It’s Only One Day out of 365 [but this year it’s 366]

In a way every single day of every year has a personality of its own. What we do with each day, or how we spend [or waste] our time each day, or remember important dates in the lives of parents, siblings, or even ourselves—all adds up to what might very well be the definition of a life well lived.
Some dates immediately arouse a sense of importance/attention/concern from us. Dates like: July 4, December 25, February 14, or September 11.

Let’s take a look at one day… in one particular year. The day is February 9, and the year is 1974. It’s wintertime and the weather in our area [Western Pennsylvania] was typical, very cold along with a few snow flurries. Richard M. Nixon was President of the USA, but not for long. The Watergate Scandal had been brewing and exactly six months after our focus date, Nixon announced his resignation from office on August 9, 1974.

A loaf of bread cost 35 cents, and for 53 cents you could get a gallon of gas [but you couldn’t pump it yourself… not in 1974, that is.] On the entertainment scene, the most popular song was Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”

On February 9, 1974 our region as well as many parts of the USA experienced yet another episode of the Oil Embargo, bringing on hardship, inconvenience and downright misery to everyone who waited in long lines at filling stations. For some, the time was all a waste as the owner either ran out of gasoline, or simply closed their business for that particular day before customers reached the pumps.

Having already experienced several Oil Shortages, many of us had devised “plans” to deal with it when we needed to. Plans like: car pools, taking public transportation to work, walking to work or the local store to shop, or if the weather permitted—riding a bicycle to work, shop or whatever.

Now then, you may have already figured this one out… or you’re close to it… or you have some pretty good hunches. Fear not, here comes [as the late Paul Harvey would have said] – The Rest of the Story.
February 9, 1974 was the date that Mary Ellen Lucas and Frederick Michael Petro were married at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, located then at Tenth Avenue and Dickson Streets in Munhall, PA.
• St. John’s was Mary Ellen’s home parish. She was born into it and received the Sacraments of Initiation there. She went to parochial school there and remained a faithful parishioner until she and Fred moved to Beaver, PA in 1990.
• Fred was a relative newcomer to St. John’s. When he withdrew from Seminary studies in 1971 he became cantor at the Cathedral.
• But there was a connection with St. John’s that he had no knowledge of whatsoever back in 1974. The church where the couple were married was the second of three St. John’s, first known simply as St. John the Baptist Greek Catholic Church … then the second church or “Old Cathedral” the church of their marriage, built in 1903… designated a Cathedral in 1926… and serving the faithful until 1993 when the third church, “the New Cathedral” was built.
• It’s the first of the three St. John the Baptist Greek [Byzantine] Catholic Churches that we turn to. Built in 1897 it was located in Homestead, PA’s second ward. Only in 2002 when my father’s sister Suzanna Petro Gonglik visited our home for a combined birthday party [80 years for Mom and 60 years for Father John]—my Aunt Sue who was also my godmother, gave me a large manila envelope filled with papers, old stuff, important looking stuff.
• Why are you giving this to me, I asked Aunt Sue? “Because I trust you,” she said.
• I could barely look at those valuables. We had a party going on. We had invited around 40, and expected 25 to come. In reality, we had 85…………….. yes 85 people came. It was Fourth of July weekend… lots of cousins et. al. were home to visit… others heard about the party and asked if they could come. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day and our neighbors were generously offering tables, chairs, and more. I remember ordering Father John, one of the honorees, “you have to go to the store and buy more food. We don’t have enough. Just get whatever you can buy. You know what to get.” And he cheerfully obeyed my orders. In short, and I actually said these very words at the end of that day, “This event was one of epic proportion!”
• Aunt Sue’s envelope remained in our files until I retired in 2009, and soon thereafter I looked at their contents… original documents from my grandparents Petro. The real deal. And among those archives was the Marriage Certificate of Michael Petro and Suzanna Petruschak at St. John Greek Catholic Church, Homestead, PA in September 1899.
• Thus, as we were married in 1974, it was actually the 75th anniversary year of my grandparents Petro at the very same parish where we were being married. Coincidence, or fate?
• Now back to our “real” story.
• On February 9, 1974 the Divine Liturgy together with the Ceremonial Crowning in Marriage celebration had all invited guests successfully conserving their gasoline supply thus allowing them to attend the wedding service and reception. At the liturgical services Father John Petro was the main celebrant with the Cathedral rector at the time, Msgr. Judson Procyk as one concelebrant, and Father Robert J. Karl, longtime Petro family friend and also Fred’s boss at the other half of his job [the Archieparchial Office of Religious Education] as the other concelebrant. Also serving at the altar was Deacon John Kachuba, Fred’s longtime and later lifelong best friend.
• I should note that Msgr. Procyk in 1995 became Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Church in America… only to have his life and service suddenly end in 2001.
• For the other three clergy, service to our Byzantine Catholic Church would continue uninterrupted for more than 20 years. But the end for all three came suddenly, and eerily close. Beginning with Father Bob in May 2022, then Father John Petro in October 2022, and lastly with Father John Kachuba in February 2023… these three, all best friends since the 1960s, and also best friends of myself, all would be summoned to eternity within a 9 month timespan. What a loss to so many of us. Eternal memory and blessed repose to all of them.
In case you haven’t guessed it by now, February 9, 2024 is our 50th wedding anniversary.
So, how did we spend the day February 9, over the past 50 years…
• Most of the time the day was mostly uneventful as we both were at work.
• There were a few trips over the years, but as it was the heart of winter, we were in no hurry to travel.
• But two things did prompt travel on around that date in February

The first “prompter” came after 1994—the year that we learned how to snow ski. We took up downhill skiing at age 47 and each year we experienced improvement in our basic skills, and a desire to “go a bit further” with the challenge, [but keeping it all in the “safe” range.]

After about 5 years of skiing locally at Hidden Valley first, then Seven Springs, we had our first trip “out West” to Breckenridge, Colorado. We returned there at least 5-6 times over the next ten years.

In 2001 the GCU initiated Ski Outings and this new program was entirely under my direction. First at Hidden Valley in the Laurel Mountains of Western PA… then a second outing at Big Boulder in the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern PA… and then a third at Boyne Mountain in the upper part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula [the tourist area around Traverse City, Petoskey, and Charlevoix.]

With the GCU Outings we would add some extra time for personal travel/vacation, often occurring on our anniversary.

We’ve had 49 previous years to observe the significance of February 9, 1974. All pleasant [actually mostly pleasant] ones. But February 9 will be etched into our short, long, and all other term memories for obvious reasons.
• On February 9, 2008, very early in the morning, Mom died.
• On February 9, 2010, very late at night, Dad died.
• Then on February 9, 2012, around mid-day, Mary Ellen and I were skiing at Park City, Utah and she had the misfortune of falling and fracturing her pelvis. [Long story, but in short she made a full and successful recovery.] And with that incident, our ski lives came to an end, both of us choosing to retire at age 65 rather than challenging the odds that something not good could happen again
• Of note… with misfortunes occurring every second year three consecutive times, February 9, 2014 came and went with no issues. ME prepared a turkey dinner as we celebrated our 40th anniversary at home. And we’ve been happy and healthy [reasonably] ever since.
This year we have no big plans for the 50th, but we’ve sort of already been celebrating with small, personal celebrations each month. We hope our experiences of the past 50 years brought back a few memories… or a smile to your face… or a remembrance of loved ones along with a prayer or two.
God be with you. Fred & Mary Ellen Petro