by, David Kuchta

David Kuchta has completed a new manuscript, which was recently published. His new book "Once A Man......Twice A Boy" has received favorable reviews and is an excellent reference source for those who had ancestors employed in coalmines within the State of Pennsylvania. The book progresses back in time and begins with the discovery of coal in Pennsylvania. It then goes on to explain the opening of the Number 9 Mine, which is located in Lansford, Pennsylvania. Sections covered within the book are the dangers of mining, mine mules, cheating and kickbacks, working conditions for the miners, the good times shared by the miners and many more fantastic topics. 

This book contains many excellent photos and some are historical treasures. A background on the author of this new book is as follows:

At the age of 59, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, offered Dave Kuchta a buy out. After 40 years of hard work, Mr. Kuchta thought it would be nice to retire at a younger age. The Union and the Steel Company made an offer to the early retirees of getting a further education of their choice. He took a mail order course in writing. He admits that before this, the only writing he did was signing his name on his paycheck. Mr. Kuchta admits he was a pretty good storyteller and was well versed with history, geography and current events. After flying through the mail order writing course he thought he was ready for the big leagues. He does admit that his grammar was next to horrible. But he stopped off at the areas newspaper, "The Times News," in Lehighton, PA and showed them a few articles he had written. They liked what they read but did admit that his grammar needed work. He now writes a personal essay every other Saturday for this newspaper. His first editor became his mentor. It wasn't long before he was writing for a monthly historical paper and a few quarterly newsletters and some magazines. He then decided to write his memoirs of his work at Bethlehem Steel. A publishing company liked what they saw and published his manuscript, "Memoirs Of A Steelworker." The Memoirs book is a popular book among the steel workers. It isn't only Mr. Kuchta's memoirs; it is every steelworker’s life story. Having some spare time, he volunteered to work one day a week inside a local mine to bring it up to specs for tourism. He found out that this was something completely different then anything he ever done in his life. On top of this, the mine was the place where his two grandfathers and father worked. All were miners in Anthracite Coal Mines. Talking with old miners he found and heard many interesting stories that were never memorialized in print. He put together all the information he received and, "Once a Man, Twice a Boy," became the third book that he has authored.

For those who wish to purchase a copy of "Once A Man, Twice a Boy" You may contact David Kuchta directly at:

Mr. David Kuchta

5 Tippets Road

Nesquehoning, PA 18240

by, Vera H. Masters 

Turn of the century America saw a major influx of immigrants seeking work and a new life. It is estimated that during the period of 1879 to 1925 approximately five hundred thousand Slovaks left their homeland and migrated to America. Once settled, Slovaks began the task of building communities. One important aspect of any Slovak community was building a house of worship. For Slovaks, these churches would include the Catholic and Protestant faiths. Approximately half of the Slovaks who immigrated settled in the State of Pennsylvania. This essay will focus on the major religions which Slovaks attended during this period. There are other religious identities that Slovaks held but their numbers are very small. Ethnic identity and religious affiliation was important for many. It was common to see churches built that offered services in Slovak along with classes offered in Slovak history, language and customs. Churches also were transformed into social gathering places and therefore, the numerous festivities sponsored by churches tended to have an ethnic foundation. In America, Slovaks were permitted to identify with their heritage fully. As former members of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Slovaks were one of the minority heritages within those boarders. There was little emphasis placed by the Austro-Hungarian empire upon minorities within the empire. It is not hard to understand how regionalization became the major force for individuals to identify with. Most residents from the areas of present day Slovakia tended to identify with the region they lived in. During the end of the nineteenth century, statistics vary but it is estimated that approximately seventy-five percent of Slovaks identified with the Roman Catholic church while six percent identified with the Greek Catholic church. The Protestant denominations claimed members which were approximately ten percent as Slovak Lutherans, four percent as Calvinists (many being affiliated with the Hungarian Reformed Church) and lastly, five percent were claimed by other faiths with this figure including Jewish individuals.

