About Our Parish
St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church
Our church falls under the local jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America, under the omophor of His Grace, the Right Reverend IRINEJ (Dobrijovich) Bishop of Washington-New York and Eastern America.
The Patriarch (head) of the Serbian Orthodox Church is His Holiness - PORFIRIJE, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch and resides in Belgrade, Serbia.
Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch
(Image courtesy of spc.rs)
Bishop of Washington-New York and Eastern America
(Image courtesy of easterndiocese.org)
Parish Location
St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church is located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania which is approximately 13 miles from Downtown Pittsburgh. The McKeesport, Duquesne, and neighboring towns are known to have rich ethnic and cultural diversity and are now growing after experiencing decades of population decline due primarily to the loss of manufacturing industries along the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers.
Thanks only to God's Blessings, our Parish is experiencing growth along with the surrounding region all while still embracing our Serbian Culture, such as the Serbian Slava and expressing our Orthodox Christian Beliefs.
Parish History
The history of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church began within the neighboring communities of McKeesport and Duquesne Pennsylvania at the dawn of the twentieth century. After a decade of traveling to a Russian Orthodox Church in Wood Run for Holy Liturgy and the sacraments, a group of Serbian and Russian immigrants jointly purchased a Protestant church building on Hazel Street in McKeesport.
The sales transaction for $5,000.00 was signed on October 15, 1900 with both parties agreeing that Father Vladimir Kalnev, whose wife was Serbian, would be their parish priest. As the interior of the Church was being transformed to meet Orthodox liturgical requirements, a disagreement arose between the Serbs and Russians concerning which Saint to whom their new parish should be dedicated. The Serbians were in the majority and the Church was dedicated to St. Sava - Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of the Serbian People. The Russians withdrew and the membership decided to find a Serbian Orthodox priest.
In 1902, Rev. Elijah Komadina became the first of twenty priests to serve the St. Sava parish. The next three decades witnessed the arrival and departure of many priests, sometimes with alarming frequency. In October 1934, Father Milan G. Popovich was elected as the parish priest and remained until his retirement in 1971. Under his guidance, St. Sava prospered spiritually, socially and academically. "Popo" was the inspirational force in all phases of building our present Church, located at Hartman Street in McKeesport.
In October 2001, the Church-School community of St. Sava celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Ours is the oldest parish in the Eastern United States and is the third oldest Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States.
Pastoral Leadership
Today, our parish is under the loving Pastoral Leadership of the Very Rev. Stavrofor Stevan (Stevo) Rocknage, who came to us in 1988. Fr. Stevo is the 20th priest in our illustrious history. Together with his wife, Protinica JoAnne Rocknage, they are the proud parents of three adult children and have been blessed with numerous grandchildren.
Fr. Stevo, a former Professor of Psychology and Therapist, has tried to utilize his talents to help bring the faithful of St. Sava to Christ, re-energize the Youth, and enlighten the community through Education Classes and Parish Renewal Days.
Priests Who Have Served Our Church
- 01. Father Vladimir Kalnev June 1901-Dec 1902
- 02. Father Elijah Komadina Jan 1902-Apr 1904
- 03. Father Joanijike Kijko June 1904-Nov 1904
- 04. Iguman Hadzi Teofil Stefanovich Dec 1904-Jan 1905
- 05. Father Sava Vojvodich Feb 1905-Sept 1905
- 06. Father Nestor Vukicevich Jan 1906-Aug 1911
- 07. Father Dusan Bogich Sept 1911-Mar 1913
- 08. Father Joanijike Kukoljevich May 1913-Sept 1914
- 09. Hadzi Joakim Bjedov Oct 1914-Apr 1916
- 10. Father Jovan Smiljanovich May 1916-Feb 1925
- 11. Father Chariton Marjanovich Mar 1925-May 1926
- 12. Father Boro Petrovich Aug 1926-Aug 1930
- 13. Iguman Nikodim Stojakovich Sept 1930-Sept 1931
- 14. Father Dragoljub Jovanovich Oct 1931-June 1932
- 15. St. Bogoljub Gakovich (Hieromartyr) Jan 1933-June 1934
- 16. Father Milan G. Popovich Nov 1934-Jan 1971
- 17. Father Vladimir Milinkovich Feb 1971-July 1974
- 18. Father Svetislav Mirolovich Dec 1974-July 1977
- 19. Father Miloje Raicevic Aug 1977-July 1988
- 20. Father Stevan G. Rocknage Aug 1988-Present
The Artwork of St. Sava
In 1957, the church board commissioned artist Alexander Dzigurski (1911-1995) to create six expansive paintings to fill the east and west walls of the nave. He completed the paintings in the McKeesport church in 1959. The article (written by Dot Ikach) describes the artwork and gives a brief biography of the famous artist. Dzigurski Artwork (Read More)
