The church I attended as a child was called St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church. It was just down the road from where I grew up, so we walked to church on Sundays. This is a story about my Grandfather, Dmytro Kicak, more affectionately known as Gigi. He and a neighbor, Maxim Fanok, were the 2 people who convinced the owners of the Paper Mill in Whippany, New Jersey to donate 2 acres of land for the construction of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Church. It was built in 1922 on the corner of South Jefferson Road and Route 10. The original church was a small wooden structure for the 22 Ukrainian families who wanted a church of their own, instead of needing to travel to Passaic. It measured 29′ x 16.’ Dmytro Kicak is listed in the archives of the church’s website, which makes my Grandfather one of the Founding Fathers of our Ukrainian Church!
After reflecting upon this for a while, I realized that this action may have been one of Gigi’s shining moments in his life. He left his homeland, a great deal of struggle and chaos to create a new life, free from persecution and free to worship as he wished. Gigi picked up the reins and did something very significant to help his entire community. I am extremely proud of my Grandfather!