 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Our new parish immediately began looking for a permanent location, and in 1967, the church purchased a house and land at 5390 West 220th Street in Fairview Park. In 1968, under the guidance of Father Joseph Pohorlark, the second pastor of our church, plans were prepared by Lesko Associates, Architects, for a parish center, a rectory and a church. The parish center, including a temporary church, was completed in 1970, and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the West 220th Street location on May 3, 1970.
Our parish continued to grow and we celebrated our l0th anniversary under the spiritual leadership of Father Thomas Chelena, our pastor from 1975 to 1979.
Father James Kubajak became our pastor in 1979 and was followed by Father Michael Hayduk in 1985. On November 16, 1986, Bishop Andrew Pataki joined us as the celebrant for the Divine Liturgy as we commemorated our 20th anniversary and Burning of the Mortgage. In 1987 a mosaic of St. Mary Magdalene, designed by artist Frank Marchione, was commissioned. The inspirational mosaic is composed of imported Italian marble, ceramic and tiles.
Father Edward Zavell was appointed the sixth pastor of Saint Mary Magdalene in August of 1987. Under Father Ed's spiritual guidance, our parish continued to move toward the goal of completing our original building plans. The first step was demolition of the old rectory house and construction of a new rectory that was dedicated by Bishop Pataki on Sunday, April 16, 1989.
On May 2, 1993 our parish began construction on a permanent church with a Ground-breaking Ceremony. Our present church was completed by December, 1993.
Bishop Pataki again joined us for the Cornerstone Blessing and a hierarchical Divine Liturgy on December 19, 1993. Father Zavell celebrated our first Divine Liturgy in our new church on Christmas Eve, 1993. On July 24, 1994, Bishop Pataki again graced us by celebrating the dedication of our new church with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, the anointing of the interior and the blessing of the edifice with holy water. In 1996, we celebrated our 30th anniversary as a parish, and in 2001 we commemorated both our 35th year as a parish and the 40th anniversary of Father Zavell's ordination to the Holy Priesthood.
In 2003, Saint Mary Magdalene celebrated two major events in the life of our parish. The first of these occurred on Saint Thomas Sunday, April 27 with the burning of the mortgage. The second major event was the retirement of Father Ed Zavell on September 1, 2003. Father John Kovach has now become the seventh pastor of Saint Mary Magdalene, with Rev. Dennis Hrubiak serving as administrator of the parish.
Over the past decade, our new church building has been beautified and improved through many appointments and memorials. We installed two triangular stained-glass windows, a new baptismal font and an icon of St. Nicholas. More recently, we have enhanced the worshipful atmosphere through the installation of a new chandelier, 10 stained-glass windows designed by Christina Hasigan, and a new carillon. On our church grounds, we dedicated a memorial with a cross and a plaque to the memory of the unborn children who were denied life by abortion. In addition, numerous other improvements were made including new heating and cooling units, new lighting and the re-paving of the parking area.
2001 35th Anniversary Photos
2003 Parish Picnic