My grandparents emigrated to this country from Austria-Hungary (what became Czechoslovakia) in the early years of the 20th century, settling in a tiny coal mining town outside Scranton, where my grandfather spent much of his long and difficult life underground, mining. (He named his youngest daughter Anne, the patroness of coal miners.)

I never forget that I came from Slovak stock. So it was fascinating for me to read about the first Slovak priest in America, Fr. Stephen Furdek, who ministered to his flock in Ohio around the same time my grandparents were settling in Pennsylvania.

Visit McNamara’s Blog to discover more about this remarkable and little-known priest.