We do know English: Philadelphia’s Czechoslovak Presbyterian Church of Jan Hus, 1926-1967
Date
2009
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
About 10,000 Slovak-speaking immigrants from Upper Hungary settled in the
Philadelphia area between 1880 and 1920. They relied on hard work, thrift, and social
networking rather than formal education to achieve social success. Ethnic Christian
churches were established to enable them to worship and socialize in their native
tongue, make sense of their lives in unfamiliar surroundings and forge an identity.
Liturgies and practices were influenced by European events dating back to the Roman
Empire. The Czechoslovak Presbyterian Church of Jan Hus, the last Slovak language
church organized in Philadelphia, was formed by a group of people who broke away
from their Roman Catholic parish in 1926. Their church was small, yet survived for
42 years. The assimilation of the church’s congregants into Philadelphia society is
examined in this study.
Philadelphia’s Slovak ethnic churches, in the early twentieth century, encouraged
members to learn English, purchase homes and become U.S. citizens. As Slovak-
Americans were assimilated into Philadelphia’s social structure, a goal of the churches
was to help members preserve the Slovak language and old world traditions. After
World War II, second and third generation Slovak-Americans intermarried and moved
to distant neighborhoods where they joined local non-ethnic churches. Many of the
founding church members passed away; others moved with their children. The social
relevance of Philadelphia’s Slovak churches was no longer significant enough to
attract them to the city. Consequently, the ethnic churches were forced to consolidate
or close due to declining membership. Ironically, the demise of the ethnic churches
was a direct result of the success of the founding members.