber
llaa
been u d on &JJC:cl
al )'OUtb ~mpbl•
ii 'Ith H 6 ltloa pla■
to-
morro .
T
) Hi Y ti• Ortan lzAlloa
9:111shar, tn all J)II••
o! t 'b e
church
u,
~rvice.
D
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u ura
Re~QOM
¥.ill
~t
UDI
by the s,, Ellu c'hofr whlc'h i1
compo!ftl 1! SOYO m.m beH.
Eu1c:rw. tua. prrsldmc of 11c
local SOY<>, ii] reacl the "'lsUc
-:.Yih 11 h~l TOIICY. Alhm
Lot
Deap,
1)
Oltiurs for Ille I l.f
period
1
OKS.
Ill
ud1e lnr.
ti be laltJJJetlUd .all SO 0
t cl~ f
It was a joy to grow up at members illl reccfve ~ 18C1'A.,_ ___________
_. St. Elias in the 1950's and 11et or eoefHllen ud holy C6M·
mun on.
60's. As we look at the names of those we grew up with, it is
.Rtco,nltlu awat"dt •re ••
,..._
heartening to know that we are still wonderful friends. That's one 1t11tad to membtn ot tbe Swulay
thing about being a member of the St. Elias family. Once a mem- Sc:la"l loc- .-.i<u4lllc I
•
ber, always a member!
menu. Rev. Aleuader can,-s
Hl'lnUI
l N dlrttltd to &11
,oalll.
�The 196o·s brought both joy and sorrow to our parish. The joy came from being able to be able to participate in the church functions. The adults always made us feel that we were a vital part of the parish. As
teens, we were either members of the Junior Choir or an Altar Server or both. This brings to mind:
The parish was blessed with members of great talent. We had singers, dancers, instrumentalists, and
just plain entertainers. Our talent laden -variety shows' would attract crowds from the entire city.
Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart
from it".
The talent shows were a wonderful opportunity to not only showcase the many talents of our St. Elias
family but they enabled us to let everyone participate. Whether you were young or old, there ~as a
spot for you in the show. Even though they were often used as fund-raising events, there was obviously
a whole of fun involved.
Father Kevin reminds us of this often, as those of us that were youth in the 1960's are now adults and we
are charged with loving and protecting our young ones.
The program below is from 1956 and depicts one of many variety shows that were held.
The sorrow came when our beloved Khouria Vivian departed this life and soon after Father Curry was
transferred back to Johnstown (1966). As a teenager, at that time, I was quite affected by these events.
However, I will always remember Father Curry and Khouria Vivian as two of my most important role models during this time in my life. They instilled in us that St. Elias should always be a major part of lives.
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The pastorate of St. Elias was taken over in 1967 by Reverend Jehad Michael. Khouria Salwa and their
children soon rollowed. The parish purchased land on Lynn Street in New Castle with dreams on building
a new church. Ground breaking was attended by Metropolitan Philip and Father Alexander Curry. However, soon after Father Jehad was transferred to Omaha, NE in 1969.
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The current church was designed by parishioners, Adam Dumont (an engineer) and the construction was
supervised by Albert Nader. Virtually all of the men and many of the women pitched in to construct our
church. The church members took this task very seriously; and they always had an ample construction
crew.
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At the same time, Reverend Gabriel Samne was transferred here from Canton, Ohio. Father Samne, who
was known for his beautiful singing voice, was very instrumental in completing the construction for the
new church. Construction began in the summer of 1969 with completion coming in the early winter. The
first Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Christmas Eve 1969.
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After Father Alexander Curry moved back to his hometown of Johnstown, in 1966, the Reverend Elias
Gillett, along with Khouria, and their children, Anita and Eddie, moved to New Castle from Lowell. MA
Unfortunately, because of Anita's illness the family soon moved to Memphis, TN for healthcare at St.
Jude's Hospital. Son, Eddie lived with Jessie and Marian Charles while completing his high school work.
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During these years, the church was a big part of our lives as we also participated in many "Feast Day"
programs. The article, on the previous page, describes a Christmas Program in December 1963. Easter
programs were also conducted each year with most of the young people participating. These were truly
"family" affairs. It is wonderful to think that the tradition continues to this day.
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The church was consecrated by His Eminence Metropolitan
Philip in May 1971. A grand banquet was held which was
attended by over 250 parishioners and friends. It was the
ending of one era and the beginning of a new one. In late
1972, Father Samne announced his intention to retire and
remain here in New Castle.
The search for a new pastor would be needed. Fortunately
for us, Reverend George Brunish was assigned here in 1973
along with Khouria Fran and children Stephen and Nikki.
Their son, Christopher would soon arrive. Father George
came to us from upper New York State. Besides assuming
the pastor ship at St. Elias, Father George would begin
teaching full-time at Westminster College. Fran would assume the Choir Director's position at the parish.
�Father George's long-term vision Involved establishing a Pan-Orthodox Church School, Teen SOYO,
along wtthAdult Bible Study.
The St. Herman's Church School was established and included the parishes of St. Eltas, St. Nicholas
Carpatho-Russian and Holy Trinity Ukrainian, and St. George Greek Parishes. Many of our current adult
members are beneficiaries of this wonderful program In the late 1970's a very active Teen SOYO organization was developed. By the early 1980's the teens were very involved in the parish hfe. Just below, we can see the teens preparing eggs for Pascha. The also participated in the maintenance of the
church grounds and many fund-raising activities.
We were also blessed to have Metropolitan Philip grace us with
another visit in 1975 to ordain Father Sam David, of Pittsburgh,•
to the priesthood and brothers Christopher and John Davis as
Sub-Deacons. Sub-Deacon Chris was eventually ordained Deacon in 1978 and to the priesthood In 1980. These were truly
proud moments in our history. To the left you will see a photo of
Father George and Sub-Deacon Chris blessing a home in 1976.
Father Chris served us faithfully until he
was assigned, in 2000, to the pastorate
at St. John the Baptist parish in Beaver
Falls, where he serves faithfully today.
The 1980's brought continued growth to our parish, while bringing forth greater
challenges. The formation of our adult classes, by Father George, helped our
adults grow spiritually. By reaching out to the Orthodox community to form
these classes for the youth and adults, Father George built a Pan-Orthodox
attitude that continues to grow even today, in the 21st century.
Besides building a very strong spiritual life, we were busy in social ways, as well. Our parish life was
very full with a range of activities such as bowling, sled-riding, mardi-gras and of course food. We always have had a glorious bounty of delicious food.
To the right is a photo of sled-riding fun at Moraine State
Park. We had many of these fun type events that bring the
parish family together. Our children have always been a top
priority and they will always remain so.
The parish remains committed to involving our children in the
daily life of the church, whether in worship or in play. As our
Lord Jesus said in Luke 18:16-"Let the little children come
to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of GOD belongs to such as these.·
fuller
f ■ tller
G•••••
.............
wltll
Metrepelltan
Cllrl•
, • fatller
P'lllllp
Dnl• ..... en. Another milestone in our parish life was the 75th
Anniversary of St. Elias Parish in 1988. We were
again blessed with a visit from His Eminence Metropolitan Philip. Father George was honored on his
25th Anniversary in the priesthood and Albert Deep
was ordained Sub-Deacon.
Another honored guest at the Banquet was Mother
Alexandria of Transfiguration Monastery. Jack Moses was also honored as the parishes' oldest member and for his lifetime service.
Some might say that the 1990's were the "golden" years of the parish. Father George continued to build the Pan-Orthodox community while expanding our ministry capabilities as well. Being a great judge of character
and abilities, Father saw the opportunity to improve the adult classes and
hospital/home visitation ministries. In the early 1990's Father met Reverend Ted Pulcini and offered Father Ted the opportunity to come to St. Elias to help us in our spiritual journey. Father Ted was completing his doctoral studies at Pitt and was available to join the staff at St. Elias. Father
Ted soon developed a very active adult bible study that was attended by
dozens of parishioners. He was also very active in the community, as he
would be often found visiting parishioners throughout the week. Father
Ted is now the pastor of St. Mary Orthodox parish in Chambersburg, Pa. and a college professor at
Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. Father Ted stated, that he was always impressed with the parishioners
of St. Elias because of their zeal for spiritual knowledge. He noted that no matter when he would come
to the church, there would be parishioners at the church doing various tasks. He could see that there
was a lot of love here in New Castle.
During the same time period, Father George met Reverend Patrick Henry Reardon and his family. Father Pat had recently converted to Orthodoxy and was without an assignment. Father Pat had been an
Episcopalian priest and although new to Orthodoxy, he was a very experienced in home and hospital
,......,
__
visitations. Father George saw the opportunity to not only bolster our
visitation ministry but also help Father Pat and his family financially
until he would receive an assignment from the Archdiocese. During
his time here, at St. Elias, Father Pat was very instrumental in our
ministry programs. After several years here, he was assigned to pastor the parish of All Saints in Chicago.
This is a photo of Father George and Father Pat and Khouria Denise
at a St. Elias Day picnic in 1995 (?) Father George always liked to
have St Elias Day celebrations at other venues. We had them at Pearson Park and the campgrounds of
the Salvation Army. We are very proud that Father Ted and Father Pat are an important part of our lives.
It was in the summer of 1997 that a long-standing tradition began .... The Labor Day "Old Fashioned Syrian Picnic". Our initial purpose was to continue a tradition that had begun in New Kensington on
Labor day over 50 years before. The Syrian Picnic was held in New
Kensington until 1994 when the organizing group ceased participation. Our plan was to continue in this wonderful tradition. Finally, in
1997 the inaugural "Old Fashioned Syrian Picnic" was held at Cascade
Park, where it continues to this day.
Attended by upwards of 800 people, it has been a great way to continue the legacy of our forefathers in upholding our Syrian heritage.
As there is a beginning of something, there must be an end. Father George announced in 2000 that he
would retire from active ministry. Fortunately, for us, he lived right around the comer, so he wouldstiHbe
active in our hearts, minds, and sight. Although Father George planned on retirement, he stayedactive
as pastor emeritus of St. Elias. He assisted at all services, when he wasn't celebrating Divine Liturgyat
the Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City.
In 2000, Reverend Elias Issa was assigned to St. Elias and remained here for one year until he askfitd
to
be assigned to a mission in his home town of Kansas City. Today, he is the pastor of St. Basil Orthodox
church in Kansas City. Father Elias' forte were his chanting skills, outreach ministry and bible
knowledge. He spent countless hours with Sub-Deacon Albert in chanting and reading/discamrnent ol
the bible.
