A church in Nesquehoning will be celebrating its 90th anniversary this weekend.

St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church will celebrate the milestone with Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. on Sunday, followed by a dinner at Macaluso’s. The Liturgy will be served by the Very Rev. Protopresbyter Joseph Fester along with visiting clergy.

During the Liturgy, Scott (Matthias) Zoscin will be received into the church, and the newly restored stained glass windows, as well as exterior icon of St. John the Baptist, will be blessed.

Nancy Kerestus, the church board president, said that a light social in honor of Zoscin will immediately follow the Liturgy, with the celebratory luncheon taking place later that day.

Guest speakers during the event will include Nesquehoning Mayor Tom Kattner, Father Jeff Zias of Saint Clair and Father Kirill Zawatski of Frackville.

Humble beginnings

St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church has been a pillar in the Nesquehoning community since 1936.

The cornerstone for the building, located on West Railroad Street, was placed on Nov. 11, 1935, and formally dedicated on Dec. 20, 1936; however, the church began months earlier, on Jan. 14, 1935, when a group of people held a meeting at the Sokol Citizens Club to determine how they could preserve the liturgical, spiritual and administrative heritage that existed in the Greek Catholic Church.

During that meeting, the people in attendance organized St. John the Baptist Church and asked Father Michael Sotak of Berwick to take charge of the parish.

Leading the flock

Once work was completed on the church building, the parish began to thrive.

Sotak remained the priest for the parish until his passing on Feb. 16. 1947.

Since then, the church has been led by the Very Rev. Protopresbyter John Zeleniak from 1943-1952; the Very Rev. Protopresbyter Michael Sopoliga from 1952-1994; the Very Rev. Father Ronald Kovac from 1994-1995; the Very Rev. Father Michael Psenchnuk from 1995-1999; Father Lev Holowaty from 1999-2001; Father Robert J. Teklinski from 2001-2023; and now the Very Rev. Protopresbyter Joseph Fester.

Over the decades the parish has added onto the church through various projects, including a restoration project of the church that was completed in 2004; the commissioning and construction of an iconostas, or icon screen, which was finally completed in 2010 after three previous failed attempts; the restoration of the church’s stained glass windows; and the completion of the restoration of the exterior icon of St. John the Baptist, completed by Ray Mastroberte this year.

Looking ahead

While the parish is small in size, their hearts are large, with a strong volunteer base that helps keep the church running.

Annual events including basket raffles, yard sales, and the ever-popular ethnic food sales take place throughout the year, with new and old generations gathering around tables in the social hall to keep their traditions alive.

Ahead of the 90th anniversary celebration, the parish will hold a Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. on Saturday for the Elevation of The Cross.

They are also beginning to plan for a visit by His Eminence Gregory, Metropolitan of Nyssa and Primate of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, which will include Divine Liturgy and other events the weekend of Nov. 22-23.