The church is Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Green Catholic Church. Located just 8 miles south of Burgaw in the Village of St. Helena, the church is a beautiful reminder of Pender County heritage.
“It was the only Russian Orthodox in North Carolina at the time it was built,” said Mizerak.
Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church may be the only structure of its kind in North Carolina.
The history of the church goes back more than 110 years when realtor Hugh MacRae established the farm community called St. Helena. He recruited immigrant farmers from Europe to buy a 10-acre farm with a three room bungalow for $240. The payment terms allowed farmers to pay in three year installments.
Mizerak’s father, Eilas Debaylo, had emigrated from the Ukraine. He was in New Jersey, sponsored by his brother, when he saw a pamphlet produced by MacRae. He moved to St. Helena in 1923.
Local historians have documented the Ukrainian and Russian families who moved to St. Helena. Families with the last names of Dudic, Horsky, Boryk, Marianowski, Vdovich, Zacharkow and Bakan, were the first to arrive. Farmers from Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, and England moved to St. Helena.
“Our families shipped produce to the north,” said Mary Bakan, Mizerak’s younger sister. Bakan is also the St. Helena village clerk.
The community prospered and the families were served by visiting priests on special occasions.
“We wanted our own priest,” said Mizerak. “Hugh MacRae wanted us to feel at home. He gave us the land to build a church,” said Ann Mizerak.
The New York based diocese sent Rev. John G. Boruch in 1932, although he owned farm land which he purchased in 1924.
A meeting to establish Sts. Peter and Paul was conducted in August of 1932. Soon after, MacRae deeded land for the church and construction was underway.
“Rev. Boruch didn’t want us to forget our heritage,” Mizerak said. The services were conducted in their native language.
Bakan and Mizerak said the community revolved around church services, plays, dance, and decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs, an art more than 2,000 years old.
“The church started with 20 Charter members and we grew to 40 through the years,” said Mizerak.
The church charter members included Boruch, Ihnaty Bakan, and Elias Debaylo, according to church records.
“Today there are only three of us remaining,” said Mizerak. “We can no longer afford a priest, so we listen to the Divine Liturgy on a recording.”
However, Mizerak said anyone is welcome to attend services at St. Peter and Paul.
“Services begin at 10 a.m. – all Orthodox services are at 10 a.m.,” she said.
The church is not owned by a diocese. It belongs to the surviving families. And those three remaining members are working fervently to have the church placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cost is approximately $2,500. The Historic Wilmington Foundation placed the church on the “Watch List of Most Threatened Historic Places.”
Group tours of the church are available by appointment. Call 910-259-4581 to schedule a tour. Donations for the tour are gratefully accepted.
The church is also accepting donations toward the cost of placing the structure on the National Register of Historic Places. Donations may be mailed to Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 412 Bickett St., Burgaw 28425.
The church is located at 2384 Front St. in St. Helena. Take Dickerson Street south from Burgaw, or follow Main Street off Hwy 117 near Rocky Point.
