EDITORIAL: Community milestone in New Jersey (04/11/04)

EDITORIAL

Community milestone in New Jersey

Sunday, April 25, will mark yet another milestone in the development and growth of the Ukrainian community of northern New Jersey as the site of the Ukrainian Cultural Center of New Jersey and St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Whippany, N.J., will be blessed, paving the way for the project's groundbreaking.

Located a mile from major exits off Interstate 287 and just north of Route 10 (in fact less that a half mile north of the current St. John's Church and parish hall at the intersection of Route 10 and Jefferson Road), the site is well-positioned to serve as a hub of community activity for all of northern New Jersey, plus eastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York state and southwestern Connecticut. Indeed, some of the folks who participate in Ukrainian community activities in Morris County, N.J., already travel from these areas to take advantage of diverse activities for our youths, be it Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM), the School of Ukrainian Studies or the local folk dance groups that function under the aegis of the renowned Roma Pryma Bohachevsky.

The dream of a new community center in these parts (after all, we're neighbors since we are located just a few miles west on Route 10) is one of long standing. The community has experienced dynamic growth in recent years, outgrowing the lovely little church in Whippany. Its adjacent church hall is perpetually in use - on Mondays it's SUM; Wednesdays it's Plast; Thursdays it's the folk dancers; Saturdays it's Plast again - and there are other groups and activities to boot, including the dedicated crew of cooks and bakers whose efforts are key in raising funds for the parish's better tomorrow, and the hard-working volunteers of Dollar for Ukraine who are constantly sending aid packages to needy families in Ukraine.

It's been a lengthy process to get to the point of the forthcoming groundbreaking for both the community center and the church. After a long search, a suitable parcel was found and the land was purchased in April 2002. The kick-off to the fund-raising campaign was held that November, with a banquet that celebrated both the 80th anniversary of St. John's Parish and "the vision for a new church and cultural center."

Since then, the support of many organizations has been made manifest as one after another signed on as members of the nascent Ukrainian Cultural Center. The membership list includes: the Iskra Ukrainian Folk Dance Ensemble, Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union, Plast, Lesia Ukrainka School of Ukrainian Studies, Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, SUM, Plast-Pryiat and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (both its Morris County branch and its New Jersey State Council). An open invitation has been extended to all Ukrainian community groups to join. (For information we direct our readers to log on to www.uccnj.org.)

Now the Ukrainian community of northern New Jersey is ready to celebrate the next milestone: the blessing of the land for the groundbreaking. April 25 will be a special day with a divine liturgy beginning at 10:30 a.m. on the grounds of the existing church, to be followed at 1 p.m. by a procession of all community members and organizations to the new site for the blessing and a brief program. Then it's on to the nearby Ramada Hotel (the venue for many community functions in this area, as it is situated to the east on Route 10) for cocktails at 3 p.m. and a 4 p.m. banquet featuring a cultural program presented by local Ukrainians.

And, thus, the community will rejoice during this season of rebirth at the ever closer achievement of its common vision: a community center that will serve all Ukrainians regardless of their organizational, political or religious affiliation, a community center that will be a home for our youth and community members of all ages for generations to come.

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