Northumberland County PA Archives Biographies.....Kostankiewicz, John Ch. 1859 - living in 1899

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Author: Biographical Publishing Co.



REV. JOHN CH. KONSTANKIEWICZ was born June 10, 1859, and received his education

in Austria, completing four lower normal classes in Przcemysl, and eight

gymnasial classes in Lemberg and, passing an examination of maturity, he entered

the theological department of the University of Lemberg. He completed the

theological course in four years after which he was ordained by the Bishop of

Przcemysl. After passing examination of maturity, he served one year as a

solicitor in the Austrian Army according to the prescribed law of Austria.



  After being ordained our subject assumed the duties of an assistant in a

church of Jaroslaw, where he was also appointed by the minister of war to the

office of army chaplain with the 20th Regiment, Infantry, which office he held

for three years, after which he assumed charge of a parish in the village of

Falin where he remained eight years. In 1893 he came to the United States and

located in Shamokin, Pa., and took permanent charge of the Russian Catholic

Church. His work here and a brief history of the work of the church is here set

forth: Philip Murdza, John Glowa, Mike Demczko, John Madzelan and Anthony

Luczkowec were the first Ruthenian immigrants who came to Shamokin from Galicia,

Austria, in 1880. Many others soon followed, but owing to their small numbers

and lack of funds with which to build a church for themselves and maintain a

priest, they at first affiliated with St. Stanislaus Kostki's Polish Catholic

Church, which financially assisted this church, and helped to maintain the

priest thereof.



  The Ruthenians were illy treated, however, both by the priest and many of the

Poles; the chief cause of this lay in the difference between the Polish and

Russian rites, although both classes are Catholics, having the same religious

beliefs and the Holy Father for the highest authority of the church. The

Ruthenians, nevertheless, use their mother tongue, the ancient Slavonic

language, in all their church rites. This language is understood by all

Ruthenians; while the Poles use the Latin language in all their church rites.

The dissatisfaction thus created compelled the Ruthenians to erect their own

church edifice. Energetically setting to work and raising the necessary funds in

their own midst, they succeeded in seeing the desires of their souls completed

in 1889, corner of Pearl and Pine streets. The same year the church was

consecrated by Rev. John Wolanski, the first Russian Catholic priest in America,

holding at that time the pastorate of the Russian Catholic Church at Shenandoah,

Pa. He administered to this church until 1890 when, according to the request of

the parishioners, Rev. Th. Obuszkiewicz came to Shamokin; he however remained

only one year, when he moved to Oliphant, Pa.



  In accordance with the ardent desires of the Russian parishioners, Rev. J. Ch.

Konstankeiwicz was sent here from Europe by superior authority and took charge

of the parish, May 1, 1893, and has since remained at the head of the church.

Thenceforth the parish increased in property and grew in number of parishioners

until to-day the number in the congregation reaches 1,300 and the value of

church property exceeds $15,000. The church property includes the following:

Church building, the parsonage at Franklin and Pine streets, cemetery, two lots

located near the Catholic Parochial School building between Shamokin and

Franklin streets,—these lots were purchased from John Mullen for $8,000 and upon

this will be built a church and parsonage as soon as sufficient funds are

raised. Connected with the church are four societies with a membership of 630, a

reading department, a band, a political club, and a school. Children attend the

parochial school for three years in order to familiarize themselves with the

native tongue and subsequently enter the public schools.





Additional Comments:

Extracted from:



Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District

Published by 

Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899)







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