Imagine having to walk 16 miles every Sunday to get to worship service.

Something like that would be unheard of nowadays.But in the 1890s, northern Schuylkill County followers of the Ukrainian Catholic faith did just that. They didn’t have a choice.There was no Ukrainian church in the McAdoo area, so the faithful would hike to Shenandoah in honor of their creator.“They carried their shoes with them so they wouldn’t get them dirty,” said Connie Postupack, a Tamaqua area native who came up with the idea of re-creating the walk in honor of the 125th anniversary of St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 210 W. Blaine St.“There’s a newspaper article from 1946 making note of them walking every Sunday until the church was built,” she said.On Saturday, parishioners, friends and supporters will walk out of McAdoo at 7 a.m. and begin a journey of faith as they trek to St. Michael’s Ukrainian Church in Shenandoah, retracing the steps of their ancestors of nearly 130 years ago.“I think there are at least 20 signed up so far,” said parishioner Robert Ritsick on Wednesday morning. He and a helper swept sidewalks and spruced up the exterior of the church for the big event.Adjusted routeWhile the hike will cover the same distance as the pioneers, it won’t exactly traverse the same route.“The walk is different because we can’t exactly walk the way they walked. Route 81 gets in the way,” Postupack said.Still, the route will take parishioners along the same general mountains, valley and ridges.It will start by walking past the founders meeting place on Blaine Street, then to Lofty and Delano and eventually into Mahanoy City via Eighth Street.The contingent expects to pick up additional participants in that town.In fact, the general public is invited to take part in the special event, meeting on Blaine Street early Saturday. And it’s isn’t necessary to complete the entire 16 miles. Anybody willing to walk any distance is welcome.One section of Lofty-Delano road runs parallel to the path taken by the early churchgoers, Postupack said.Once in Mahanoy City, the journey will follow Route 54 into Shenandoah. There, walkers will gather at the Schuylkill County Firefighters Museum before taking the final steps to St Michael’s.Participants expect to return to McAdoo by carpool.SurprisesAs luck would have it, Postupack was dealt an unexpected blow in recent weeks when she broke an ankle in two places. But that minor setback won’t prevent her from being on hand for the big day, she said.There are a few surprises in store, too.For one, an altar boy has made a vow to try to carry an original cross along the walk. The vintage cross is believed to be from Ukraine. It made its way to McAdoo when the church was built in the days of first settler Andrew Skwier and his wife.The church also will offer another method to participate in the 125th anniversary.The public is encouraged to pick up a ribbon and write a petition to Mary Undoer of Knots, then tie it to the church fence. Later, someone will read the petition and pray to Mary on behalf of that petition.The prayer ribbons will be hung on the fence in front of the church until Oct. 2, date of the 125th Anniversary Liturgy.Additional information on the walk is available at the church website and Facebook page, or by calling Postupack at 610-217-7428.“We are walking in their footsteps, remembering the footprints they have left on our hearts,” states the church’s Facebook page.Church members point out that it’s significant that both St. Mary’s in McAdoo and St. Michael’s in Shenandoah are still open. That fact, alone, is something to celebrate, they said, in a day when churches are being closed or torn down.Shenandoah’s St. Michael’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was founded by Ukrainian Catholics in 1884 and is the first parish of the Greek Catholic Rite in America.The church was in the news in August when it hosted the replica Shroud of Turin for the second time in three years.In McAdoo, St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church was founded in 1891, meaning early parishioners might have been making the 16-mile trek, or 32 miles round trip, for as many as seven years.The McAdoo church is dedicated to the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary.