Holy Rosary Homecoming Saturday, March 25th, 2023

Since its dedication on July 4, 1920 Holy Rosary has nurtured its congregation and the Globeville neighborhood, generating lots of connections, memories and stories. Did you attend Holy Rosary Church? Or the school? Were your parents or grandparents married at Holy Rosary? Do you remember the sisters, priests or lay teachers who taught you? Are you a member of one of those families with eight or nine children who were connected to Holy Rosary? Or to those large numbers of cousins who called the parish home? Are you a current parishioner? Did your children attend religious education at Holy Rosary? Did you enjoy the many pancake breakfasts and visiting with folks? 

Those who attended the Holy Rosary Homecoming on October 2022 had a marvelous time and there will be another such event on Saturday, March 25th. 

We'll begin with Mass at 10:00 am in our historic church. The same statues, stations of the cross and the lighted rosary that inspired generations will bring back memories. Our exquisite stained glass windows cast reflections in the granite floor. After Mass, we'll gather in the school for refreshments (including Potica and pizzelles) and visiting with folks you haven't seen in awhile.

Gather those memories and photos and join us.
RSVP  maryloudesign@comcast.net
so we can have enough food!

the parish website  -  https://holyrosarydenver.com

our facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/HolyRosaryChurchDenver

The church has an accessible ramp in the front and the school has one on the south side.

Peter Nazarek and Nettie Homyak wedding photo

In 2014, K Stone wrote, "I recently discovered your blog, Globeville Story. My great-grandfather, Panko Homyak, is mentioned in your post, “Historic Holy Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral.” He was one of the church founders. I have been doing genealogy research and recently received from a distant cousin a November 1901 wedding photo, of a wedding that likely took place in that church. Panko Homyak is in the photo (far right), as a witness. We know the identity of one of the couples, but do not know who the other two couples are. The couple in the center is Peter Nazarek/Nazaryk and Mastazia Chomjah (Nettie Homyak). We contacted the church, but many church records were lost in a flood. I wonder if you would consider posting the photo on your blog, asking if any of your readers can identify those people?"
Some observations: Since the church was founded in 1898, this wedding would have been performed by Father Nicholas Seregelly, a Greek Catholic priest. In the Denver city directory of 1896, Panko Homyak is listed as a cigar maker and may explain his holding cigar in a wedding photos. Is Nettie his daughter? Why is Panko's wife not in the photo?
Does anyone have any information about these couples?
 

 

The wedding couple in the center is Peter Nazarek (Nazaryk) and Mastazia Chomjah (Homyak),
and the man on the far right (holding the cigar) is Panko Homyak.
The wedding took place November 3, 1901. Probably at Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral, then called Greek Catholic Church, Transfiguration of Christ

German-Russian Wedding

Although Globeville's German-Russian immigrants were incredibly poor, they knew how to have a good time. One of the most memorable of those good times would be a wedding. Sam Dreith remembers stories of his parent's celebration. "When my folks got married, the wedding lasted three days. The first day, when they got married, the band walked down the wooden sidewalks (Globeville still had wooden walks) and played in front of them on the way to the church. After the ceremony the couple went back to the house where they were going to live.
"The first day of the celebration was only for the family and real close relatives, who were supposed to cook the food. And the traditional dish was a noodle soup and a butter dumpling made out of butter, eggs and bread. The second day was for extended family, maybe 20 to 30 people, and the third day was for everybody, maybe 50 people. Small by today’s standards. And everybody was supposed to bring food."
There were many traditions for helping the young couple raise money for their life together. Any man who danced with the bride pinned money to her dress, or the bride's shoe would be stolen and have to be bought back (presumably, the shoe would reappear for the bride to continue dancing). A beautiful pillow made by the bride's godmother would be passed around and money pinned to it. Sometimes men would steal the bride and make the groom buy her back, (a custom adapted from the Slovenians).

By the 1900s, white gowns were the custom with white gloves that were a gift of the groom. The groom wore flowers in his lapel and a long sash or ribbon. If the bridal couple traveled to church by horse and wagon, the horses were also festooned with flowers and ribbons.
Sam continued, "Folks used to chivareebeat on drums and wash tubs the night of the honeymoon. The groom was supposed to come out and throw money so you’d go away and leave them alone.”

from a conversation at the home of Sam Dreith, August 5, 1995 with Sam, Mary Dreith Modic, and Linda Dreith Kornafel.

1912 Wedding photo from First German Congregational Church, used with written permission from Sarah Wolf

Left to right, Christine Schwartz, groom John Lehl, Hrch Kildau, bride Katherine Hilzer Lehl, 

minister Adam Traudt at right, man with hat is Henry Treber. 

For more stories and customs http://www.volgagermans.net/portland/wedding.html

or http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/history_culture/custom_traditions/index.html