A Celebration of Faith, Community, and Slovenian Endurance
Submitted by Ivan Kamin, Middle Village, NY
This year, the Slovenian community in New York will celebrate a remarkable milestone: the 110th anniversary of St. Cyril’s Slovenian Church, located at 62 St. Marks Place in Manhattan. The church is more than a building. It is a memory, an anchor, a gathering place, and a lasting reminder of what Slovenians can build when they work together.
St. Cyril’s was built by Slovenian immigrants through hard work, sacrifice, and a strong sense of faith, language, and belonging. Earlier generations invested time, effort, and heart into creating a home for the community. Because of that commitment, the church remains an important spiritual and cultural center for Slovenians in New York today.
On this occasion, it is especially important to recognize and thank Fr. Krizolog, our parish priest, whose dedication over many years has been central to sustaining and strengthening the community. Together with the many friends and collaborators he has brought together around him over the decades, he has helped preserve not only the parish itself, but also its spirit of openness, warmth, and connection. Thanks to this continued effort, we are not only celebrating a historical legacy, but a living and active community.
What makes this anniversary particularly meaningful is that the community is not only preserving its past, but also growing in new ways. In recent years, the newly established Slovenian Society New York has brought fresh energy to community life. It welcomes Slovenians of all generations, especially younger people looking to connect, socialize, network, and support one another in a city as dynamic and demanding as New York. In such an environment, a Slovenian community becomes something truly valuable: a sense of home in the heart of a global metropolis.
The celebration will take place on Sunday, September 20, 2026. A solemn Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Cyril’s Church will be led by Archbishop Stanislav Zore and concelebrated by dr. p. Christian Gostečnik, provincial minister of the Franciscans, from Slovenia. A gala reception will follow at the New York Athletic Club, featuring lunch, a concert by the Slovenian vocal ensemble Virilis, and dance music by accordionist Matevž Pušlar.
All are warmly invited to join in celebrating 110 years of faith, dedication, and Slovenian presence in New York. Write to us to sloveniansny@gmail.com. Anniversaries like this do not happen by accident. They grow from roots that were planted deeply and with care.
110 let slovenske cerkve sv. Cirila v New Yorku: praznik vere, skupnosti in slovenske vztrajnosti
Submitted by Ivan Kamin, Middle Village, NY
Letos bo slovenska skupnost v New Yorku obeležila izjemen jubilej: 110-letnico cerkve sv. Cirila, ki že več kot stoletje stoji na naslovu 62 St. Marks Place na Manhattnu. Ta cerkev ni le stavba. Je spomin, sidro, zbirališče in dokaz, kaj lahko Slovenci ustvarimo, ko stopimo skupaj.
Cerkev sv. Cirila so zgradili naši rojaki z veliko požrtvovalnosti, prostovoljnega dela in ljubezni do vere, jezika ter skupnosti. Generacije pred nami so vanjo vlagale čas, energijo in srce, zato danes ostaja pomemben duhovni in kulturni dom Slovencev v New Yorku.
Ob tem jubileju velja posebej izpostaviti in se iskreno zahvaliti p. Krizologu, našemu župniku, ki s predanim delom že dolga leta skrbi za življenje skupnosti. Skupaj s številnimi prijatelji in sodelavci, ki jih je skozi desetletja znal povezati okoli sebe, je ohranjal živost župnije, njeno odprtost in toplino. Prav zaradi takšnih ljudi danes ne praznujemo le zgodovine, temveč živo in povezano skupnost.
Posebej spodbudno pa je, da skupnost ne živi le od spominov, ampak v zadnjih letih znova raste. K temu prispeva tudi Slovenian Society New York, odprto in povezovalno društvo za Slovence vseh generacij, še posebej za mlajše, ki si v velikem mestu želijo stika, prijateljstva, sodelovanja in medsebojne pomoči. New York zna biti velik in hiter, zato je slovenska skupnost tukaj nekaj zelo dragocenega: malo doma sredi svetovne metropole.
Praznovanje bo v nedeljo, 20. septembra 2026. Ob 10.30 bo slovesna sveta maša v cerkvi sv. Cirila, ki jo bo vodil nadškof Stanislav Zore, OFM iz Slovenije, ob somaševanju dr.p. Christiana Gostečnika, provinciala frančiškanov Slovenije. Ob 13:00 bo sledil gala sprejem v New York Athletic Clubu, s kosilom, koncertom vokalne skupine Virilis iz Slovenije in glasbo harmonikarja Matevža Pušlarja.
Vsi lepo vabljeni, da skupaj počastimo 110 let vere, dela in slovenske prisotnosti v New Yorku. Pišite nam na sloveniansny@gmail.com. Takšni jubileji niso samoumevni. So sad korenin, ki so očitno zelo dobro prijele.
