About Sts. Cyril & Methodius

  • December 2019                                                          Pochvaleny bud Jezis Kristus!

    Dear friends, Drahy priatelia,

    Since the 1920s, our Slovak community in Windsor and Essex County has gone through many phases. For over 90 years, our church family has brought people together in Windsor.

    After initial growth, our Roman Catholic Slovak Parish was founded officially in 1935 as a full parish community. A large plaque in the lobby of our church commemorates these founding families and early members. 84 years ago! In those early decades in the 1920s and 30s already, our community not only celebrated Mass and prayed together, but also gathered for Slovak theatre presentations and other cultural activities.

    Though most of our early members were humble workers, in 1940, in the midst of world war and following global depression, our parish united to build our church. 79 years ago! The large marble Calvary over our main marble altar commemorates the struggles and sacrifices of generations of Slovaks. But it also conveys our strong Faith and clear Hope in Jesus and His sorrowful Mother. These same Slovak Canadians also came together in fraternal benefit societies to help one other and those in need.

    Few realize that our parish church has stained glass windows by renowned Canadian artist, Guido Nincheri, whom Pope Pius XI called "the Church's greatest artist". These windows are true works of art, similar to his windows found in cathedrals and shrines.And we have original paintings by Slovak Canadian artist Marta Brestovanska of Orillia in our church.

    As the Windsor Slovak community grew and prospered, outdoor statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (Sedembolestna Panna Maria) were made a public witness visible from busy Seminole Road. And an outdoor shrine was established on our property to our Sorrowful Mother Mary. While Slovakia suffered under Communist tyranny for decades, our parish here remembered and held out Hope. As another wave of immigrants began arriving in the late 1960s, our Roman Catholic Slovak parish was the centre for a variety of activities, not only spiritual and pastoral, but also cultural, educational, athletic, social, and charitable. This led to the building of our  St Cyril's Slovak Centre, which has always been meant for the whole Slovak Canadian community in the Windsor Essex region.

    This Slovak Center exemplifies how, over the years, all Slovak Canadians would come together here for various celebrations and projects, not only from our parish, but also from the Slovak Lutheran, Slovak Byzantine Catholic, and Slovak Baptist communities.Today this includes those with no church affiliation or from neighbouring ethnicities.

    As we begin another year, we invite you to reflect about all of this and more. What does it mean to belong to a community? What does it mean to share ethnic roots and culture? What does it mean to be a parish, a spiritual family united in the church?

    We invite you to come home to your parish church.

    We invite you to re-connect with your Slovak community.

    We invite you to build together with hope, again.

    Please consider registering as a parishioners and inviting others who have roots here to register as well. We can build up our parish community by communicating with one other. Registering and providing your email address, phone number, and mailing address will help greatly. Even if you cannot attend every week, you're always welcome here.

    Please consider becoming involved, either by volunteering or donating or both.Whether helping with yard work or baking pastries or assisting with an event or making a donation, every bit helps us build up our community, together!

    And be assured that we are praying for you and for one another, for our families and our needs. You will be remembered in prayer at our Masses. Please let us know if you have any prayer intentions or pastoral needs.

    Dopocutia a dovidenia. Sincerely,

    Your fellow Slovak parishioners

     

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