For those who resided in villages, religion was a communal affair. Most belief systems were not based upon theological dogma but rather, centuries of Christian teaching mingled with folklore, superstition and regional practices. Many religious practices revolved around the village and the daily rituals of life. Once such example was on the feast of Saint Mark (celebrated on April 25). Depending upon the region, an entire village would attend church and pray very devoutly. These prayers and supplications were not for the salvation of their souls, but, for rain and good weather during the forthcoming growing season which would affect their fields and also, their lives. These practices would journey with Slovaks as they immigrated to America. Upon arrival, Slovaks found some differences in the structures they had known in their former homelands. In America, they found that the church and state were separate entities. Churches in America needed the full support of their memberships operate and expand. In their homelands, the church and state were one entity. Church taxes were paid to the state and the government financed recognized religions. In the empire, many residents did not have to voluntarily support their local churches. Many times, this was mostly done by the government. Customs were also lost upon arrival to America. For those who immigrated to city areas, prayers for a bountiful harvest were no longer vital since they now were laborers, not farmers. Other localized customs would continue due to their religious significance (i.e. processions in honor of an event or holy day, blessings of homes and items) and these are still practiced in many places. Customs remained depending upon their value. If residence or the lifestyle of the community was not affected, they were kept in place as they had relevance. Into this environment Slovaks would begin to build their churches. They would expand their religious identities and build houses of worship of differing faiths. Some of these churches have ceased to exist for numerous reasons. Others have continued by adapting and are reminders of the Slovak immigration experience.

Slovak Lutherans:

In 1883 the first Slovak Lutheran Church was built in America. Saints Peter and Paul Slovak Lutheran Church was built in Freeland, Pennsylvania and others would follow such as Saint John’s Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansford, Pennsylvania and Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran in Lakewood, Ohio. In time, over eighty Slovak Lutheran Churches would be constructed. To serve the needs of their membership a fraternal organization was also started. The Slovak Evangelical Union, which began operations in 1893 served their membership with various insurance policies and social events. This Union published their own paper "Slovensky hlasnik" (Slovak Herald) from 1900 to 1962. Since 1962, this name has been changed to the "United Lutheran." Many fraternal’s at this time were limited to male membership only and women created fraternals also. The Slovak Evangelical Women’s Union was started in 1898 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During 1920, this Women’s Union had approximately 3,328 members. Many churches started their own fraternal organizations to help their local church memberships. They also built their churches quite rapidly as they did not need any form of hierarchy approval. Raising funds was always a necessity and many had certain fees which members would pay towards support of the church. The Slovak Lutheran churches did not agree with the idea of social fund-raises as other churches used and therefore, their fund-raises were more limited in scale. During the early part of this century there was no church hierarchy that had any form of authority over Slovak Lutherans. Most Slovak Lutheran churches were independent churches run entirely by the local membership. For the most part, Slovak Lutherans remained totally independent of any established Lutheran Synods. In 1902, it was decided to form their own Synod and it was then that the Slovak Synod was organized. Unfortunately, conflicts did take place which were inevitable.

During 1908, the Slovak Synod wished to align itself with the Evangelical Lutheran Synodal Conference in America. Some members of the Slovak Lutheran church refused to accept the liturgical changes expected and serious divisions ensued. In 1919, due to these tensions the Slovak Zion Synod was organized. The Slovak Zion Synod would ultimately affiliate some Slovak Lutheran churches with the United Lutheran Church in America in 1962. Many of these churches offered services and instructions in the Slovak language. Unfortunately, as with so many other ethnically based churches, modern times have taken their toll. Many aspects of worship in numerous churches have disbanded all, or part, of their services in Slovak. One example of this is on August 21, 1994, the Slovak Lutheran Church in Minnesota finally stopped services in the Slovak language. This was the end of a 106 year tradition for the Minnesota church. Another step taken due to modern times was the course taken by two Slovak Lutheran fraternal organizations. To survive, they agreed to merge in 1960. The new name for this fraternal is the "United Lutheran Society." Slovak Lutheran churches are still in existence for the most part. Many continue to have large congregations with members of the Slovak heritage. There has been assimilation and adaptation in many churches though the years. It is to their credit that even with assimilation, these Lutheran churches are still flourishing, and still identifying with Slovak heritage, in modern times. Many of these churches are located in New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Slovak Calvinists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians:

For Slovak Calvinists, things were not as defined as for Slovak Lutherans. Only small numbers of Slovaks who adhered to the Calvinist doctrine immigrated to America during the turn of the century. Most eventually attached themselves to the Hungarian Reformed Church, various Presbyterian churches or Congregational churches. The entire problem for these various Protestant denominations in America was language. During this period services were held in the language of the congregation. The various American Protestant churches were of little aide to those of Slovak heritage as they offered only English as the liturgical language. Slovak Calvinists also became the main focus of missionary work by the Presbyterian churches since some of their dogmas were parallel. Many times, Slovak Calvinists not having enough funding due to small numbers combined forces with others. In 1890 Slovak Calvinists and Lutherans in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania worked with Hungarian members to build a Slovak-Hungarian church. This undertaking was a noble idea, yet, did not work ethnically. In the Slovak language, the church was called "The First Slovak and Magyar Lutheran and Calvinists Church of Saint Paul" while in Hungarian it was called "The First Magyar and Slovak Lutheran and Reformed Church of Saint Paul." The tangled name of this church was not the only problem and it is not a surprise this venture failed. Finally, in 1891, the church was renamed the Hungarian Reformed Church and friction ensued. Many Slovak Calvinists left this church as did Slovak Lutherans. Other attempts to fuse heritages and languages among Slovaks, and other heritages, also failed.

