From the Archive Closet: A Prayer Card Finds a New Home

Front of the prayer card commemorating Rev. Stephen Blasko's First Mass.

It's been a while since I wrote about my ongoing battle with the Archive Closet! A tiny bit of good news: I have found a home for one artifact.

I have many religious cards and books that belonged to my mother, grandmother, and great-grandparents. I've written previously about saving some of my grandmother Margaret Simonik Kozlina's prayer cards to Find a Grave and the FamilySearch Family Tree, and about her cathechism booklet.  

I recently came across a different sort of card that belonged to Grandma. It was written in Slovak and had the name Štefan J. Blaško on it. I translated it using the Deepl translation tool:

A prayer to the Lord of the priests: Praise
and exalt him forever   Dan: 3:84

In Memory of
My
First Solemn Mass
at St. John the Baptist Church
in Campbell, Ohio
April 28, 1935
Rev. Štefan J. Blaško
Ordained a priest
April 23, 1935

“O Jesus, accept this as a sign of my
gratitude; bless those who led me
to Your Altar.” Père Eymard. 

 

Back of prayer card, written in Slovak.

Stephen Blasko was born in 1909 in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania.¹ My grandma, Margaret Simonik Kozlina, was born in Moorewood, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania in 1913.² The communities were less than two miles apart. Stephen's father was a coal miner, as was my great-grandfather, possibly working at the nearby Standard Shaft. The families likely also attended the same Catholic church, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Mount Pleasant. It's probable that Grandma and her parents knew Stephen and his family.

Rev. Blasko probably chose to celebrate his first Mass in Campbell, Ohio, near Youngstown, since his parents lived in Campbell and attended St. John the Baptist Catholic Church there.³ Grandma and her parents were still living in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, at that time, and likely traveled from Pennsylvania to the Mass to support their family friend as he began his priestly life.

Rev. Blasko served in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland during his priesthood. He founded St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Barberton, Ohio, after being ordained in St. John Cathedral in Cleveland in 1935. He also served as assistant pastor at St. Edward, Nativity and St. Wendlin parish in Cleveland, as well as SS. Cyril and Methodius in Barberton.⁴

Since the Mass was celebrated in Campbell, Ohio, part of the Diocese of Youngstown, I reached out to their archives to see if they would like to have it. It's simply too beautiful to throw away, and in terrific shape for being 91 years old! They happily agreed to accept it and I've since sent it to them. I included the translation as well as a brief provenance of the card for their records.

As many of us work to downsize our inherited family history collections, sometimes all it takes is inquiring with an archive to see which artifacts they will accept. I'm happy that this beautiful card is now part of the diocesan archive.

Until next time... 

NOTES

¹ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Birth #135150, Steve Blasko, 15 Aug. 1909; imaged, "Pennsylvania, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1906-1917," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60484/images/46629_2421401755_0116-02419 : accessed 24 Aug. 2026); citing Birth Certificates, 1906, Box 263, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg. 

² Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, commemorative baptismal certificate, Margita Semanik, b. 5 June 1913; privately held by Nancy Gilbride Casey, [address for private use,] Tioga, Texas, 2025. This certificate was passed from Margaret Simonik Kozlina to her daughter, Anna Margaret Kozlina Gilbride, then to me, Anna's daughter.

³ 1940 U.S. Census, Campbell, Ward 2, Mahoning Co., Ohio, sheet 9-B, household 140, Andew Blasco; imaged, "1940 United States Federal Census," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-03109-00125 : accessed 24 Aug. 2026).

⁴ "Fr. Blasko of Norton Dies at 52," The Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio), 12 October 1960, p. 2, col. 3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/151572793/ : accessed 24 Aug. 2026).