�In 2001, Reverend Elias Khoury was transferred here, from
callfomla, with Khouria Irene and their children Juliana, ChnstinaandMichael. During Father Elias' tenure, we continued to
havea very1ucceuful Church School Program and Adult
Study. Here Is Father Elias teaching the Church School childrenafterOMne liturgy. In 2004, Father was transferred to
CedarRapids,Iowa.
In August of 2004, Reverend Gregory Harrigle and Khouria Jeannie were transferred here from Shreveport, Louisiana. Father continued to concentrate on further developing the Church School Program and Adult Study. He was then working on his Master of Divinity Degree and was very knowledgeable on church history and
Theology.
In 2005, through the efforts of Steve Koury, St. Elias hosted the
Eastern Region Youth Conference, which proved to be very
successful. All events were held at the parish and the Comfort Inn.
The group had a great event, ...they said the hospitality was great
andthe food even better!! The parish really enjoyed hosting this event and hopes that we can do something like this again.
In May of 2005, Father and Jeannie traveled to Lebanon to adopt their beautiful daughter, Sophie who
quicklybecamethe darling of the parish.
Fatherwasveryinstrumental in leading the parish to building our fellowship hall. In the fall of 2006, we
helda fund-raising
banquetto benefit the new construction. During that banquet, we received pledges
for$250,000 whichwasthe impetus to build the St. Elias Fellowship hall which was completed just in
tine forPascha 2008. This facility is quite beautiful and had become the focal point for our Sunday fellowshipbreakfasts,biblestudy, meetings, dinners, etc. It is available for rental for parishioners and
guests.
FatherGregoryandJeannie dutifully ministered to the parish until the summer of 2010, when Father
Gregorywas transferred
to Sl George parish. Although now living in Boston, Jeannie and Sophie spend
oneweakeach summer, in New Castle, with Sittoo Elaine Jacobs.
A groupof peoplewho wereso important in the funding for
this rnaaal"9 project are the •Bread Baking Ministry Team•.
For too many years to count, these wonderful folks have dedicated fMJ1YTuesday to baking absolutely the best Syrian
breadIn town. Although they use ordinary flour, yeast, sugar,
ol andwater,they seem to bake bread that it just heavenly.
Theiraecretlngl9dlentjust happens to be LOVE. Their love
for St. Elas Is so strong that they have dedicated a big portiond theirweekto baking this wonderful treat I have been
helpingthanfor just a few months now, and each Tuesday, I
go homeexhausted,but exhlarated because I get to spend
~ Tlllldaya with this group of angels. I think you should
JOI.I
ua.Youwil neverregret It.
on the right was In the New Castle News in 2007.
hiMI beentwo other articles written on our ·Bread
._.
lft1iltry Team•. Pictured are Corgette Troutman and
111rt,, Tony.
This Is the stuff of legends!
n..
.,..
In the summer of 2010, when we received notice that Father Gregory Hantgllt,
would be transferred to Boston, we also received notice thatFatherKevin
Gregory Long would be assigned to St. Elias. Father Kevin waathe pilllDr'flt';
ur sister parish of St. Anthony, in Butler and would be transferred
hereIn AA;
gust. Father Kevin, Khouria Nancy and daughterMartawouldbegin their,..
torate just in time for the •O1d Fashioned Syrian Picnic•.
Father Kevin was a colleague of both Father Georgeand FatherTadwhich
would make the transition smoother than usual. Khourta
Nancy'smother,
Rose Hanna nee Abraham, was born and reared in New castleand h8I numerous relatives living here. A number of them are current membersd St.
as.
a.
Father Kevin and family maintain their home in Mt. Lebanon while using the rectoryon visitationdays
and weekends. This allows Khouria Nancy to continue in her career and for Marta to completeher high
school education.
During the past three years, we have seen many wonderful things going on at Sl Elias. We have contJn..
ued to have a thriving adult study program on Wednesday evening and Sunday momlng. Our Intercessory prayer group meets every Monday evening for prayer and once a month for a dinner and dlacuasion. These Monday night events have been very successful and are typically attended by upwardsd
35 people.
Father has a very active visitation schedule each week, as he visits our homebound parishioners and
those in the hospital or otherwise unable to attend church. The youth have been involved In a wonderful
visitation program in which they prepare hot meals for our homebound loved ones.The childnlft
lloroughly enjoy this and so do the recipients of this ministry.
Our Church Sch?ol program, which includes a summer ·vacation Bible School•, is very active andwll
soon expand to include a once-a-month Saturday program. Father Kevin is very much dedicatedto OIi'
youth ministry and emphasizes that this will always be a top priority at St. EHas. Remember Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child In the way he should go, Even when he la old he_,.,_
from it".
As mentioned earlier, Father George developed a wonderful Pan-Orthodox relallonlhlp
wllh
Orthodox parishes. This fellowship exhibited itself when our brothers andsistersat HolyT
an parish decided to close their worship site in January 2012. Our relationship,~
....,,, 8
helped many of their members make the transition to St. Elias much easier.
It is never easy to see a part of someone's history come to an end, butwe hopethll CU"
sisters everywhere, feel that our home is your home.
To honor our brethren of Holy Trinity, we include them in ourhistory,"""',.."'
cene Creed ...
"We believe in the One Holy, Catholic,
So, please see the history of their forefathers later in this
,
booklet.
,_,-,i
�We have been blessed with a wonderful legacy. We are blessed to be recipients of the Faith that was
delivered to the Apostles. We have been blessed with clergy that have been "full of zeal", and we have
been blessed with a solid core of dedicated and committed falthful parishioners.
St. Elias Orthodox Church
Completed construction December 1969
Consecration May 5, 1971
Each and every one of us should be ready to honor those that came before us to carry on the beautiful
tradition of St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church. As we build the next hundred years of our history,
let's remember the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. "From their fruits, ye shall know them'.
We hope our efforts wilt bear fruit for many, many years.
There are many images that one can visualize when we think of St. Elias Parish. One that comes to
mind is the one below.
Fran Klush
Barb Davis
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"His master replied, 'Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a
few things; I will put you in charge of many things."
Matthew 25 23
.....
His Eminence Metropolitan Philip Saliba
•
Our Parish of St. Elias is not the brick and mortar of our buildings, but the flesh and blood of those who
worship between the walls of the buildings. St. Elias Parish was built on Faith and Love in GOD and the
teachings of the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church". We have a solid core of dedicated parishioners who will carry on the traditions of our forefathers and mothers. Our dream is that we become the
"Cornerstone of the Faith" in New Castle, Pa. and that we minister to all those seeking the "Faith that
was once delivered to the Apostles•
We pray that God may continue to bless us and to fulfill our dreams.
St. EliasAntiochianOrthodoxChurch
"Buildingfor the next 100 years"
Our Pastor, The Right Reverend Gabriel Samne
�Pastors of St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church
1913-1915
Reverend Michael Saba Curry, was the
pastor of St. Mary Parish in Johnstown, Pa.
Father Saba served the community of St. Elias in an itinerant manner. Father would visit
New Castle to celebrate Divine liturgy, and at
baptisms, marriages, and funerals. He constantly encouraged the faithful . He is the father of our own Father Alexander Curry (1953
- 1966).
[
Our former Pastor, The Very Reverend Alexander Curry with
Adam Dumot, who engineered the building of the church.
I
•-
SYRIAN RECTO~· .
001',lES. 'XO·THIS CITY
--.
l :<alhe,: lHcliael -G. Satfa; rector ·or St.
JOH,8'1'0\V. :,_. April
New Castle News April 27, 1915
I
r
Our dedicated "Theotokos Society"
27 -Re•".
• ..lary;F. •Sy.l'JanGreek Orlb1>tlu ~..hu:rch
r n Che tnut atreeL. bas benn cnlle,1 lo
ew Cn• lie, r.-.. lo offktit~ "' a Srtfan cbrt1hmina;- nnd to hold services
.tl1t!r11tSun<111y. rrhc Yb.It .-111tnterrere "''ilh n1c program ro: he fctmal
i.hrl•1ten1ng ot tbe rcetor'IS yc,uugeat
!-on. wlticli wa,. to ha,·e lu:!cn lt Id
; f rhfav ur lhhi wt•:C. but Which ha.a
;eon ·s.,01,Lpv,,edinuenaftel,1.
.
■
J
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1915 -1918
Reverend Elias Hammatty, from Boston, served our community until he was
transferred to Kearney Nebraska in 1918
1918 - 1922
Reverend Solomon Boulos Merhige also served the parishes of St. George - Cleveland and St. George - New Kensington before coming to New Castle.
Photos taken by Louis Alex submitted by Eunice Alex Davis
�Pastors (cont.)
Pastors (cont.)
1946-1947
1928-1935
Reverend 'Luke Khoury was also known as Khourey Luqa
and Father Luke Corey. He also served as pastor of St. Elias
from 1940 - 1945
Reverend Anthony Sakey baptized a large number
of post-war babies and of course married a number
of our current members.
1935-1938
Reverend Constantine Abu Adal guided the
parish during the time period that we purchased
the building at 102 E. Reynolds St
1947 -1950
Reverend Elias Nader served St. Elias and then
was transferred to St. George in Cleveland. After his
retirement, he also served as assistant pastor under
the now Metropolitan Philip Saliba, who was pastor at
St. George.
Here we see Father Constantine with His Eminence Metropolitan Antony Bashir His Eminence was in New Castle to partIc pate in the
"Oriental Dinner" at the Cathedral in June 1936.
Father Constantine, in his younger years, had been the Chanter for St. Raphael Hawaweeny during his ministry in the United States .(circa 1913)
1938-1940
Reverend Basilious Mahfouz served the parish after the Great Depression and before World War II. He
also served as pastor at St. Elias from 1950-1953.
1950 -1953
Father Basil Mahfouz
(See the previous page)
�Pastors (cont.)
Pastors (cont.)
1967 -1968
1953 -1966
Reverend Alexander Curry and Khouria Vivian were
very instrumental in leading our parish in the rapidly
growing years following World War II during the 50's and
60's. An active Church School, Choir and SOYO Group
helped the young members of the parish become very
active in the life of the parish. The Recreation Center
was built during Father's tenure which became a landmark on New Castle's South Side. It was the location for
many activities such as hufllees, programs and athletic
events.
Father Alexander and Khouria Vivian
Reverend Jehad Michael, Khouria Salwa, and their eight
children served here until their transfer to Omaha, Nebraska.
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1968 -1973
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1966
Archmandrite Gabriel Samne lead the parish during
the years leading up to the construction of the new worship center on Lynn Street. Father Samne was known for
his beautiful singing voice and knowledge of the bible.