Many Slovak Calvinists had very few options. They could join the Hungarian Reformed Church or organize their own church. Many who organized their own churches ultimately attached themselves with the Presbyterian church in the United States. There were liturgical differences between Slovak Calvinists and the Presbyterian churches in America but as time progressed, more and more were absorbed into the Presbyterian church in America. An example of this was during 1921 a minister in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had convinced many Slovak Calvinists to leave the Hungarian Reformed church and start a new church, The Slovak Presbyterian Church. The members agreed to leave and join the new church but had one stipulation. The stipulation was that title for the church in Slovak would read "The First Slovak Calvinistic Church." It can be seen here that these Slovaks felt it was more important to be known as Calvinist and Slovak rather than Presbyterian. The Calvinists did have their own fraternal organization called "The Slovak Calvin Presbyterian Union which published a newspaper "Slovensky Kalvin (Slovak Calvinist). This newspaper was in print from 1907 until 1962 and then, dropped the ethnic identification completely and was just called "The Calvin."

Other Slovak based Presbyterian churches founded were The First American Slavonic Presbyterian Church in Jessup, Pennsylvania, the Slovak Presbyterian Church in Braddock, Pennsylvania and Saint Paul’s Slovak Presbyterian Church in Jersey City, New Jersey among others. As for fraternal or social societies, one started was the Slovak Calvin Presbyterian Union in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. By the year 1920, this Union had approximately one thousand members. Raising funds for churches could become a difficult venture for some denominations. The Slovak Presbyterian churches could benefit from loans and support from their respective presbyteries but this did not cover all expenses. Many Slovak Presbyterian churches sponsored bake sales, picnics, home craft sales and the assessment of the membership for funding. The Congregationalists could apply to The Home Mission Board of the Congregational Church for financial assistance. Since the Slovak Congregationalists were very strict (no drinking, dancing nor participating in games of chance) the Congregationalists were limited in ways to sponsor events to raise funds for their church. Many of the important heritage and cultural aspects of Slovak heritage did include some areas that the Congregationalists disapproved of. For the Calvinists, most did not have interaction with the general Slovak community outside of their respective churches and those of their own faith. There would be four Congregational Churches in Western Pennsylvania (two others outside of Pennsylvania) and these were the longest surviving churches. The reason for their long survival was probably due to their separation from other non-congregationalists and a total focus on their own church and others of their particular faith. The Slovak Congregational churches in Pennsylvania were located in Braddock (1896), Charleroi (1900), Duquesne (1901) and Pittsburgh (1901). Many churches of the Calvinist and Congregational churches have disbanded due to a lack of membership and assimilation into other main stream churches in America. Others have dropped the title "Slovak" from their original titles and now are only known as Presbyterian churches. Very little emphasis is now placed on the Slovak heritage since many churches now include a small fraction of members who are of Slovak heritage. Others choose not to merge their heritage and religious identity and therefore, choose only the religious identity.

Slovak Catholics:

Slovak Catholic churches were the largest religious group to build churches and other social institutions in America. Not only Roman Catholic but also a few churches for Slovaks who were Greek Catholic (an Eastern Rite whose hierarchy is in agreement with Rome) were built. The first Slovak Catholic churches were begun in 1883. Two churches, one in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and the other in Streator, Illinois still argue in friendly manner as to which one was the actual "first" Slovak Catholic church in the United States. In time, over 250 churches would be constructed for Slovak Catholics. Some of these churches were Saints Cyril & Methodius church, Lakewood, Ohio, Saint Gabriel’s church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Immaculate Conception church, Bitumen, Pennsylvania, Saint Joachim church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saint Michael’s church, Lansford, Pennsylvania and Saint Mary’s Assumption church, Passaic, New Jersey. One area of interest is the founding of a Slovak National Catholic church in Passaic, New Jersey during 1922. This church broke with the main Slovak Roman Catholic church in Passaic due to disagreements with this church’s priest and his handling of funds. Most Holy Name of Jesus Slovak National Catholic Cathedral continues to function as a Slovak church independent of Rome and is now attached to the Polish National Catholic church hierarchy. This church is the only Slovak National Catholic Cathedral in America. Slovaks of the Greek Catholic church had a harder time establishing their own churches due to limited numbers. A few churches were established for Slovak Greek Catholics but ultimately, most were absorbed into the Greek Catholic church in America which had Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Polish and Hungarians who constituted the majority of the membership.

