About St. Nicholas
OUR STORY
The History of Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
ORIGINS
Roots Before 1935
The origins of Saint Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Parish reach back before its formal inception in 1935. The founding families immigrated to the United States from the Austro-Hungarian Empire-present-day Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, western Ukraine, and Poland— many settling in and around Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
The founders first belonged to Saint John the Baptist Greek Catholic Church, established in 1897. For a time, St. John's was regarded as the largest Greek Catholic parish in the United States. In 1924, Pope Pius XI raised the Rusyn community's ecclesiastical status to the Greek Catholic Ruthenian Exarchate of America, appointing Bishop Basil Takach as the first Exarch.
PARISH FORMATION
First Liturgies in 1935-1936
A Rusyn community that would become St. Nicholas parish, led by Father Michael Lukacs and assisted by the cantor, Professor John Petach, celebrated its first Divine Liturgy on October 13, 1935, in the auditorium of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. Beginning February 3, 1936, Liturgies were held in the auditorium of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church.
Father Lukacs inaugurated a catechism program. He and Professor Petach visited parishioners’ homes to teach their children.
EARLY PARISH LIFE
Societies and Planning, 1937-1938
On September 19, 1937, Father Julius Grigassy became the parish’s second presbyter. In 1938 the Holy Name Society, Sodality, and Social Club were formed. Father Grigassy initiated plans to build a dedicated church for St. Nicholas, modeled after St. Peter and Paul Greek Catholic Church in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
CHURCH BUILDING
Property, Cornerstone, and Dedication, 1940-1950
In 1940, property at Washington Street and Johnstone Street was purchased for the new church. Groundbreaking was held on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949. The cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Daniel Ivancho on September 11, 1949. Construction concluded in 1950. Father Grigassy celebrated the first Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday, April 2, 1950. Bishop Ivancho returned on June 18, 1950, for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of Dedication.
SILVER JUBILEE
Mortgage Retired and Jubilee, 1961-1962
On October 1, 1961, the mortgage was paid in full—twenty-one years after the land purchase and twelve years after construction began. The parish celebrated its 25th Anniversary on September 16, 1962, which also marked the silver jubilee of Father Grigassy’s priestly ordination.
PARISH CEMETERY
Final Resting Place for the Faithful
Recognizing the need for a cemetery, the parish acquired approximately nine acres of land in 1943 between Florida Grove Road and Chamberlain Avenue. A granite cross was erected listing parishioners who gave their lives in defense of the United States, to honor their ultimate sacrifice. At the time, St. Nicholas was among the few Greek Catholic parishes to maintain its own cemetery.
RENOVATION
Major Interior Renewal, 2006-2009
Following a three-year renovation approved by Bishop Andrew Pataki, the interior of St. Nicholas was rededicated on St. Thomas Sunday, April 19, 2009. Local artist Thomas Ward repainted the interior; the Resurrection mural behind the altar was retouched; and the ceiling and its angels were refreshed.
The holy table (altar) was lowered, removing the prior steps to align with the sanctuary floor. The holy table was cut square; an iconostasis and solea (a semicircular extension of the sanctuary floor) were added in keeping with Eastern tradition. The walls behind the side altars were painted gold with vines—symbolizing the Father’s vineyard—with complementary vine motifs on the iconostasis and around the windows. Icons were installed at the side altars: the Second Coming of Christ on the left, and the Theophany (Baptism of Christ) on the right.
BELL TOWER DOMES
Bell Tower Domes Refurbished, 2021
In 2021, the domes on both bell towers were refurbished. Years of weather exposure—especially after Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012—had worn the domes and weakened flashings, allowing water intrusion into the church. The work restored the domes’ integrity and protected the structure.
RECENT LEADERSHIP
Formation, Community, and Service
Father Martin Vavrak served as pastor of St. Nicholas and St. Michael’s, enhancing Eastern Catholic formation and instituting parish events to bring the two communities together. During his tenure, the church hall underwent significant renovation.
At present, Father Edward Cimbala, D.Min., Pastor of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish (New York City), serves as Parish Administrator of St. Nicholas and St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Parish in Perth Amboy. Father Vasyl Remitskyi serves as Parochial Vicar of both parishes, attending to daily spiritual and sacramental needs; he arrived in the United States in November 2023 from Uzhhorod, together with his wife, Pani Mariia, and their daughter, Marishka. Father John Zec, a Roman-rite priest with bi-ritual faculties based at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, has assisted both parishes since 2012.
TODAY & HERITAGE
Living Faith, Eastern Tradition, and Carpatho-Rusyn Roots
St. Nicholas remains an active, vibrant church. Many parishioners are children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the original founders. The community lives the faith in the Risen Christ, embraces the beauty of the Eastern tradition through spirituality, ceremony, and discipline, and honors its Carpatho-Rusyn heritage. With gratitude for the past, the parish looks ahead to its centenary and beyond.