Father retired here and lived in New Castle until his
death in 1975.
Orthodox Prayer for the Priesthood
Reverend Elias Gillett served a short time in 1966. Sadly,
he had to leave us when his daughter, Anita, was diagnosed
with a form of cancer. Father and his family moved to Memphis so Anita could be treated at St. Jude's Hospital. His son,
Eddie, lived with Jessie and Marian Charles so he could finish
his senior year of high school.
0 Lord Jesus Christ, enkindle the hearts of all Thy priests with the fire of
zealous love for Thee, that they may ever seek Thy glory; Give them
strength that they may labor unceasingly in Thine earthly vineyard for the
salvation of our souls and the glory of Thine All-Honorable and Majestic
Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever,
and unto ages of ages
�Pastors {cont.)
Pastors (cont.)
2004-2010
1973-2000
Very Reverend George Brunish
and Khouria Fran moved here
from upper New York state. Their
ministry has been the longest continual ministry in the history of St.
Elias. Father George departed this
life on July 2, 2012.
Reverend Gregory Harrigle, along with his wife
Jeannie and daughter Sophie served here, at St. Elias,
until they were transferred to St. George in Boston.
Khouria Fran along with daughter
Nikki and family reside in New Castle. Son Stephen and wife Sharon
reside in Pittsburgh.
·t
2000 - 2001
r
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2010 - Present
Reverend Elias Issa served St. Elias for 1 year, before
transferring to Kansas City to start an Orthodox Mission. He is
currently the pastor of St. Basil Antiochian Orthodox church in
Kansas City
Father Kevin Gregory Long, Khouria Nancy and daughter Maria moved here from St. Anthony, Butler.
They currently live in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.
Father Kevin has developed an active evening Bible class,
visitation ministry and church school.
2001 -2004
Reverend Elias Khouri, along with Khouria Irene, and children Juliana, Christina, and Michael faithfully served at St. Elias for three years and then were transferred to Cedar Rapids,
Iowa.
~
�A Brief HI tory of The
Holy Trinity UkrainianOrthodox Church
fromUkraineto America,immigratedfrom Eastern Ukraine about
d the 19thcentury,andsettledin California.
lliiJalllla'l.,.nla
-
from Western Ukraine, Galician, and Carpathianregions bethe United States.They first settled in the anthracite regions of
andlaterarrivedIn Western Pennsylvaniaaround the communithere worked in the steel industries.Later they began to drift far.... i"I LawrenceCounty.
lllll► UIIIWllan
llrnilfta
peoplewereconvertedto Christianityin 988 by St. Vladimir, the Prince
andhis grandmother,St. Olga. They acceptedthe Christianfaith from
.r.•:(l ... .._ Then had the Holy Scriptureand Liturgy translatedfrom Greek in to old
language, which is still used by many Eastern Orthodox Churches..Our
America is knownas the UkrainianOrthodox Church of the USA. It Is part of
--l.Jlla. Holy,Catholic, and Apostolic Church, the roots of which are traced to the
__,.. Church founded by Jesus Christ and His Apostles.
:a.tie, for several years Ukrainiansattended other churches, before they set
their owncongregation,the mother church that they knew so well from
lftlVnall•,d,
the OrthodoxChurch.
of 1926 the newly organizedcongregationmet and selectedthe name
at a later meetingelected officers and a building committeewith au-;.10.1i-.•
funds, purchasethe land and begin buildingthe church edifice.
was hard work and sacrifice.The building lot was purchasedon
ltaiHl•.tnd StantonAvenues.The committeepromotedfund-raisingactivii.rb oongregation
donated and loaned money on the second mortbalanceto completethe buildingwas borrowedfrom a local
HMWIIICallY
by actually working with the contractorand donated
1926the Holy Trinity congregationconsecratedthe comer
to have their ownchurch buildingwas realized.
trials and tribulationsof the congregationwere
•
and unemploymentamong the
In the year 1939 things began to look better.Thoee
congregationfound employmentand with renewedaplrlt..-.'!"'!11',_._
wto prosper again, so that by 1944, the rnortgaqe
waapiil:fi•tffl·as'~>«l
Years 1945-1951were years of transition. The new,
growing up, and began to be elected officers and
ing the welfare of the congregation.Beingnottoo
of the congregation.Being not too experienced In ,..iNll!illlnft
tranquil, and the congregationwas still withha part
gregation celebrated its 25th Anniversary of its
The years ahead, 1952-1962 decisions weremadeto
tor. In 1954 and opportunity presented itself anda six-l'80lri
directly across the street from the church building. A fflOlal
of in 1959. Being that the home was old and in bad ,__
pletely rebuilt on the outside, along with a newpastor's
Beginning in January 1963, a new administration
was assignedto a larger parish. The local
assign a new pastor. The interior of the parsonage
cross were elevated on the roof of the church
In 1964, under the leadershipof a newpastor,a
written and adoptedand approved by the
Then in 1965, it was decided to re-brick
and make all needed improvements.An
side door and steps leading to the o •
trance. On the interior,the basementa
system was installed.
In 1966, the addition to the san
the outside grounds were la
In the early part of 1967,
throughout and a
The reconstruction,
estimatedcost of
balancewa ra
service
.... rvl&tUttAte,
mortgagepaymentswere behind,
citieslookingfor jobs. The congregation
donationsand offeringsdiminishedto
-~-
peato, could not be met So, at times, the
from Sharon, Pa. or
faaatdays.
"T
a
on
�Renovation. His wife,. known as Mother Stangry was always on hand to help when
help was needed.
At that time the congregation was made up of first and second generation Americans,
with the third generation just emerging. Some of the marriages are from the descendants of other nationalities, and had little or no understanding of the Ukrainian Language.The Liturgy is celebrated in Ukrainian and once a month in English.
The congregation had a Sisterhood that looks after the maintenance of the church interior and renders financial help. There are Altar Boys-specially trained to serve during Divine Liturgy and a Choir to sing the Divine Liturgy. A Sunday School was organized in 1958 with two teachers who teach the youngsters the Orthodox Faith.
With sad hearts our beautiful church was closed January 15, 2012. The parish grew
smaller due to members deaths during the last few years. Parish members decided to
put the church to sleep and it has been sold to an architect and his wife who have
madeit their home.
Mostof the members have joined the parish of St. Elias in New Castle, Pa.
Offered by William Proch
Interior Photos of
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church
��Abraham Deep Family
Abraham Deep Family
Abraham Deep-born Misherfee, Syria in 1889
Faykia (Fannie) Joseph Deep-born Nasra, Syria in 1891
Married in New Castle, Pa. on December 31,1912
Abraham and Joseph Deep (Deeb) were from the village of Misherfee in the Homs
District of Syria. Together they emigrated to the US in 1906. They moved to New Castle to work in the Greer Tin Mill which was the largest of its kind in the world. Abraham
was a "roller" which was one of the highest paid labor positions in the mill. At the tin
mill, he met Abraham Joseph from the village of AI-Grahbi, also of the Homs District,
which was within traveling distance from his village. They became friends which led
Abraham Joseph to arrange a "marriage agreement" between his sister, Faykia, and
his friend Abraham Deep. They were married on December 31, 2012 by the Reverend
George Michael who was a visiting priest.
James (deceased)-born New Castle in 1913; wife Alice Abraham (deceased); daughter Diane married to Tim Kalajainen
Samuel (deceased)-born New Castle in 1915; wife Frieda Jacobs (deceased); son
David (Sam) married to Diane; children David, Amy, Joe, Melody
Mooney (deceased) - born New Castle in 1917; wife Eleanor Saloum (deceased); son
Albert; son Allen-children Allen, Joseph, Alexandria
Since Abraham could read and write Arabic, he would help his fellow Syrians read
documents which were in English and also write letters, in Arabic, back to Syria. One
story from the early days was that since Abraham had such a high paying job, in the
mill, he had amassed a tidy sum of money by the mid-1920's. His brother-in-law Abraham Joseph was then living in Aliquippa and asked him for a sizable loan to buy some
property in Aliquippa. Unfortunately, the Great Depression came and wiped out Abraham Joseph's investment. Supposedly the loan was for $5,000 which was a rather
large sum for those days.
Lillian (deceased) - born New Castle in 1920; husband John Apecella (deceased);
daughter Karen, son John
Anne-born
Frances (deceased) - born New Castle in 1925; husband George Klush (deceased);
son George (deceased) - daughter Tiffany, son Eric (deceased), son Brian (deceased)
Abraham and Faykia (Fannie) would eventually have 8 children. The boys were
James, Samuel and Mooney. The girls were Lillian, Anne, Frances, Della and Elizabeth. One son, Albert, died in 1916 at the age of 1 month. They first settled on Sciota
Street and then to Leasure Avenue in 1960. Abraham died in 1963 and Fannie in
1971. They were both dedicated members of St. Elias; Abraham loved to read scriptures and Fannie was named Ladies' Society "Mother of the Year" in 1970.
Della (deceased) - born New Castle in 1925; son James married to Patti lsolda with
children David and Amy and daughters Haley and Marlee, daughter Cynthia married to
Gary Dom nick, son Joshua Ringer.
Elizabeth-born
drew
Joseph Deep met Naema Ellis at a gathering of Syrian people in Pittsburgh and they
married in 1910. They would live for a short time in New Castle, and then spend most
of their lives in Charleroi, Pa. Naema was very instrumental in raising funds for the new
church community. They would remain childless. One of Abraham and Fannies' daughters, Anne, would live with Joe and Naema for a short time.
U THE
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New Castle in 1922
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New Castle in 1932, husband Edward Horney; son Nicholas, son An-
�Mike Kelly Family
grandfather,MikeKelly came to the United States on May 28, 1907, from Beyrouth,
Thefamilynameas listed on Ellis Island charter was Khalil. My grandmother,
(n6e Koury),cameto America on May 16, 1907 and she also came from
._IOUll'l,Syria.
grandfatherand grandmother settled in New Kensington, Pa. and were married in
17 Mygrandfatherworkedfor the tin mill in New Kensington and when the mill
mo-, to
Castle,they moved to New Castle in 1935. They had 6 children: Edna
bomIn 1918; Eleanor Kelly born in 1919; my father, Fred Kelly born in 1920;
Kelly bom in 1923; Doris Pegnato born in 1926; and Velma Albert born in
1128
grandmother, Julia, was an only child. My grandfather had a brother and a sister
aleo had In New Kensington. They had a limited ability to read and dwrite the
language.However, they did speak English very well.
-~••wand
fatherwere married in the church in July 31, 1049, although the cereactually took place in my grandmother's house. I was born in September 1,
''dll•M,uut•w
baptized at St Elias.
workedIn the tin mill until it shut down in New Castle and d then
t.rillld Engineering. Somewhere after his arrival in the United States, the
llfWllnla
angllclzed
from Khalil to KeHy.The family never formally changed the
rMWl.th11r
118chartarfrom Elllslsland.org, when my grandfather came to this coun7 his pocket.It indicated that his destination was New Hampshire
destinationwas New Kensington where had family. At the time of
arrival,she was9 years old, having been born in 1898. My grandfa-r-•-old at the timeof his arrivalaccording to the Ellis Island records.
Fred
Larry
Jora
�Karidis Family
Charles Family
Pete Karidis was born in New Castle of immigrant parents from Greece, Peter and
Lambrini Karidis. His father came as a young man and started the Hudson Lunch restaurant in downtown New Castle in 1917. It was known as the oldest restaurant under
one owner until Pete sold it after his father's death in 1961.
My parents, Ace & Jessie, my Gidoo, brother Lou and myself moved from New Kensington to Farrell and we became members of St. Elias Church in New Castle. In fact,
Father Abu Adal came to Farrell to baptize me. In 1940, we moved to New Castle and
moved into the Church rectory. While living there, Father Luka Koury loved with usa as
part of the agreement for my parents to rent the rectory. He was a wonderful man. In
1943, we moved to the East Side.
Christine Talaganis was born in New Castle of a immigrant father from Greece and an
American born mother of immigrant parents from Syria. Her father also came to America as a very young man and opened the Star Market on Long Avenue in New Castle.
He specialized in imported foods mostly from the Mediterranean area and had many
Greek, Syrian, Italian and Mid-Eastern customers. The family operated the market until
the 1980's when it was closed.
My Gidoo helped the priest in the altar until his passing in 1947. My father read the
Epistle every Sunday in English and brother Lou was a altar boy. My mother helped
the ladies with the cooking or whatever else they were doing. I still help as much as I
can.
During the time we lived in the rectory, the deceases members of St. Elias were laid
out in the Church basement and the men would sit up all night with the body. I have no
idea why. I was 5 years old and sleeping upstairs. Different! My Dad passed away in
1952 and was laid out in the Church basement. I have no idea when this practice
ended.
I am blessed to o be a member of St. Elias-My
Pete and Christine were both baptized , raised and married at St. George Orthodox
Church in New Castle. They have four children, Peter Ill, Steven, Kathy and Christina.
Wanting to rear their children in an English-speaking church, we joined St. Elias in the
late 1980 s They would be better able to understand the mysteries of the bible and
Orthodoxy, hear the Epistles and Gospel read; listen to the priest's sermon and understand it and believe in what the faith is.
Church Family.
We praise and glorify God daily for leading us to St. Elias.
Submitted by Marian Charles
From-Pete
and Christine Karidis
Tyler, Alex, Nikko
Natalia, Marcus, Andrei
Steven, Kathy, Pete, Christine, Peter Ill, Christina
Ellis
Louis
Jessie
Marian
Asa (Ace)
1:,1
Charles
�Keklak Family
Ron and Kathy moved to New Castle in 1976 from Johnstown/Conemaugh, Pa. and
joined St. Elias Parish shortly thereafter, realizing the vitality and strong faith of the
Parish and it parishioners. Their children, Brian and Nicole were 4 and 2 at the time
and grew up in the parish of rich traditions.
Ron's parents were the descendants of immigrants from Western Europe. His father
was the Deacon of St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church in Johnstown ,
where he also directed the mixed and male choirs, teaching Russian to people both
outside and within the Johnstown area. He worked at Bethlehem Steel and was a police officer. His mother sang in in the church choir and had a love for arts and crafts
and was a wonderful baker. His maternal grandfather was on the founding fathers of
the church.
Kath/s parents were the descendants of both Lebanese and Ukrainian heritage. Her
father served in the Navy during World War 11,worked in C. C. Camps during the Depression and retired from Bethlehem Steel as a welder after 40 years of service and
was of Ukrainian/Russian heritage. He was dedicated to his faith, which was a big part
of his life. Prior to her marriage, her mother worked in the family owned restaurant/bar
business and in the steel mills during the war. She was a great cook, a wonderful
peacemaker and a tender, compassionate mother and wife.
Peter and Lambrini Karidis
Talaganis children-George
net, Elizabeth
Katy, Ja-
Gus & Mary Talaganis
Ron's Maternal Grandparents
Elizabeth (BeeBee ), Kathrine, Janet, Christine, Martha
I: LS
C tS
Kathy's Maternal Grandparents
�Keklak Family (cont)
Nick Adams Family
Kathy's Family Heritage (Kathleen Senuta)
Jenelyn "Maxine" Thom was born November5,
Gimelly Toma-Maternal Grandmother-Immune Lebanon-arrived Ellis Island approximately 1900
AlbertSalem-Maternal Grandfather-Syria/Lebanon-arrived Ellis Island around 1900
Catherine Salem (Senuta) - born 1917-Kathy's mother (one of six children) - born & raised Franklin, Pa
1932. She was the oldest daughter bornto Me,.
Kathyrn Wawryn-Paternal Grandmother-Sambor, Galacia-arrived Ellis Island in 1909
John Senuta-Paternal Grandfather-Ukraine//Russia-arrived Ellis Island around 1900
Nicholas Senuta-born 1914-Kathy's father (one of seven children) - born in Blacklick, Pa. and raised
in Franklin, Pa.
Siblings-Brother Nicholas James
Children-Brian Joseph (Maria Palkina) and has one son, Nicholas Joseph
Children-Nicole Keklak (Gray) has a daughter, Paige Catherine
hard Thom and Marian Cora Heckathorn. Her
mother's family was from Langenbruck, Switzerland (1616) and Memmelshoffen, Germany
(1682). During this time, the family name was
"Heckendom". It wasn't until 1744 when they
moved to America that they translated their
name to "Heckathorn". They originally moved
Ron's Family Heritage (Ronald J. Keklak)
Anna Dzury-Maternal Grandmother-Austria/Gallitza (Poland) - arrived Ellis Island 1899
HarryYakemik-Matemal Grandfather-Austria/Hungary-arrived Ellis Island around 1900
Olga Yakemik-born 1919-Ron's mother (one of five children) - born & raised in Conemaugh, Pa.
Mary Jabinsky-Paternal Grandmother-Eastern Europe
Joseph Keklak-Paternal Grandfather-Russia
Peter Keklak-bom 1917-Ron's father (one of five children) - born & raised in Jermyn, Pa.
to Fredrick, Maryland but in 1798 they began
residing in Beaver, Pa. Sometime between
1798 and 1914, the Heckathoms found their
way into New Castle.
As a young teen, Maxine, met and fell in love with a young man whose name is Nick
Adams Jr. Nick was the first born American in his family. His mother gave birth to him
Siblings-Brother, Harry Eugene; Sister, Daria Lee
Children-Brian Joseph (Maria Palkina) and has one son, Nicholas Joseph
Children-Nicole Keklak (Gray) has a daughter, Paige Catherine
on July 31, 1930 in New Castle. His parents were Nick Adams Sr. and Parachiva Herciu (Patricia Herci). They were both from Saros Tirmava Padva, Romania.
Nick and Maxine wed on September 29, 1952. They had two daughters, Tracie and
Michele. Maxine worked as an accountant and as a notary. Nick worked as a
carpenter and served 8 years in the military. They were together over sixty yeas
Maxine departed this world into the kingdom of heaven (2012).
�Tony and Mary (Maamary) Jacobs
Larry Black Family
Tony and Mary (Maamary) Jacobs were born in Hassan, Syria in June of 1890 and October of 1897, respectively. They immigrated to the United States in
April of 1909 and were joined in marriage on November
23, 1913. They settled in New Castle, Pennsylvania
where other family and friends also migrated. After first
residing on Old Pulaski Road, they later moved to their
loving home at 614 East Reynolds Street.
Michele N. Adams-Black was born October 8, 1965 in
New Castle. She is the second daughter of Nick and
Maxine Adams. Her ancestors were from Germany,
Switzerland, and Romania. In her late teens, Michele
met the love of her life during a visit to a friend's house.
Tony and Mary raised a large, adoring, beautiful family
of nine children: Elizabeth, Fred, Freda, Rose, Vivian,
Rachel, Virginia, Robert, and Delores, all of which were
parishioners of our beloved Saint Elias Orthodox
Church.
The young man's name was Larry E. Black. Larry is
the youngest of six siblings. His parents were Walter
J. Black and Tina "Geneva" Williams. Walter was born
during February of 1926 in New Castle and adopted into the Black family as an infant.
Three of their children, Fred born in 1916, Rachel born
in 1925, and Delores born in 1934, also raised their
families in New Castle, growing up in the Orthodox faith at St. Elias.
Although Walter never had a chance to learn much about his birth parents, he knew
that he had heritage from England, Scotland, Ireland, and France. Geneva was born
February 18, 1924 in Tennessee. She is a descendant of Betsy and Elizabeth Walker
who belonged to a Cherokee tribe on Indian Territory in North Carolina during the seventeen hundreds. Geneva also has family from Wales, the Netherlands, and New Zea-
land.
Larry and Michele married in 1983, and gave birth to their first son David Michael on
August 1. Two years later they gave birth to their only daughter, Wendy Noel on August 8, 1985. And four years later their youngest son, Nicholas James was born on
December 29, 1989. Larry is a trained mechanic, electrician, and is also the owner operator of L & M Trucking. Michele is a licensed practical nurse, David works at UPS,
Wendy is a medical assistant, and Nicholas is a four-wheeled mechanic in the Army.
n
..
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After serving as a Sergeant in the United States Air Force during World War 11,Tony
and Mary's oldest son, Fred, returned to New Castle. His sister Rose, who at that time
resided in Cleveland, had a friend from church by the name of Lydia to who she mentioned that she noticed a young lady working at a restaurant in downtown Cleveland
that caught her attention. By chance, this lady (Elaine) just happened to be her
friend's cousin. Soon after, they introduced Fred to his future wife Elaine Khoury.
Elaine was originally from Aramoun, Lebanon, and was the daughter of Salim and Hind
Khoury and from a family of 3 brothers, Camille, Edward, and Elie, and 2 sisters, Nawal and Dunia. While spending just a short time together and meeting one another's
family, each of which felt like their own family, Fred and Elaine were engaged at Cascade Park in New Castle after only 5 days. Elaine's Aunt Eva and Uncle Sayeed
whom she lived with in Cleveland (Elaine's parents were in Lebanon) began plans for
a beautiful wedding. Their ceremony took place on July 11, 1959, at St. George's Orthodox Church in Cleveland, Ohio, where they were married by our most holy Metropolitan Phillip Saliba, who at that time served as a priest of the church, alongside with
Father Nader.
