1960's Photograph of Father Joseph Halaburda
who served Saint George's parish from Dec 1906 until Feb. 1919. Born in 1870 in Lithuania, Father Halaburda came to the United States in 1884. When he returned to his native land for a visit in
1894, Russian officials seized his passport, his American citizenship papers, all of his personal possessions, and put him in jail. There he languished for two months until he made friends with a Russian
officer. The officer told him, ``hammer on your cell door and demand to see me. When the soldiers bring you to me, renounce your American citizenship and say you want to live forever in Russia." This
was done and the officer put Father Halaburda on parole. For 40 rubles he was transported to the border where he escaped into Germany and made his way back to the United States.
Father Halaburda studied at the St. Charles Seminary, Overbrook Philadelphia, Pa.; the University of Pennsylvania; and Baltimore Seminary. He was ordained at Saint Mary's church in Baltimore for the Diocese of Trenton, N.J. in 1905.
He served as pastor of Saint George's when it was at East 21st and Oregon (now Orange) Avenue from 1906 until 1919 where he developed a strong and vocal position within the community against the rising Communist movement that was fomenting trouble. Although Father Halaburda was instrumental in the fundraising for the current parish's construction and acquired the land it currently resides upon, he moved on before its full fruition, to the Russian-Polish church at Great Meadows, N.J.
Father Halaburda knew several languages, and because of this served a number of churches outside his diocese. He was pastor of churches in Philadelphia, Camden, N.J., Reading, Pa, and a chaplain at Villa Maria, Langhorn, Pa. Father Halaburda acquired 200 acres of ground at Newton, Pa., where he established an academy for girls for the Sisters of Saint Kasmir [sic] of Chicago.
After retiring in 1934 and moving to St. Leo Abbey in St. Leo Fla. in 1943, he returned here several times for visits. He observed the 50th anniversary of his ordination here in 1955. Father Halaburda passed away at St. Leo Abbey on November 17, 1966 at the age of 95.