Love Transcends Time: Three Wedding Stories, One Sacred Legacy

Week 23 of #52Ancestors Challenge: Weddings

Sometimes the most beautiful family stories don’t hide in dusty archives or DNA matches, but live in the continuity of sacred moments that span generations. Today I want to share the story of three weddings that took place in the same congregation across nearly three decades—a testament to faith, tradition, and the enduring bonds that tie families to their spiritual homes.

A Post-War Romance Begins: George and Eva, 1945

The story begins with love letters written across thousands of miles during World War II. While my grandfather George Dubinsky served as a 1st Sergeant at Percy Jones Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, he exchanged tender correspondence with Eva Marcisak back in New York. Through months of wartime separation, their relationship deepened through handwritten words of devotion and dreams of a future together. When the war finally ended in August 1945, those dreams became reality. On September 30, 1945, George and Eva married at St. Mary’s Greek Catholic Church (also known as St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Byzantine Rite), located at 225 East 13th Street in New York City.¹ Pastor Alexis Vislocky performed the ceremony, as documented on their marriage certificate.²

Eva’s Wedding Dress: A Vision in Satin and Elegance

Even 80 years later, Eva’s wedding dress remains a breathtaking example of 1940s bridal fashion.³ The gown features the classic silhouette of the era: a fitted bodice with sweetheart neckline, long sleeves, and a flowing A-line skirt that cascades into an elegant train. Lustrous off-white satin crafts the dress with exquisite attention to detail.

The bodice showcases the sophisticated construction typical of 1940s bridal wear: a sweetheart neckline outlined with a single row of beads across the top, with double rows of beads converging at the center and continuing to just below the waistline before returning to a single row around the waist. Fine netting covers the bodice above the sweetheart neckline, adding an ethereal quality to the design. Each sleeve features nine small satin-covered buttons, with the sleeve edges coming to elegant points over the hands. Rather than using the traditional button closure, Eva’s dress features a practical zipper at the back—a modern touch that reflected the changing fashion technology of the 1940s.

Eva’s veil crowns the ensemble—layers of fine netting trimmed with scalloped edges and featuring an over veil to cover the face during the ceremony. The headband displays large flower beads, most likely German or Czech pressed glass flower beads designed to replicate the beloved Stephanotis flowers that dominated 1940s bridal fashion. Stephanotis, known as the “now and forever flower,” served as the quintessential bridal flower of the mid-20th century, characterized by small clusters of star-shaped blooms with pearl-like centers.⁴ This attention to floral detail carried particular meaning during the post-war period, when fresh flowers became more readily available again after wartime shortages.

The dress embodies the understated elegance that characterized post-war weddings. While fabric shortages during the war had made elaborate gowns difficult to obtain, by late 1945 couples could once again celebrate with beautiful ceremonies. Eva’s dress strikes the perfect balance—sophisticated and elegant without being overly ornate, reflecting both the constraints of the recent war years and the hope of peacetime prosperity ahead.

The Byzantine Wedding Ceremony: Ancient Traditions in Modern Times

George and Eva’s wedding followed the distinctive Byzantine Catholic wedding tradition, significantly different from Western Catholic ceremonies. These ceremonies come from the Church of Constantinople, rather than from the Church of Rome, representing “another way of celebrating the Catholic Faith with a distinctly Eastern ‘feel’, which includes icons, crowns, chanting, and fans.”⁵

The ritual consisted of two parts: a betrothal service followed by the central crowning ceremony (Koronavanie). The ceremony began with a betrothal service, “which is a ceremony involving the receiving of our wedding rings. After we express our willingness and freedom to marry, a series of prayers and litanies then follow.”⁶ Unlike Western traditions, no “giving away” of the bride occurred—instead, the focus centered on the mystical and sacramental nature of marriage with heavy emphasis on prayers for future generations.⁷

The central moment featured the “crowning” (koronavanie), where ornate crowns crowned the bride and groom’s heads. The crowns carry profound symbolic meaning: “Firstly, the husband and wife are seen to be the ‘king and queen’ of their new family and domestic church. Secondly, they are crowned as a sign of their ‘martyrdom’.”⁸ The priest blessed the marriage with the words: “O Lord, our God, crown them with glory and honor.”⁹

The service featured scripture readings including the Gospel of the Wedding at Cana, emphasizing how “Jesus Christ sanctified and elevated Christian marriage to the dignity of a holy mystery (sacrament) by his presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.”¹⁰ The ceremony included sharing blessed wine from a common cup—”a sign of their common life together, a sharing of joys and sorrows, successes and failures, hopes and fears”¹¹—and concluded with the “Dance of Isaiah,” where the priest led the newly crowned couple three times around the altar while the Cantor sang “Rejoice, O Isaiah!”¹²

For George and Eva, fresh from the trials of wartime separation, these ancient words about enduring love and God’s blessing on their union must have held particular meaning. Pastor Vislocky conducted the entire service in the traditional manner, surrounded by the icons and incense that connected this Manhattan church to centuries of Eastern Christian tradition.

