BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. MARY'S UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY)
2412 W. THIRD ST. CHESTER, PA 19013.
THE BEGINNING OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH CAN BE TRACED TO A
MEETING HELD IN THE UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN NATIONAL HOME ON AUGUST 15, 1931. AS A RESULT OF
THAT MEETING A PARISH COMMITTEE WAS FORMED. THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THIS COMMITTEE THE
FIRST DIVINE LITURGY OF THE NEWLY ORGANIZED CHURCH WAS HELD ON AUGUST 28, 1931 IN THE
BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT SIXTH AND HIGHLAND AVE. WITH THE REV. FR. KOSTIUK
CELEBRATING. FROM THESE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS THE PARISH GREW AND PROSPERED. FOR THE FIRST TEN
YEARS OF ITS EXISTENCE THE PARISH WOULD MEET IN THE UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN NATIONAL HOME HALL.
THE FIRST RESIDENT PASTOR WAS THE REV, FR. PETER BILON, WHO CAME TO ST. MARY'S ON FEBRUARY
7, 1932. HE WAS FOLLOWED BY THE REV. FR. MAXIM MARUSCHACK AND THE REV. FR. OMELAM MYCYK,
WHO LED THE PARISH FOR MANY YEARS AND IT WAS DURING HIS TENURE THAT THE PRESENT CHURCH WAS
PLANNED AND BUILT. A CHURCH BUILDING COMMITTEE WAS FORMED IN 1933 AND ON APRIL 1, 1940
GROUND WAS BROKEN FOR THE PRESENT CHURCH BUILDING. THE BUILDING OF THE CHURCH WAS GUIDED
BY THE PASTOR AND MEMBERS OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE. THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE NEW CHURCH
WAS $50,000.00. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE HARD WORK OF THE MEMBERS WHO CONTRIBUTED THEIR
TIME AND TALENT THE ACTUAL COST OF THE CHURCH WAS $24,000.00, AND WHEN THE CHURCH WAS
COMPLETED LESS THAN $11,000.00 HAD BEEN INCURRED. IN AUGUST 1991, ST.MARY'S CELEBRATED THE
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARISH AND THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHURCH WITH A DIVINE
LITURGY CELEBRATED BY HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP ANTONY AND AN ANNIVERSARY BANQUET WAS HELD
AT THE DuPONT COUNTRY CLUB IN WILMINGTON, DE. ST. MARY'S IS PROUD OF IT'S HISTORY AND
LOOKS FORWARD TO SERVING GOD'S PEOPLE FOR MANY YEARS!