After their marriage, Fred and Elaine resided on Maryland Avenue in New Castle. Fred
continued his love and loyal dedication to St. Elias Orthodox Church by servingas &
board member for a number of years, along with assisting with the plans of the fflOYfJ
and the building of our new church on Lynn Street. Soon after their weddingElai'le
also became a fond parishioner of our church serving on the Ladies soc1ety·e.~~J.lt11.(
sisting with many functions thereafter and still continues to do so today.FM
passed away on June 24, 1994.
�Fred and Elaine raised a family of three, Lydia Rose,
Freddie, and Vivian, all of which were baptized at St. Elias Church and grew up in the Orthodox faith. Vivian,
who still resides in New Castle, continues to be devoted
to our church. Her wedding ceremony was held at St.
Elias on September 6th , 1997 where she married David
Gabriel.
Family Tree of Steve and Roseann Kulik
Louis. Zulan ZmitJovidl
John Kaszuba
6- 1943. 0 2005
""
Somervlle, NJ
Phaip Longo
Nicolene Longo Wlzda
Christina 'Tina' Longo MalZ
Joseph Longone
RottoLongone
Rose Longo Undwedel
Mary Longo Cesario
Fred's sister, Rachel, and her family, are also members
of St. Elias. Rachel, whose adoration for our church is
just as strong today, raised two children, Randy and
Renee in the Orthodox tradition, both of whom still carry
their love for our church.
Delores and Frank's daughter, Lori Arata, and her daughter Sarah, continue to carry on their dedication to St. Elias,
and are loving members of our church. Lori enjoys assisting with bread baking, and Sarah serves in the choir and
as a parish council member. Sarah married Luke Bukowth
ski at St. Elias Church on September 15 of 2012.
Also parishioners are Lori's brother Larry, and wife Tracy. Larry and Tracy have two
children, Justin and wife Ashley, and Alissa and her husband Tim Crosby. Alissa, who
enjoys singing in the choir, and Tim, are raising their children, Harlee and Isaac in our
cherished church.
Lori's youngest sister, Mary and her husband Jimmy, were married at St. Elias Church
on June 23, 1990. Both Mary and Jimmy have also raised their children Bryan,
Kaylee, and Madison at St. Elias with much faith and love.
Nicholas G Kull!
B - 211211990
llpanesti, Romania
Married 5128/1988
SS Peter & Paul Orthodox Church
South River NJ
lads.XU
-B
Tony and Mary's youngest daughter, Delores, also grew
up with St. Elias at the forefront of her life. Delores married her husband, Florian
(Frank) Bryan on November 15, 1953 (their marriage ceremony did not take place at
St. Elias on this date). Even though Frank's mother was a devout Catholic, he did not
attend church at that time. After marrying Delores and watching their children attend
St. Elias every week, Frank decided to become a member of the Orthodox faith On
January 15, 1966, Frank and Delores were then married at St. Elias by Father Curry
Delores and Frank had five children, Frank (Rob), Lori,
Terri, Larry, and Mary. Delores who was a member of the
Ladies Society, sadly passed away on March 31 , 1993 at
the age of 58. Frank who dedicated his handy work and
time to St. Elias Church, continued to help after Delores'
passing. Some of his beautiful carpentry is located in the
vestibule including the poor box in memory of his wife and
all of the deceased, along with the candle money box, and
the base for the tomb of Christ. Frank passed away on
October 14, 2006.
n
Groono Russia ("""'9 411711914)
0 -1011/1953
Fevronla (Febronia) Perun Kulik
B - 612011895
Krasna Auslna (am-,e 2113/1912)
B-2n0I1920
New Castle, PA
0-12/411970
Steven A Kulik
B- 8/3011956
0- 111811954
Martied911011955
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church
NewCastle,PA
Stephen J Pashku
B-1890
-1960
t:::11
c:::11
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::::IS
=-c:::IJ
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New Castle, PA
Amy C Kulik Guggenheimer
B- 8/2611965
New CasUe,PA
- 12/2811988
llpanestl, Romania
LNatala AK•
B - 08/2512010
NewCaslle,PA
�Asaad and Phoebe Farris Family
They are the Parents of:
W1111am
(clecNHd) & Evelyn:
Parentsof
Beth Ann (Bob) Barber-Bobby & Brittani Lee
Karen (Joseph-deceased) Argiro-Torry & Joey
David
Patty (Pat) Valenti-Adam
Joanne (Tom) Gilkey-Tiffany Gilkey-son Brayden
Billi Jo (Vince) Evans-Victoria, Christina, Jacob, & Juliana
Stacey (Todd) Henry-Connor, Nolan, & Morgan
Jam•&Lynda
Parents of:
Dr. Jaelyn Farris
Jim Farris Jr. (Diane)- Lindsay
Joseph
Nonna (Bob-deceased) Kelley
Parents of:
Kathy (Santos) Torres-James, Trevor; & Jeffrey Masterson
Jeffrey (Bonnie) DeMarco-Jordan, Jeffrey, & Joshua
CIMllll•&Karen
Paren1sof:
Heather(David)Cumo-David & Anthony
William
Chartes(Mary)Jr.-Allison, daughter-Adriana DiNardo & Charles Ill
Timolhy(deceased)& Carmen-Tara & Courtney
Samuel
FaithWoods-Kiefer & Samantha
31111:am81'D1~Cu1rt,
Bryan,& Chad
M.,..JUlllin (Becca}- Kayla;Jared; Judd (Jessica) - Ariana, Shaun,
Assad & Phoebe's
Re-Crowning
at 50th Anniversary
May 1979
By Father George
�1111,&1D0111&,
SyriaIn 1883.lsh-Shoohais 30 miles
). In Syria,hi8name was TecmyibnMackul.
mll1peledas Tony,so he continuedto use
..,,.1a
a MiddleEasterntradition.Mike
bornIn Kafloon,SyriaIn 1882and cameto
on, lirldlhey W9t'8marriedat the St John Rus1907.They movedto NewCastleto raisetheir
Mlchael8.
AnthonyMitchell,
that AnthonyMitchennamewas
mlilliry aervlce.
daughter Cassidy
~and
Mackenzie
Stephanie
��Josephine
Samuel Abraham Family
Samuel(Bonesy)Abraham,Jr. was the son of immigrant parents Samuel J. & Jennie
JosephAbraham,Sr.
SamuelAbraham,Sr. emigratedfrom Kafroun, Syria and married Jennie Joseph, from
Syria. They settled in New Castle and had 3 sons, Samuel, Marshall, & Abraham and 2
daughters, Renee and Julie. Samuel, Sr. and Jennie were very instrumental in starting
St. Elias church in the early years. Jennie also owned a craft store on Long Avenue.
Samuel, Jr. married Naomi (Sue) Kennedy and they had a daughter Terri (Robert)
Price and 3 sons, Samuel Ill, Marshall, and Robert. Sam Jr. was an Environmental
Engineer for LTV Steel.
Sam, Sue, and Family are life-long members of St. Elias. Sam serving as Parish Council Chair. Samuel Jr. passed away in 2012.
Rose (Rahme)
Haddad.She
and Louis. Sh
She married J
settled in Roe
Josephine,, P
would become
Castle.
a
Josephine wa
wasthatwhen..w.rw.ilil
"Josephine Sa1...,.1JU1ai
be Josephine
tell her grand
cause Sarah and Barbara sound so much
JHB~lel-
Since there was not an Orthodox Chur·tlll,,llfltJIINli
tered to by visiting priests. It it said thaI•••••
because the youngest son, Mitchell w
the priests would talk theology with the
After graduating Duff's Business Colle
ters from New Castle. They were ma
They soon had a daughter Joyce and
nately, the marriage ended in divorce.
During World War 11,Josephine worke
They would marry in 1948. Andy also
Andy & Josephine would later have a
for 51 years until Andy's death in 199
Top: Sam, Jr.
Sue
Sam Ill
Robert
Terri (missing from picture)
FirstRow: Marshall
Samuel, Sr. and Jennie
Although, Josephine was now retired,
return to the workforce for the Lawren
her job would be to find jobs for other
named Pennsylvania's top senior em
the state's honored guest. She would
moved to Kent, Ohio with her daught
Josephine passed away in March of
�Josephine Solomon Fundoots
THE JOHN & ROSIE DAVIS FAMILY
John (Hunah) was born in Kamie; Syria in 1889; he was the next to the eldest of five children.
His parents were Dayoub (David) and Hunie Al Durah.
Married Norman Peters
•
Janice Peters & Paul Sibeto
Paula Sibeto
Richard Johns-2nd husband of Jackie
•
Joyce Peters & Frank Fornataro
LouAnn Fornataro
Annette Fornataro & Dennis Cox
Tiffani Cox
Dennis Cox II
Linda Fornataro & Dean Hansen
Stephen Hansen
Casey Hansen
Frank Fornataro, Jr & Maria
Daniel Fornataro
Daniel Fornataro
John's brother Slayman, was the first to immigrate to the United States, appears to have settled in the New York City area. A few years, John followed his brother Slayman to America.
The next to leave Syria and travel to "America" was John's younger brother Habeeb (Phillip).
Syria. However, somewhere along the way Habeeb ended up in Brazil, where he created a
very successful life and prosperous family. Several years later during a conversation with Habeeb's grandson Felipe, he stated that all that his grandfather Habeeb knew was that he wanted to go to America and see his brother Hunah (John) and Habeeb could not differentiate between North and South America. Somehow Habeeb boarded the wrong ship. Hunah and Habeeb never saw each other after they separated in Syria.
Esau, the youngest male, stayed in Syria at the request of his father. Esau still has descendents in Syria and several have immigrated to the United States are members of St. Elias.
John did not have any formal education and he only spoke the vernacular of Arabic that was
prevalent in the mountainous areas of Syria. John's family was farmers (falaheen). After many
years in the United States he spoke only a few words of English.
For an illiterate immigrant, John would be considered successful. They moved to New Castle in
1907 and rented a house in Mahoningtown, where he had a job at the "tin mill". They later
owned their own home on Scioto Street, where they reared twelve children, and with the assistance of six daughters kept mounds of food on the table and a very clean house.
