St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church

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Feast of the Meeting of the Lord

Glory to Jesus Christ!!!
Dear brothers and sisters, residents of our city of Milwaukee, the community of the Protection of the Mother of God - St. Mary.
1231 West Scott St.
We congratulate you on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and invite you to the festive service.
On Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 10:00 am, a festive Divine Liturgy, prayer for Ukraine and our defenders, soldiers.
11:30 blessing of water and candles, and the Streeten prosphora will also be blessed.
We ask you to attend the festive service.
Sincerely, the church administration, priest Mykolay
(773) 923-98-30.

Слава Ісусу Христу!!!
Дорогі брати і сестри жителі нашого містечка Мілвокі, громада Покрови Божої Матері - Св. Марії
1231 West Scott St.
Вітаємо Вас зі святом Стрітенням Господнім і запрошуємо на святкове богослужіння.
У Неділю 02.02. 2025 року Божого о 10:00 ранку святкова Божественна літургія, молитва за Україну та наших захисників воїнів.
11:30 освячення води та свічок а також буде освячена Стрітенська просфора.
Просимо відвідати святкове богослужіння.
З повагою церковна управа, священик Миколай
(773) 923-98-30.

St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Our Mission

Before services began, churchgoers gathered to pray for Ukraine and sang a rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem.

At the head of the church, the priest stands and recites hymns and prayers in Ukrainian. A choir accompanies him at its rear, completing the other half of the service. They harmonize and pray for two hours as the priest moves through each part of the Mass in the Orthodox tradition.

Between them is the congregation, mostly silent. Their heads are bent in reverence, pensive and clouded by current events. Most of them still have family in Ukraine – some were even born there. A recent invasion by Russian forces has resulted in casualties and destruction.

The church, a stronghold for the city’s Ukrainian community since 1917, is rallying to support loved ones overseas.

St. Mary’s Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church

From Milwaukee history

Ukrainians began arriving in Milwaukee early in the twentieth century, settling in the Walker’s Point neighborhood. Included in the numbers were members of both the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic Church.

In 1917, members of the Orthodox Church of the growing Ukrainian-American population purchased an old Norwegian Lutheran building on the Near South Side.

This site, now known as St. Mary’s Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church, became a central hub for the city’s ethnic population. Located at 1231 W. Scott, in the center of the area where most Ukrainians had settled, the church attracted both Orthodox as well as non-Orthodox Ukrainians for services, but also for the chance to socialize with other members of their ethnic group regardless of religious and cultural differences.

Born in 1893 in Komarno, L'viv, Ukraine, Natalia Artymko immigrated to the United States with her family in 1913. Two years later, Natalia married Nicolai Dowhy in Milwaukee. Nicolai was born in the County of Kiev, Ukraine, in 1891. The couple settled on North 22nd Street, where they purchased a home. Nicolai took a job in a tannery. Over the next 25 years, the couple had five children—three boys and two girls. At least one of the children served during World War Two and at least two of the children eventually settled on the South Side, within a mile of either of the Ukrainian churches.

Natalia Artymko Dowhy and Nicolai Dowhyiv

Meet two of your past Ukrainian neighbors: Natalia Artymko and Nicolai Dowhyiv
Reck, Bill. Encyclopedia of Milwaukee: Ukrainians. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/ukrainians/

St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church

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