Slovak Catholics had a better advantage in some respects as they were attached to established diocese’s and these could offer some financial support. When members decided to start a church they would find land which was suitable for building. A committee would be elected to approach the head of the diocese for the required permission to begin construction. Most times, Slovak Catholics found little opposition to their requests and permission was granted along with some funding to aid them. There were two occasions when trouble presented itself to Slovaks though. In 1907, Slovak Catholics in Masontown, Pennsylvania were enraged when the bishop denied them permission to build a church. The bishop’s reasoning was that an Irish Catholic church in the area had to be paid off. Irritated by the fact that Slovaks would have to wait until the Irish heritage came first, members built an independent church which refused Roman Catholic control from that time onward. Another instance was in 1909. Slovak Catholics in Homestead, Pennsylvania became disillusioned with their priest and bishop when permission was denied to build a new church. These Slovak Catholics built their own independent church in total defiance of the bishop. As time progressed and pressure was implemented, the members and bishop finally came to terms in 1915 and returned their church to Rome’s authority.

As for fraternal and social institutions, these were many for Slovak Catholics. Of the fifty-five fraternal organizations started during the 1880's and onward by Slovaks in America, twenty-five were located in Pennsylvania. The first was the National Slovak Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which was started on February 16, 1890. This fraternal was open not only to Catholics but to all Slovaks no matter what their religious affiliation. By 1920, they had a membership of approximately 39,473. On September 4, 1890 Slovak Roman Catholics started the First Catholic Slovak Union (also known as Jednota) in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1893 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania the Slovak Catholic Union was formed and not to be left out, the wives of this organization started the Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. In 1920, the male organization had approximately 21,612 members and the female group had approximately 12, 771 members. Another important organization was founded in Passaic, New Jersey on July 4, 1905 which was called the Roman and Greek Catholic Gymnastic Slovak Union Sokol. This fraternal in time would grow to become on of the largest fraternal groups in America. In 1933, the name of this fraternal was changed to the Slovak Catholic Sokol. The First Catholic Slovak Union sponsored an orphanage called The Immaculate Conception Home and was opened in 1914. This orphanage was located at the Jednota Estates in Middletown, Pennsylvania and was staffed by the Sisters of Saints Cyril & Methodius. Here also can be found a statue of the Reverend Father Stefan Furdek, founder of the First Catholic Slovak Union. These fraternals also published newspapers which were mostly weekly papers. The National Slovak Society published Narodne noviny (National News, started in 1911), the Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union published Bratstvo (Brotherhood, 1899-1990) and the Ladies’ Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union published the Zornicka (Morning Star, started in 1941).

One problem for Slovak Roman Catholics was liturgical language. Since during this period, the mass was held in Latin, many Slovak Roman Catholic churches tended to hold sermons in Slovak and also, at designated times, hold masses which were exclusively in the Slovak language. Unlike the Slovak Protestant denominations which held all services and functions totally in Slovak, those Slovaks of the Catholic faith had limited services in their own language. Many times, one service would be held in Slovak whereas all the rest were in Latin. Unfortunately, by the time the vernacular was permitted in the 1960's most Slovak parishes had lost their bi-lingual status due to the demise of older members and the younger generation moving to other areas for residence. Catholic schools did offer an outlet for Catholic education but also, for Slovak heritage and language classes. Depending upon region and the size of membership, many classes were offered to teach children customs, language and heritage. Today, most Slovak language classes are disbanded and only on special occasions and at certain times can a mass entirely in the Slovak language be found. Certain areas such as New York City continue to offer Slovak language masses due to the constant influx of new immigrants from Slovakia and their churches are thriving at this time. Many newly arrived Slovaks are also joining the Greek Catholic church (known as the Byzantine Catholic church in America) for various reasons with one being intermarriage. Many of the churches who began as Slovak Catholic churches have dropped the name "Slovak" from their title all together. The only time this designation is seen is in the official "seal" of the church which would state the Catholic church formerly had the title Slovak in its official name. Many Slovak Catholic churches especially in the Pennsylvania regions have closed or merged with other Catholic churches to survive. Many churches still have a large majority of Slovaks as their congregations but in other areas, the membership numbers for those of Slovak heritage is declining.

Saint Michael Orthodox Church

Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania