Our Diocese and the Orthodox Church in Slovakia

by Fr. Joseph Tristan Gall

In July, my son John, mother-in-law Soher and I, accompanied my wife, Matushka Mary, on her weeklong trip to attend the Conference of Oriental Liturgy in Prešov, Slovakia. Before leaving, I was provided contact information for Archbishop Michael’s cousin, the Mitred Archpriest Michal Rošic, who serves three small parishes within the Carpathian Mountains area of eastern Slovakia—a region familiar to many members of the Orthodox Church in America.

Upon arrival, we first stayed in Košice, Slovakia where Fr. Michal Rošic’s English-speaking son, Matúš, met us. Over two consecutive Sundays he brought us to the parishes his father serves and where we celebrated the Old Calendar Feast of SS. Peter and Paul with Metropolitan Rastislav at the Cathedral Church in Prešov. In fact, the Conference took place in a hotel that was just a three-minute walk from the Cathedral. Everywhere we visited we were met with generous hospitality and offered gifts. Especially memorable were the fine Slovak cuisine, warm heartfelt fellowship, and Carpatho-Rusyn congregational singing, still practiced in the small village parishes.

Photographed here is the parish of SS. Peter and Paul in the village of Bodružal, Slovakia—located almost directly on the boarder of Slovakia and Poland. Archbishop Michael, as described below, came several weeks later and consecrated their church.

His Eminence, Archbishop Michael journeyed to the Prešov region of Northeastern Slovakia between August 7th and 14th on the invitation of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Rastislav. His Eminence concelebrated the consecration of the new temple along with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Rastislav, Archbishop of Prešov, Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, on August 11th and 12th. The new church was built with the help of funds raised by the Diocese of New York and New Jersey. His Eminence attended meetings, and exchanged gifts, with His Beatitude, whereupon His Eminence presented His Beatitude with an icon and relic of St. Alexis Toth. Other highlights of the visit included several church visits and a formal visit to the headquarters of His Beatitude, as well as a visit to the village where St. Alexis Toth was born, and a visit to the historical castle of Stara Lubovna. The Mitred Archpriest Michal Rošic graciously hosted His Eminence and the delegation from the Diocese.