30th anniversary

It all started in the downtown, the church at Moyzesova street, where people were called on to register in the parish board. Approximately 10 men have registered; all of us were from various Košice municipalities. Now I see kind of divine providence that we were there – Miroššay from the Old Town, Goldir from municipality Terasa, Obraz from municipality Nad Jazerom, and Štofa from municipality Furča. After approx. one year, it was decided to found the parish at municipality Terasa. Short afterwards, we started serving Holy Masses also at municipality Furča – in March 1991. At first, it was announced in the downtown churches.  

There weren´t many of us attending the first holly mass but more and more people turned out every Sunday. I had been preparing the premises of Holy Mass for approx. 6 months, together with my family. The masses were served in the leased premises of the cultural center Jalta. They used to organize discotheques on Saturdays that held till 03:00 – 05:00 at morning. Afterwards we turned out (I and my wife) to do housekeeping and prepare the premises for the Holy Mass that started at 09:00 AM.  At the beginning,. Mr. Goldir from Terasa came to help us. During the masses served every Sunday, I contacted a few couples that I supposed they would be willing to help. They were these couples: the Perháčs´, the Reváks´, the Pinkovskys´, the Mizeráks´, the Antolíks´, the Zimovys´, the Hudáks´, and the Pokornys´. The Holy Mass was served at first by father V. Skorodenský, father A. Pribula, and father C. Jančišin sr.. Sister Emília also used to come and help, and train us. I provided for a locked cabinet where we stored the material: sheets, ministrant gowns, etc. We brought home the Communion Cup and the Holy Bible. As for the ministrant gowns, they were sewn by the sisters in Prešov where I traveled to in order to bring the textile. We sew the sheets for the altar at home.  

Approx. after one year, the premises below the club were emptied (before it served as a glassware shop, located at the pub). We leased it and reconstructed it to our first chapel (it was very nice). The altar (sacrifice table) was bricked up by Mr. Pokorný. Many required materials and things were got by Pišta from company KERKO. We served the Holy Mass there on daily basis at evenings, and on Sundays at 09:00 AM. We also organized the feast of the First Communion. The new bishop, father Chautur, visited us there. At first, retired priests used to come and help us, namely father Leukanič, father Kocák, father Čečko, and father Kerkár. Sister Katarína dedicated her efforts to the youth. I remember us going to sledding during 1994-95 on my car Avia Furgon; there were 30 kids in total.   

Later the chapel premises were sold and we had to seek and move to the new ones. The then principal Mr. Potemra assigned the place to us in the former childcare at Ovručská street. We had to remake the premises to a chapel on our own. We used to have so called parish day there on regular basis, right at the chapel at the Charkovská elementary school playground. Mrs. Mizeráková was in charge of providing for (cooking) goulash (later it was provided for by Tkáč, Štofa or Harviľák). 

At the time of father Čitbaj performing in our parish, I drove him once home to residential area Ťahanovce. I sighed out passing a church that I would like a new church for our parish. Father Čitbaj told me that we should have one soon. I thought that if it happened, it would be a miracle since there are one tenth of us, eastern orthodox Catholics at our residential area, compared to Roman Catholics and we didn´t have enough money for a new church building. At the time, support came from Switzerland with the promise of building a new church for us. We had already bought the land for a church – fifty–fifty funding together with the Roman Catholic parish. Building work could commence and it did. Thanks God! Father Mati came then and he supervised the whole project. A construction company built the church almost completely without our engagement. For a short time, we had shared the church with the parish Ťahanovce but they separated soon.  

Female parish clerks that I remember at our foundation were sister Emília and sister Katarína. Later the girls that played organ, guitar and other musical instruments grew up; they were: Marienka Kuzmová, Henrieta Štofová, Katka Horňáková, Erika Hudáková, sisters Pinkovsky, and sisters Mizerák. Ministrants who started ministering were: the Štofs´, the Reváks´, the Semankovs´, the Dorkos´, the Zimas´, the Perháčs´, Antolík, Harviľák, the Pirčáks´, Kuruc, and Kuzma. Marta Pokorná performed at first as an economist, replaced later by Margita Trusová. Our two natives became priests – father Peter Bombár and father Marek Mikitka. Our football team was the best one within the Furča residential area, Košice deanery and the entire eparchy. I have provided for moving of all our priests.  

Note: The text was edited.

In Košice, dated Feb 28, 2021