Celebrating A Century Of Faith
In Southern Fayette County
By Melissa Williams Schofield
Courtesy of The Catholic Accent
Oct 14 2010
FAIRCHANCE — Nestled at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains in the tiny borough of Fairchance near
Uniontown, SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish evolved with the growth of the region’s once-thriving coal
and coke industry. The parish was the core of the Catholic community.
One hundred years later, some 270 families are still celebrating their rich heritage and the parish that was
formed in 1910.
An anniversary Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. A dinner will
follow at the Diamond Ballroom on Route 40 near Uniontown.
The parish began when a committee of men visited Pittsburgh Bishop J.F. Regis Canevin to petition for a
priest to organize a parish for them, according to Father Andrew M. Kawecki, who is now pastor of SS.
Cyril and Methodius Parish.
On Oct. 17, 1910, the bishop granted permission to Father John Kovalsky, then pastor of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help, St. Mary Parish in Leckrone, to form a new parish. A temporary chapel, first named
Sacred Heart Church, was built. Bishop Canevin renamed it SS. Cyril and Methodius Church in honor of
the patron saints of the Slavic people.
Originally, all liturgies were held in a temporary chapel at Oddfellows Hall on Church Street. Father
Kovalsky led the construction of a wooden frame church to better meet the parish’s needs.
Under the leadership of Father Charles Trefny, who became the second pastor in 1914, land was
purchased and a parish rectory built. As the parish grew, so too did the need for a new church. Permission
was granted in 1925, and work began on the current church.
Father Kawecki said the 100th anniversary is "truly a joyous occasion for us, and we wish to share it with
our brothers and sisters throughout the entire diocese."
He said the parish, from its conception, has always been an integral part of the local community.
"Many of our parishioners make SS. Cyril and Methodius their second home. Our parishioners are the
greatest asset, and I am very impressed by them," Father Kaweski said.
He said parishioners support religious and civil causes.
"They are very attuned to the needs of the community locally and at large. Many of our people volunteer
their time at the local St. Vincent de Paul Store in Uniontown," Father Kawecki said.
He noted how the parish has struggled through so many difficult times — the Great Depression, wars and
the current economic crisis.
"The parishioners remain faithful to their church and God," he said.
Like many parishes in Fayette County, SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish is experiencing a demographic
change.
"Our parishioners are older, but with the start of the New Evangelization Committee in the parish, we
hope to attract younger families with children to SS. Cyril and Methodius," Father Kawecki said, adding
there is "hope that economic change and growth for this part of Fayette County is on the horizon and the
younger families will make Fairchance their home and, of course, join SS. Cyril and Parish."
Over the past 100 years, the parish was a common thread in the fabric of the local communities of
Fairchance and Shoaf," Father Kawecki said.
Anniversary committee co-chairman Tony Budinsky, who grew up in the neighboring coal-mining town
of Collier, has been a parishioner of SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish for 30 years. He and his wife, Mell,
raised their son, Mark, who was a server, and daughter, Beth Stewart, who taught religious education, in
the parish.
Budinsky is a lector and extraordinary minister of holy Communion, is on the parish finance council, and
chairs the parish’s semiannual spaghetti dinner.
His wife was involved with Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and was youth director for six years.
She’s also on the centennial committee.
Budinsky proudly described a crosslet, an old Christian symbol, built on the parish grounds for the
anniversary. Its four points have memorial bricks that are engraved with names of 154 parishioners or
deceased loved ones, symbolizing the four corners of the Earth to which the Gospel has been spread.
A rose-colored, marble-engraved bench with names of 11 pastors from the past 100 years stands nearby.
The church has been renovated for the anniversary. The statues and Stations of the Cross were repainted,
new carpeting was installed in the sanctuary and the sound system was improved. Two 10-foot silk
screens of the parish’s patrons have been installed — St. Methodius to the left of the altar, and St. Cyril to
the right.
"There are lots of wonderful people in our parish," Budinsky said.
Karen Inks, centennial co-chairwoman and parish secretary, couldn’t agree more.
She and her husband, Ron, have two daughters, Mary and Sara, who were both servers and remain active
parishioners.
Karen is chairwoman of the parish fish fry, and she and her husband serve as a sponsor couple for
marriage preparation.
She is proud of the six vocations from their parish, and she says a new parish anniversary directory and
booklet will be distributed in November.
"It’s a very close-knit parish. We are very blessed," she said.