Minneapolis parish expands its library (01/14/01)

Minneapolis parish expands its library

by Dr. Michael J. Kozak

MINNEAPOLIS - St. Constantine's Ukrainian Catholic Parish numerically is not a large parish. During the past 87 years, however, it has made great strides, not only spiritually, but culturally as well.

The first settlers from Ukraine built the church to preserve the faith of their ancestors and the heritage of the Ukrainian people. Despite many obstacles and tremendous difficulties, they persevered and established themselves as a well-organized community.

The arrival of new immigrants after World War II gave new impetus to this congregation. Today, on the site where once stood a little church, now stands an impressive complex of buildings, including a school with a large auditorium, a rectory, an art gallery and a new church.

The church's impressive beauty and the art works displayed in the gallery splendidly represent the greatness of Ukrainian culture, which is closely tied to the spirituality of ancient Ukraine. Included in this complex is the building that originally was designated as a residence for nuns. At the present time, it serves as a residence for mothers from Ukraine whose children are undergoing free medical care, thanks to the parish foundation called "Children of Ukraine."

It is important to mention that the pastors the Rev. Mitred Peter Leskiv and the Rev. Mitred Stephen Knapp contributed much to the growth and development of this community.

The parish is now under the stewardship and guidance of the present pastor, the Rev. Canon Michael Stelmach.

When it became obvious that in order to fulfill the cultural demands of the parish there was a need for a library, the idea was presented to the pastor by this writer and Dmytro Tataryn. The pastor enthusiastically agreed to implement it, and within a short period of time close to 2,000 books were collected from the members of the community. The local Ukrainian Credit Union designated funds toward the purchase of a complete set of volumes of "Litopys UPA." (Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army).

The grand opening and the blessing of the library took place on December 6, 1998. The library was named in honor of the Rev. Markian Shashkevych, the 19th century poet, spiritual leader and national hero of the Ukrainian people.

It did not take long for the need to develop for more space to accommodate more books. It also did not take long to find donors to accomplish this task. Maria and John Kit, Daniel and Olga Erko, and Helen and Dmytro Tataryn donated $5,000 in honor of their parents, the late Philip and 99-year-old Josephine Erko. These benefactors not only honored their parents but contributed to the cultural achievement of the Ukrainian community.

On Sunday, December 3, 2000, in the presence of wheelchair-bound Ms. Erko, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the Rev. Stelmach blessed this new addition to the library, which will be of benefit to all those seeking a good source of information about Ukraine's history and culture.

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