Rose Solomon & Josephine
Foster Allen-2nd husband of Joyce
•
Jackie Peters & Albert Salem
Linda & Richard Tarnaski
Lauren Tarnaski
Norman Fox-2nd husband of Linda
Robert Salem & Jennifer
Robert Salem
Alyssa Salem
Tori Salem
Joseph Salem
Diana Salem & Robert Crable
Caitlyn Crable
Courtney Crable
Kristen Crable
What John did not know was that he was leaving his future wife (Rosie) behind in Miklos. Rosie was 12 or 13 years younger than John. When John left for America Rosie would probably
be less than 5 years old. "By way the crow flies" there is probably less than a mile between Kamie and Miklos; it is directly east across the Wadi. To reach Miklos from Kamie by road is probably 5 - 6 miles. That was a long distance in the late 1800's; one would have to walk or on rare
occasion use a donkey.
e:::11
John fared well on the exodus from Syria. When he reached Ellis Island they asked his name
and he told them "Hunah Dayoub Al Durah". Because Hunah and Dayoub are Biblical names
they were easily translated to John and David, the Al Durah was completely dropped. Later,
some government official decided that "David" was not a suitable last name, so some minor
official changed his last name to "Davis", which has its origins in Wales. This error would cause
confusion the remainder of his life and for some of his children. As recently as 201 0 when
Gene was researching this book, the clerk at the Lawrence County Court House asked Gene if
he was Welsh, because he did not look like a Welshman.
Married Andy Fundoots
C ■
•
e: ■
John immediately set out for the Pittsburgh area where there was a large Arabic community
and it was relatively easy to find work in the steel mills. There is virtually no information regarding his early years in Pittsburgh, except that he worked in the steel mills and like many other
single men lived in a boarding house.
e:::11
The love and motivation that John experienced for America never diminished, and no one
could speak ill of America in front of him. If they did, he would quietly walk away. John never
expressed a desire to go back to Syria, even for a visit.
Sherry Fundoots & Patrick Vitone
Sahra Vitone
Francesco Vitone
Andreas Vitone
Nico Vitone
Jessie Virginia Josephine
c:.
c:■
�Rolie'a atory was very different' she was bom on the 15th of August 1893 in Miklos, Syria.
What we know for sure la that
mother was Rahmee Aboud, whose anglicized name was
Rolle Albert. Thia makeasomedegree of sense because Rahmee can be Anglicized to Rosie
andAboudis translatedto Albert.
her
Rahmee Aboud appearson the United States 1930 census as Rosie Albert living with her
daughter,
MarySam, at 611 9th Street, Ford City, PA.
It appearsthat Rahmee traveledto the United States on three separate occasions. The fi~st
trip,according
occurredbecause: "There was a drought in Syria and Anni~'s (Rahmee) family
had no moneyand they were starving. Annie at age 12 - 14 came to Amenca by herself. S~e
workedaa a domesticand sent money home to Syria. Two years later, she went back to Syna
and got married and startedher family.
They fel on hard times again and Rahmee decided to return to the ~nited States for a seco~d
time. Her husband, Aboud, wouldn't come with her. Therefore, Annie left her husband, Rosie
and Nastabehind to go back to the United States by herself. A family member helped her start
her dry goods peddling business, which in Arabic is known as a "Kushie". She made a lot of
moneyandwent back to Syria. Her goal was to convince her husband to immigrate to the United States. During her time in Syria, while trying to convince Aboud to return with her, Maria
wasconceived.
In 1905, when Rahmee realized that her husband was not going to immigrate to America, she
packed up Rosie and Aunt (Schaltae) Maria traveled to Beirut, Lebanon and got on a French
LineahlptoAmerica,leavingthe remainder of her family behind. At this time
Rahmeeneverreturnedto Syria. At that time, U.S. Customs had staff in the port of Marseilles,
Franceto conducthealthinspections on the ships that were headed to America. Evidently,
therewasan outbreakof •Pink Eye•, which is infectious, and the ship was not permitted to go
t.oAmertca.
At1h11pointthey could not go back to Syria, because they had allegedly bribed the Turkish
offlclalato let them go. With her mother and Aunt Maria, they stayed in Marseilles for two
montha.Thenthey sailed to Vera Cruz (Yucatan) in Mexico, and from there to Chihuahua,
Muk:o9l'ldthento MexicoCity where they stayed for three months. Keep in mind; this is durtheMexicanrevolution
and Pancho Villa, very dangerous times.
tine, Rosiewas 13-14 years of age and Maria was about 13 months old. Rahmee and
~ twogi18madetheir way through the steaming jungles of the Yucatan to Mexico City. Con.. dlalange; noneof them were literate, did not speak Spanish or had any idea where
-.
Theyhadprobablynever heard of Mexico.
Grandmolhar(Situ) Rahmee is legendary. According to the family folklore, which has signifita..,..,."°'1 from several family members, Rahmee was a grand lady. She was confident,
~ and had a commanding presence, almost to the point of being
heldherownin any conversation and while she worked hard, she expected the
hllti!llielsdthe familyto attend to her. Part of her daily practice was to have a smoke
(arghle) in the evening while they sat around and talked. Rosie grew up in a
-,~..-~
matriarchalinfluence.
"ldardfor and the •strong•and resilient women in the Aboud
to folow. Rosie confinned these attributes and imbued these
---,
ll!Wll9'illlllly
herdaughters.
Once RahrneearrtvadIn F
nea. She started •
buy Hnensand olher
to Ford City; repack
heavy duty brown paper, Ike
a
each. Rahmee would get up
would go from houae t.ohoule,
(ahwee) and they woulddllcla
dy may buy a towel, or a
would pay her in ful, for example 10
credit and collectthe remainderlater.&aa.__
of anher accountsIn her head.
The United States waa atil wortoog
on,
that malaria and yellowfever wererampant
three brave souls, managed t.omalke._ ·---·more than ttvee months. Marlahad WlfY
llllilll.,,.
·sianca·, which is white In Spanish.
..
The reader is probablywonder"9
how ~
mugged. First they carrieda bunch'd.... 11111i1.w•
They very carefuNysewed the aoill lnlo
a few days. Several of the coinsWllf9
able
After 3 - 4 months they were
to=
it was the Wild West. They stayed _.......
in 1906.
Rosie and John were rnarri
Pittsburgh and lived In a l'OOI
....... IWllil'I.,.
Rosie became an excellent.
made wheat (Bl.lgurt)
and Cl
soaked;
expanding tb
staying, took
them the la
ten relate
�Rosie's jam. In New Castle it was the general custom to knock, walk-in, serve yourself a cup of
coffee or water, and sit down and chat.
Shown below are the lrfe spans of the family members as of January 1, 2011.
Relationship
Birth
Passing
John Davis
Father
May 13, 1879
Oct. 26, 1949
Rosie (Aboud) Davis
Mother
Aug. 15, 1891
Jan.5.1992
Michael Davis
Son
Nov. 5, 1908
, 1988
James Davis
Son
Jul. 18, 1912
Mar. 31, 2000
Haifa (Ann) (Davts) Ellis
Daughter
Fannie (Davis) Barkett
Daughter
Jul.31,1916
2007
Helen (Davis) Orres
Daughter
Smaya (Elizabeth) (Davis) Shinn
Daughter
Apr. 27. 1921
Marle(Da~s)Bannon
Daughter
Feb.20, 1923
Apr. 28, 2000
Christopher Davis
Son
Dec.6, 1924
May 31, 1999
Peter Davis
Son
Jan. 7, 1926
Stutz Davis
Son
Aug.22, 1927
Carolyn (Davis) Barkett
Daughter
May 31, 1930
Ronald Jene Davis
Son
Dec.4, 1935
Haifa and Fannie worked at Joseph's market, which was a small grocery store at the time. In
actuality, it was more like a general store. Mowad Joseph was the proprietor and he stayed
open long hours, because his store was on Long Avenue, and many of the mill workers would
pass his store either go to or coming from work.
When Haifa and Fannie were finished working at the store, they were required to go to the
home of the Joseph's and work as domestics. This work included doing all of the different
types of household chores. By the time they got home at night they were literally exhausted.
John and Rosie bought the house at 1202 Scioto Street. It was a very simple home with a living room, dining room and large kitchen on the first floor, and three large bedrooms on the second floor. The girls slept in the front bedroom and the guys slept in the middle bedroom. The
back bedroom was reserved for whichever brother and wife were living at the house. Behind
the kitchen was a large enclosed porch that served as a "summer kitchen". This was where
Rosie did some of her food preparation and canning.
Aug. 29, 1957
To quote Charles Dickens from a Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times and the worst of
times".
c:11
c:::11
John had heard through the "immigrant grapevine" that jobs were plentiful in New Castle so
they decided to move. At this time New Castle was a rapidly growing mill town and offered a
great-deal of promise, opportunity and security. This probably could be said of many of the
towns in southwestern Pennsylvania at that time.
John and Rosie moved to New Castle in 1907 because the Tin Mill was hiring. There was labor unrest in Pittsburgh. John was a laborer and as soon as Mike and Jim were old enough, 16
years of age, they went to work at the Tin Mill. The Tin Mill worked three shifts, i.e. 24 hours
per day, seven days a week.
The early days on Scioto Street were filled with hustle and bustle; it was the "Roaring 20's".
The mills were going strong and there was an abundance of jobs available. The pay was not
great and the work was hard, especially for the immigrant laborers whose country of origin was
around the Mediterranean. This meant that the Syrians, Lebanese, Italians, Greeks, etc. were
given the low paying jobs, because they were less educated and less well trained. The Welsh
had a reputation for knowing how to make steel and they had the best jobs in the mills.
The Davis household was always very attractive to visitors, it was at the intersection of Scioto
and Reynolds and convenient for visitors to stop. Also, it was a short block from the house to
the tunnel entrance that the men used to get under the railroad tracks and then into the tin mill.
John and Rosie had many friends that lived nearby and others from Saint Elias Orthodox
C~urch,_~nd. the children had their friends. The house at 1202 Scioto Street always teemed
with act1v1ty;1tseemed there was always a pot of coffee on the stove, fresh bread and some of
As they say, "Do the math", at this time there were two parents and eleven children. In the front
bedroom there were two double bed; Rosie and the girls slept there. To accommodate all of
the girls. they slept sideways on the bed. In the middle bedroom the guys slept; this meant
John Chris, Pete and Stutz. Jim and his wife slept in the back bedroom. When Ron (Geno)
came along, Chris had entered the Navy and Geno slept in the same bed as John and Pete
and Stutz occup,ed the other bed. Haifa was married in 1933 so that opened a space and Fannie Joined ·he WoMen's Army Corps (WACs) in 1943.
