Historic Ottawa County church getting plaque

MARBLEHEAD — A historic Ottawa County church is receiving a special recognition next week. The Holy Assumption Orthodox Church on East Main Street in Marblehead will receive a commemorative plaque from the Ottawa County Historical Society on April 1. It's the oldest Orthodox church in Ohio and one of the 15 self-governing Eastern Orthodox Churches worldwide. Wayne Golob has been a parishioner of the Holy Consumption since 1995 and said the community is honored to receive this honor. "It is nice to receive recognition, and we are proud of our community," Golob said. Representatives from the Ottawa County Historical Society will dedicate a marker to the church and the many Eastern European immigrants that make up the county. Immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in Marblehead in the late 19th and 20th centuries where they ultimately found work at limestone quarries in Marblehead and Kelleys Island. Golob said the two-sided marker will honor the church and the immigrants who continue to make up the area. "We hope that the marker will spark an interest among the young people of the community and their rich family heritage and to bring recognition to our church among the religious community," Golob said. Special guests presenting at the event include Patrick O'Keeffe, president of the Ottawa County Historical Society; Laura Russell of the Ohio History Connection/Ohio Historical Marker Program; Archpriest John Adamcio, supply priest at Holy Assumption/Church History; and Kristina Smith of St. John Episcopal Lutheran Church in Port Clinton. History lesson Many people played a part in the historic Marblehead church's history, including a famous Russian monarch. According to an article from the Holy Assumption Orthodox Church's official website, in 1897, the Greek Catholic Church of the Dormition (Assumption) of Mary was founded in Marblehead. Due to the rise of Eastern European immigrants flocking to Marblehead, many Carpatho-Russian Greek Catholics sought to return to the Eastern Orthodox Church. This dovetailed with a large Orthodoxy movement in both Europe and North America. A Greek Catholic priest, Father Alexis Toth, led the Orthodoxy movement in America due to his dislike of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, which inspired him to create his parish in Minneapolis, Minnesota, under the rule of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. "That event became the catalyst for many other Greek Catholic parishes to return to the Orthodox Faith," the article states. Eventually, a contrast in beliefs caused a division among church leaders where some decided to leave the Orthodox Church and return to the Greek Catholic Church, traditionally referred to as Unia. This divide prompted John Onyock, one of those involved in the founding of Marblehead's Holy Assumption church, to send a letter to Russian Tsar Nicholas II for help, as he called him the "man of Faith." The tsar responded to his letter, advising them to continue building a new church. After its completion, Tsar Nicholas II sent them four large icons for the iconostasis, or religious paintings, a communion set and a personal check for $1,200, equivalent to more than $41,000 in today's money. The tsar and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Tikhon, were both made saints in the church after both were killed in the Russian Revolution. Not long after, the church in Marblehead opened in 1906 and began to grow rapidly.