From humble beginnings: GCU marks 125 years of faithful service

From humble beginnings: GCU marks 125 years of faithful service
By Claudine Grunenwald Kirschner
As published in Horizons, May 28, 2017
Caption: (l. to r.): Mike Karaffa, national director and parishioner at St. Joseph Parish in Brecksville, Ohio, Father Richard Lambert, GCU national spiritual adviser and national director, Father John Kachuba, chairperson of the supreme tribunal, and Tim Demetres, GCU CFO, enjoy the GCU’s 125th-anniversary banquet. (Photo courtesy of the Greek Catholic Union)
 
BEAVER, Pa. — Unity, protection, education, and assistance. It was 125 years ago, Feb. 14, 1892, that 743 faithful and clergy established these objectives for the Greek Catholic Union (GCU), and they still guide the organization today.
The GCU commemorated its 125-year rich history of fraternal life and helping others May 6, with a moleben and banquet at its Seven Oaks Country Club in Beaver.
The celebration drew about 250 people. Archbishop William Skurla of Pittsburgh and metropolitan of the Byzantine Catholic Church in the United States, as well as Bishop John Pazak of Phoenix, attended. 
The national organization grew from humble beginnings with local “lodges,” which were common in the late 19th century.
The lodges offered new immigrants a space to gather according to ethnic group and operated as a community of support, social interaction, and education in the transition to life in the United States. The immigrants often worked jobs that carried significant risk of injury or death, and being a member of a lodge also insured financial assistance in such tragic cases.
The organization was named at a time when the term “Greek Catholic” was widely understood to refer to Eastern Catholic churches whose patrimony is the Byzantine tradition or to members of those churches. In an effort to eliminate the confusion in the United States that could come from the term being interpreted as referring to Catholics from Greece, the term “Byzantine Catholic” was adopted by church hierarchy in the last century. Bu the fraternal organization kept its original name. 
The Byzantine Catholic clergy understood the advantage of merging into a national benefit society, and prompted the 1892 meeting that united the 14 existing lodges and their collective assets of $623.
The early history of the GCU included the publication of the longest-running weekly Rusyn-American newspaper in the country, “Amerikansky Russky Viestnik,” from 1892 to 1952, succeeded by the Greek Catholic Union Messenger until 1992. It also organized national conventions, benefits for a youth branch up to the age of 16, and a gymnastics branch for those aged 17 to 35.
Throughout the 20th century, the GCU continued to serve in contemporary ways, responding to the religious, economic, social and political lives of its members. It constructed and funded St. Nicholas Orphanage, run for 25 years by the Sisters of St. Basil the Great. It participated in gymnastic “slets” or exhibitions, and fielded sports teams and leagues in baseball, basketball and bowling. During the Second World War, it financed a bomber named “American Carpatho-Russian Bomber” through the sale of war bonds.
In the early 1970s, the GCU consolidated into a more effective corporate structure, which included the purchase of more than 700 acres of rural property in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  The land would eventually become home to the Seven Oaks Country Club, and over time the location of the GCU’s home office, and the St. Nicholas of Myra Chapel and Museum.
In the past 25 years, the GCU has evolved to address modern economic realities and organizational necessities. Membership overwhelmingly voted to move to a structure where the three major officers — the national president, national secretary-treasurer, and general counsel — are appointees of a board of directors. Requirements for lodges to meet regularly and provide activities also were implemented.
Today, about 60 active lodges throughout the country, including nine in the Eparchy of Parma, provide service to Byzantine Catholic parishes and other worthy causes. 
Today, the GCU has more than $1.5 billion in assets that benefit its members and numerous charitable organizations.
Current faithful of the Eparchy of Parma serve in leadership roles in the GCU. Judy Weitzel (St. Joseph, Brecksville, Ohio) is a member of the supreme tribunal. John Urban (St. Mary Magdalene, Fairview Park, Ohio) and Michael Karaffa (St. Joseph, Brecksville) serve as national directors. Father John Kachuba, pastor of St. Mary Magdalene and director of religious education, serves as chairperson of the supreme tribunal.
“The GCU has helped the people in our parishes since 1892,” said Father Kachuba. “They are helpful in matching funds for parishes throughout the metropolia. The GCU was extremely generous in helping fund the upgrade to the catechetical ‘God with Us’ series for religious education.”
Communicating for the times, GCU President and CEO George Juba announced changes ahead in the organization’s image and branding. He shared these thoughts on the occasion of the anniversary in a video on the GCU website.
“Even though our mission is steadfast, we recognize that the times have changed. In the coming months, you’ll notice that communications from us will have a different more contemporary look and tone. We look forward to these updates and having a more sophisticated look for our members. We applaud and commemorate our rich history as we progress full steam ahead,” he said.
In April, the GCU launched a new website and introduced an updated brand to appeal to current and prospective members.
Historical information for this article was culled from an article, written by Fred Petro, in the 125th anniversary celebration program.
For more information, visit www.gcuusa.com.