MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Mary needs the community’s help to keep their doors open. The sound of church bells throughout Milwaukee is a comforting sound to many. While there are several places of worship in the city, only a few serve the Ukrainian community.
The little church was built in the 1850s and has moved twice. You can find it right now at 1231 W. Scott Street in Milwaukee.
CBS 58 caught up with Parish Council President Sophia Torcivia and Treasurer Ed Bergey on the history of the building.
“It went from being a Baptist to Greek Catholic to Greek Orthodox, and we are now a Greek Orthodox church,” said Torcivia.
Torcivia says it’s a comforting place to gather with others in the Ukrainian community who are going through an extremely difficult time.
“The invasion of Ukraine is pending. It’s tough, sorry. Everyone still has someone still living there,” Torcivia said.
Now, employees are facing another emotional challenge. The church they love is in disrepair.
“The ceiling is going to fall off in this part,” says Torcivia. We have horizontal bungee cords, which keep the walls separate. We can use manual help, financial help, we need help. help”.
The walls of the church provided spiritual support for more than 100 years. The wall, the treasurer and the altar the boy Ed Bergey hopes will save.
“The participants in the attic holding the roof are the same as the participants there when it was built in 1858. Many of them are breaking and as a result the roof is starting to slide and that’s what’s causing it. cause the outer wall Bergey said.
Staff said the church’s steps also had to be redone several times. They enjoyed installing a ramp as an added safety measure for elderly parishioners. Sophia and Ed say the church needs at least $60,000 to replace the roof so they can stay open.
“It can’t be fixed, it has to be replaced,” says Torcivia.
This space saving is not only of great significance to its parishioners, but also preserves a piece of Milwaukee’s history.
“Most of the people, the members of the church are older than or the same age as me. I’m 76 years old. This is an important place for them. This is where Ukrainian Orthodox people gather. You you know Ukrainian Catholic Church on the street 11order Street. Between the two churches that is it. That’s it,” Bergey said.
“We don’t just go to church to pray and go. We gather, talk, socialize and smile with each other you know. So everybody knows about someone else here. You never know. a stranger now.” Torcivia said.
This is an important thing for us, says Bergey. Serving the church is important. We have food.
A great thing they hope to continue.
“If we stay here, a future generation can also come in and continue to grow. It’s not just a place, it’s a home,” Torcivia said.
Torcivia said it is working on creating a GoFundMe page to help raise money to rebuild the church’s roof. They also welcome any donations at this time.
If you would like to make a donation, you can send it to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Mary at 1231 W. Scott Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204.