The house had one bathroom, which Rosie and John added when they bought the house.
Needless to say one did not linger in the bathroom. The main activity room was the large
kitchen, with an enormous round kitchen table. Based upon the number of people and the different schedules, there was always activity in the kitchen. Rosie always had a pot of coffee
brewed for whoever stopped by. The kitchen was the gathering place prior to the afternoon
shift and the midnight shift. Some of family friends would stop by for a cup of coffee and some
fresh bread on their way to work. The house was a short block from the tunnel entrance on Moravia Street that the men would use to enter the mill.
On Sunday mornings Sam Deep would come over for breakfast; on many occasions he would
"wind-up" the window blinds. The house had dark green window blinds that had a tension
spring to facilitate the rolling up of the blind. Sam would take a table fork and wind the blinds.
Because he was so tall, he was able to do this without using a ladder.
e:::11
~
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=::Ill
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=:ell
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During "Prohibition" the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages was not permitted by law,
i.e. this period is referred to as "Prohibition". Any alcoholic beverage, other than beer, that was
made at this time was referred to as: "bathtub gin", "hooch", "bootleg liquor" or one of several
other names. Following in her mother's (Rahmee) footsteps as an entrepreneur; Rosie made
hooch. Since the house on Scioto Street was next door to the fire station, she had a ready supply of customers. Reputedly, Rosie made high-quality, clean booze. Many of her customers
were city and/or county officials. Jim hauled the liquor in his large Oldsmobile and he and Mike
would take the liquor to the out-of-town customers. Rosie had both a retail and wholesale business. During this period, Rosie was never arrested.
The "Great Depression" was very hard on families. Not only did the depression reduce some
��Abraham Family
Yaged & Rafha
Samuel & Magida
Stella • .John Uado l\Ial) & Onufre Weresuk
Yaged Abraham, born in 1895 and Rafha (George), born 1906, were married in Syria
and emigrated to the U. S .. Yaged came in 1922 and his wife Rafha in 1929. They
were from the region of Homs, Syria. Yaged came through Ellis Island and Rafha came
through Providence, Rhode Island.
Yaged worked as a catcher in the Tin Mill and Rafha set up a household on Wilson Avenue. They had five daughters and two sons. They are Geraldine (Nofie) born 1930,
Gwendolyn (Nizha) born 132, Gerald (Nyeff) born 1933, Gary born 1934, Delores born
1935, Gladys born 1938, and Claudia born in 1943.
Gladys has an early memory from her childhood, that every Sunday, many Syrian
friends would come to the house to sit in the large back yard. They would drink tea and
eat shunkleesh, olives, and Syrian bread.
Slyman Abraham, born 1898 and Magida Kai, born 1909 were also from the Homs region of Syria. They were married there and emigrated to the U.S. Slyman came here
in 1920. He went back in 1927 for his wife. He and Magida came with back together
through Ellis Island. Magida was pregnant with her twin daughters Rose and Sally who
were born in 1928.
They settled on Arlington Avenue. Magid a would later have another set of twins in
1932, June and Joan. Daughter Ilona would come along in 1943.
Samuel worked in the Tin Mill while Magida raised her children.
Information submitted by Gladys Anderson
di
Steve, Lauren, and
Makenna Jenkins
adison, Taylor,
yn Dado
d.
d
�THE MIGLIORES OF PARTINICO, ITALY
My grandfather Filippo Migliore
married Concetta De Blasi in 1892 in
the main Catholic church (Matrice) of
Partinico, Sicily. Four children were
born to this union: Salvatore (my
father) Grazia who died at two years
of age, Giuseppe and Antonino.
Uncle
Joseph
Yaged - 1927 - Slyman
Magida with
Ilona
Rafha with
Claudia
Uncle
Antonino
Grandfather
Philipa
Father
Salvatore
In 1903 he returned to Italy and purchased a 15 acre farm. The farm did not meet his
expectations so he sold the farm and returned to America in the spring of 1905. Back
in Vineland, NJ he rented two rooms , saved money enough to bring his family in October of 1905 aboard the Napolitan Prince. Salvatore was twelve, Giuseppe was even
and Antonino was four years of age
t::a
t:::11
--1892-1992--
Grandmother
Concetta
Due to the economic conditions in
Italy at the turn of the century, my
grandfather, Filippo came himself to
America in 1902 to live and work
with his uncle, Salvatore Musso in
Vineland NJ.
t:::11
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Jnc.
prourlfrprrsm/s this
Official Certificate of Registration
After 3 years of the family hard work on a truck farm in 1908, they saved enough to put
a down payment on a ten acre farm were they lived with their three children for many
years. All the family worked the farm and in addition, the children went to school and
learned English.
Salvatore received a scholarship at American International College in Springfield,
Mass. There he graduated and through the help of a minister, who had supported the
family in spite of them being Roman Catholics and was instrumental in Salvatore entering Bloomfield School of Divinity. He eventually received his Master Degree from the
University of Pittsburgh and his Doctorate in Divinity from from Bloomfield Theological
Seminary. Through his hard work and saving whatever funds he made he was able to
help put his two brothers through college.
Ill
THE
~
1ERIC~
L 'L\HGRAIIT ,VALL OP' HONOR
to offiriallyrertifythat
=:II
RAFHA GEORGE AND YAGED ABRAHAM
whomme to Americafrom
=II
SYRIA
i, 11monglhosc oour.1gcoU$ men 11.nd
wo.mcn who umc w 1his (;Ounuy in i:;c-archof pcri<>nal
freedom. ccononuc opportumt~ and a future of hope for their familic'l-,
Lee A. lacoa-~
The Su,uc- uf LibcnY-EUis island
foundation. Inc.
•
~
=:II
LIBERTY
188frl986
:d
c:11
c:::11
Giuseppe became a draftsman working for Westinghouse Electric, Antonino eventually
went to Tulane University School of Medicine and became a surgeon at Arcadia Veterans Hospital in Arcadia, Florida.
Rev. Salvatore Migliore was assigned to the 2 nd Italian United Presbyterian Church in
Pittsburgh, Pa. This was a mission church composed of all Italian immigrants, most of
whom did not speak English. The service was mainly in Italian in the early years. He
married Clara Pergola, a missionary, on the ides of March 15, 1927.
From this union came four children: Grace, twins Philip and Salvatore and finally Daniel. Grace received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Pennsylvania College for
Women and worked as a medical social worker.
�CalhY
who II a pharmaceutical representative for Johnson &
Dr. Philip receivedhis Doctorate from the University
ftlOMIIIIO In Pathology and workedat M D Anderson Hospital
IU'l8.
Houlton, Texas. He has three children: Philip V. who is
Cindy Is marriedto a physician and Todd who works in the
QOINll!fflllllpal-ny.
"°"'
..,._
hit Doctorate
from the University of Pittsburgh and a FellowHarvardUniversity. He was Assistant Professor in Orthodonof Pllllbwgh,School of Dentistryand had a private practice in OrH cl Pittsburgh.
chlldranfrom his first wife Patricia Dowling: Salvatore A. is the
Al,9llllne Homesin Virginia, Debra is a nurse, Lisa who is an opti--■-, Michaelwho is the head attorney for the city of Wilmington,
whoII a distribution expert for Nutro Premium Pet Foods.
OUffllll1ly
marriedto Kathleen, who has a son John. Dr. Salvatore and
cl St. EBasOrthodoxChurch.
GeorgiaWhitman submitteda few verynioe
ham's, early life in NewCastle.
Rose (Elizabeth) Johns was born In 1923to
sad Johns, and grew up on New cae1e•a
gia, John and Leslie. Rose passedaway1n·01•
This is from Rose's 6th grade
class at Lincoln Garfield
Westminster College and received his Doctorate from
haabeen a Professor of Systemic Theology at Princeton Uniprollficwrltterof many books on Theology. Dr. Daniel has two
a minister in Bloomfield, NJ and Mark who is a school princi-
LucyNotari. There were no children from this union
whodiedyoung from cancer. Giuseppe returned
War.
Rose also drew this piece at Lincoln
was on Long Avenue. The store wasOWlrJlll!-1
and mother to Sam (Bonse
�Phoebe Abraham
Phoebe Mansour came to America at age 18 in
1928. Her family sent her to escape the economic difficulties in Syria. She once said that
her mother sent her America to find gold, but
unfortunately, America was suffering through
the Great Depression.
Common at the time, her first marriage, as a
teenager, was arranged to Sam Charles who
was close to 50 years of age. Sam was a tin mill
worker and during their marriage they had five
children-,Adelle Sally, Edna, Fred and Mitchell. Unfortunately, Sam died and left Phoebe
with five young children.
A second marriage, to Albert Abraham, produced two additional children, Yvonne and
Elaine. However, the marriage wouldn't last and
Phoebe found herself with seven children and
no one to help provide for the family.
Sam and Phoebe Charles
Edna, Sally & Adelle
During World War II, she greased wheels at the
Mahoningtown railroad yards for 81 cents per
1-
____________
__.
hour. She was self-sufficient in many other ways as well, making her children's clothing from bleached flour sacks, which were a popular style at the time.
It was in the early 1960's that Phoebe literally took matters into her own hands using
her talented fingers to knead dough int bread and rolls to sell to local businesses and
to provide for her and her children. Since many of the taverns on the Long Avenue
served lamb, Phoebe's bread was an essential part of the meal.
In time she would add spinach pies, shunkleesh, baklawa and pizza to her business,
which kept going for 35 years. She was very proud that she made her phylo dough by
hand. She said, "I would roll the pastry as thin as cigarette paper and stack 60 layers
on a tray. It would melt in your mouth".
She also used her talent to benefit her homeland. She would send money back to Syria to benefit the Hosn Hospital and other charities. Her Syrian bread would sell for 25
cents and loaf and her regular clients would order 25 loaves per week. Several grocery
stores, like Rocky's would also sell her bread.
~
c::9
c::11
c::11
c::11
c::S
c::11
c::11
Phoebe in her kitchen baking Syrian bread-1995
�Joseph Family
Joseph Family
My Dad and Mom were born in Homs,
Syria. They came to this country at a
very early age with their families. My
Dad was 7 years old born in 1899 and
my Mom was 5 years old born in 1905.
e H ,astle Tailor Prese11te,l
nval Robesof S<Ludi
Arabia
..,
..
~
·,
t·,1 o~ no,·
·v1.r.~ th,,
I re b " of . , ,cti A¥•').;
"'l'h
t r f I,
}n. .n"" of t..;..t count,
's
l n .
F r,r ~.i;
We were all raised in the church attending every Sunday without fail. My dad was the
main chanter for all of the services. Whenever a new priest came to town, my dad
brought him to our house. We were surrounded by our church thru out our lives.
My dad passed away at the age of 68 and my mom at the age of 88. My brother Edward and my sister Irene are both deceased. There are still three of us with 13 grandchildren and many more greats. So the Joseph/Orr families live on.
Read an
interesting article
about
"Prince Albert"
t > pro-
Ji< t;r· P 'fo'"•'I
q]•
fol" A J.b rc-f117c-r who for
Y '· •
"10 1 1 vr
• r .e Pd
n,I .. ,
• Imo.' 1 omelc
.,nd
'
My mom was busy taking care of her family. There were 5 of us, Edward, Irene, Constantine, Albert and Corgette. Her entire life was her children, cooking and cleaning.
She was an expert cook, learning from my Situ, Kokab.
t
.:rLn. 2~ - .
•o
" -, r
My Mom's name was Victoria Orr, although Orr is not the spelling of her last
name, but it is close to the way you pronounce her name in English.
They settled in New Castle and my dad became very active in the church and the community. He owned a tailoring business and because of his suits and always being
dressed up, he became known as Prince Albert. He then became known as Prince Albert to everyone. He sold Syrian Records and had the tailoring business for most of
his life. He could read and write in Arabic, which was very rare at the time. So he became the link to many Syrians as they tried to keep in touch with their families in Syria.
We traveled to every Syrian Picnic, every weekend selling those Syrian Records. He
enjoyed those times to very much.
,..,a
• 1 •
J
My Dad's name was Albert Joseph, although Joseph really wasn't his last
name.
They came with their parents and grandparents. The Joseph's settled in
Greensburg, Pa. and Orr's in Kansas
City, Mo. They came to New Castle for
work, at that time New Castle was a
growing city. They fell in love and married in 1928 and that is why I am here. My mother was brought up Maronite, but became Orthodox when she married my dad. We always teased her about making her
cross with 5 figures instead of 3.
.
~
•1 .
!"\
L•t
n
I
... ,
P ,,:~'ln S
r r Kir,c:; S,
"on
nr- of t n
.
1 •, r
vier .·
.\.
·, it
d.
=-
TI( p"
')
1,o
a . nt
rt
•
_-\n:' : t- Jorc·ph
: i, , civ<'d
1 r-
l?R
n"nts
obr . " :·cf· 1•f. a
.t .- · lir . 1 •w ' and gra~·
1, r.•~.
, . ;- 1.J<l••
wat. h inscrih<>d
•h•· 1·:n-:(" n,ir e as :=i pr, •r .~:• frr '>E n, '1 rrt<e•·rd
'»d m Ur ,rift pH,.·:3g ..
_\rul> Lc:1g 1 1I' s trr.t;.:i:,.·y
•ton.
P·,Ert. oT'f'rA'ing
n
m bt·ha'.f of dis• r since Ill ;; nl be-
in ~9i , has
, raise rnr,ney
111 .un,1 home-
t!'
.t.,,·r,t,-,J
t'1!'
c •tt
r ..ct thr'>11g:1-
ns-Jor<lan,
•1,li Ara1Jia
Iraq.
a nd ! ____
Albert
Joseph
\\'o
, F H' Charity
'1-:e o ,.,.cu' Sou· h Si<lr-r, ''ho
.rec , n ~-~ ~ ..rc-+-:1.r f 1r th"' :- ~ ·r, <)"t r,c\o,: Church here. ann£'ars
1>n•1• ,.+ pkmcs
and social
,ct,o,,s i:r the int,,rests r,f ,·har'f
'
~
fn.
1
ht,
11
01 1
1
1:"oun
..
:-y.'~
H,, cl, 1,n1>t.h.·,t his ne\\:est. reg-al
a•t:.·e i.- [! n·r>,,. ·al 0f Luth m h1;;
orl· r,,,1e. Fn-e yea!"s ago, the
Vite King Ihn Srtud gaY" first rec0;.;nit10n
!,ere
·1,
to Jos,,ph
simi',i,:- outfit
nf f'nmmcnd,
.\lhf'rt,
•:hrn
he s!'nt
and
a letter
1
I
tion "'or hi.- v.o ·Jc
·:10
lias
bt'1'n
lalled
•·p, in .,,,, for all long HS he can
,·i;mrrlllf"'.
and •or no e.'I"' ninDhle
rC';, ·on. ~H\'~ h!' will set asic!C' his
, ·01 k at J1is Long Ave. tailor shop
:rnv time to appear in co.-Lume if
it • ·ill help a need;
1efu!::·f'e.
I is abil1t·· to 1-pcak Arabic
for-
tifi<'. him for r.10st oc< a:;ion •.
1!is r "~t 1me nr,".
1e,:ognizcrl
u ·nu"llout
l!JP
rii-t1ict, ha hcen
. ·01 n '"'on tlw
·ta 5 <' of the
. ·1 ia
. ro-n •c in PL! bu1 gn on numerous
Jack Moses (with cigar)
Prince Albert Joseph
���
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Newspapers--United States
Arabic Periodicals
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1905-2013
Language
A language of the resource
Arabic
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
NS 0021
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
For a list of all the volumes and issues of Al-Kalemat held by the Khayrallah Center please see <a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/uploads/NS0021/Inventory_of_Al-Kalemat_Issues.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here.</a>
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Processed by Celine Shay, Laura Lethers, Allison Hall, and Anna Maria Hester, 2022 November-2023 April. Collection Guide written by Laura Lethers and Allison Hall, 2023 April.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to make these materials available for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials. <br /><br />These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/historical note</h4>
<p>The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCA), headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, oversees seven dioceses with over 250 parishes in the United States and Canada. </p>
<p>The AOCA is one of 24 archdioceses of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East across the world. The editorial office for their publication <em>The Word</em> is in Brooklyn, New York. AOCA founded the periodical as an Arabic language publication in 1905, which ran for 16 volumes. The final issue of the Arabic <em>Al-Kalemat</em> appeared in 1933, and the English iteration <em>The Word</em> began anew in 1957.</p>
<p>The original copies of the periodical are housed at the Antiochian Heritage Library in Bolivar, Pennsylvania. The Antiochian Heritage Library was founded in 1987, and its collections focus on information about early Christianity, the theology of the Orthodox Church, and religious and cultural themes in Middle Eastern history. </p>
<h4>Scope/content note</h4>
<p>The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection includes both Arabic-language volumes of Al-Kalemat and English-language volumes of <em>The Word</em> (also called Al-Kalemat, Al Kalimat, Al Kalimah, and الكلمة), covering the years 1905-1993. The periodical focuses on current events and debates from an Antiochian Orthodox perspective. </p>
<p>The periodical is written and published by The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and continues to be published monthly excluding July and August. Some years and issues are not included in the collection, and there are some years that the publication did not run.<br /><br />The collection also includes various parish commemorative booklets from Antiochian Orthodox churches in different regions of the United States, including but not limited to, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and New York.</p>
<p>The English-language volumes are located here on the KCLDS Archive's website. The Arabic-language volumes are located on the Khayrallah Center’s <a href="https://arabicsearch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arabic Newspapers database</a>.</p>
Dublin Core
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Identifier
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ns0021_parishcommemmorative3
Title
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Memories of St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church
Alternative Title
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Rooted in Tradition, Growing in Faith
Description
An account of the resource
Spiral bound account of the history of St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church of New Castle, Pennsylvania, and important families associated with the parish. Written for the church's 100th anniversary in 2013.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
circa 2013
Creator
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St. Elias Orthodox Church
Language
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English
Type
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Text
Format
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Text/pdf
Source
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Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Rights Holder
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Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
2010s
Antiochian Orthodox Church
Booklets
Pennsylvania
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/a6cdd77cbc5b32c65cf6d13793db4e7e.pdf
82405a44d475066294a1ae262ab869d1
PDF Text
Text
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Angele Hobeiche Kmeid-Ellis Collection: Supplemental Materials
Description
An account of the resource
The materials in the Ellis Family supplemental materials collection primarily relate to the family histories of the el Khazen, Hobeiche, and Kmeid (Kemaide) families. Materials also include other official documents, records, newspaper articles, and interviews that relate to the broader context.
Source
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Kail Ellis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1862-2006
Contributor
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Ellis Family
Translations by Lala AlSaeedi and Hadia Harb
Rights
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Donor retains full ownership of any and all copyright currently controlled in agreement with Khayrallah Center. Nonexclusive right to authorize all uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA).
Language
A language of the resource
Arabic
English
Italian
French
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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KEllis2020-779
Title
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Father Ellis to be Guest Speaker at Central Pennsylvania Alumni Club Meeting'
Description
An account of the resource
A newspaper article titled 'Father Ellis to be Guest Speaker at Central Pennsylvania Alumni Club Meeting'. The article shares that Kail Ellis will be joining Villanova alumni for the annual spring dinner on May 8.
Subject
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Newspapers
Language
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English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text/pdf
Source
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Kail Ellis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Donor retains full ownership of any and all copyright currently controlled in agreement with Khayrallah Center. Nonexclusive right to authorize all uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA).
Central Pennsylvania Alumni Club
Kail Ellis
Pennsylvania
Villanova University
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/83047c2671791251188ca92f077c6bc7.pdf
416f8e78bb50ea1426b51e33e4ecec4f
PDF Text
Text
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Angele Hobeiche Kmeid-Ellis Collection: Supplemental Materials
Description
An account of the resource
The materials in the Ellis Family supplemental materials collection primarily relate to the family histories of the el Khazen, Hobeiche, and Kmeid (Kemaide) families. Materials also include other official documents, records, newspaper articles, and interviews that relate to the broader context.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Kail Ellis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1862-2006
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Ellis Family
Translations by Lala AlSaeedi and Hadia Harb
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Donor retains full ownership of any and all copyright currently controlled in agreement with Khayrallah Center. Nonexclusive right to authorize all uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA).
Language
A language of the resource
Arabic
English
Italian
French
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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KEllis2020-770
Title
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Newspaper Clipping 'Ellis New Dean' 1980s
Description
An account of the resource
A newspaper article published by the Villanovan titled 'Ellis New Dean'. The article is about Kail Ellis's achievements and qualifications that brought him to his new position as dean. Missing the first page.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Villanovan
Subject
The topic of the resource
Newspapers
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text/pdf
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Kail Ellis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Donor retains full ownership of any and all copyright currently controlled in agreement with Khayrallah Center. Nonexclusive right to authorize all uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA).
Kail Ellis
Pennsylvania
Villanova University