A New Church for a New Generation: 1968

Twenty-three years later, the congregation had moved to a stunning new location. In 1959, St. Mary’s relocated from their East 13th Street home to a revolutionary modernist building at 246 East 15th Street. The New York Times called it “the first all-glass church in the country,” a dramatic departure from traditional church architecture.¹³

On August 24, 1968, George and Eva’s daughter married in this new church—a bride of the space age entering a sanctuary that looked nothing like the traditional church where her parents had wed. The glass walls and contemporary design of the new St. Mary’s reflected the optimism and innovation of the 1960s, while maintaining the same Byzantine liturgical traditions that had blessed her parents’ union.

The timing fascinates me to consider: 1968 brought tremendous social upheaval to America, yet here stood a young couple (my father being Roman Catholic) choosing to marry within the same faith community that had nurtured their families for decades. Their wedding represented both continuity and change—honoring tradition within a revolutionary new architectural space.

You can see stunning photographs of this modernist church, both interior and exterior views, at this Medium article about St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church. The dramatic glass walls and contemporary design create a worship space unlike any other, yet one that maintains the sacred atmosphere essential to Byzantine liturgy.

The Next Generation Continues the Tradition

Continuity Across Generations

What strikes me most about these three generations of weddings is how they represent both change and continuity. The buildings changed—from the traditional converted Presbyterian church on East 13th Street to the revolutionary glass structure on East 15th Street. The fashions evolved—from Eva’s classic 1940s elegance to the more casual styles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The times certainly changed—from post-war optimism to the social revolution of the 1960s.

Yet the essential elements remained constant: the same Byzantine liturgy, the same commitment to faith and family, the same community of believers gathering to witness and bless these sacred unions. Pastor Vislocky, who had blessed George and Eva’s marriage in 1945, may well have still served the congregation when my parents married in 1968.

A Note on Historical Accuracy

In researching this post, I discovered that some online sources incorrectly list St. Mary’s Greek Catholic Church as located at 255 East 13th Street.¹⁶ However, both my grandparents’ original wedding invitation and their marriage certificate clearly state the address as 225 East 13th Street. David W. Dunlap’s authoritative work confirms this.¹⁷ This serves as a good reminder that primary sources—like family documents—often provide the most accurate historical information.

Reflections on Sacred Spaces

Today, as I look at my grandmother’s wedding dress carefully preserved in my mother’s closet, I’m struck by the threads that connect these three generations. The same faith that sustained George and Eva through wartime separation continued to anchor our family through decades of change. The same liturgical words that blessed their union in 1945 echoed through that glass sanctuary in 1968 and beyond.

In our mobile modern world, such continuity of place and tradition remains rare. This congregation has served as a constant in our family’s story for 80 years and counting—a sacred space where three generations have marked life’s most important moments with prayer, celebration, and the blessing of community.

Whether in a converted Presbyterian church or a revolutionary glass sanctuary, some things remain eternal: the power of love, the importance of community, and the grace found in sacred traditions passed down through generations.

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1. Wedding invitation, George Dubinsky and Eva Marcisak, 30 September 1945; privately held by Kirsten Max-Douglas, Blue Ash, Ohio, 2025. ↩︎
2. City of New York Department of Health, New York State Certificate and Record of Marriage License and Marriage Certificate no. 23830 (1945), George Dubinsky and Eva Marcisak; PDF obtained via NYC: Records & Information Services (https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/search: 25 Oct 2024), Search page. ↩︎
3. Wedding dress of Eva (Marcisak) Dubinsky, 1945; photograph taken by author, 7 June 2025; dress privately held by family member, location withheld for privacy. ↩︎
4. “Stephanotis: The Now and Forever Flower,” BrideChic (blog), 24 April 2014 (http://bridechic.blogspot.com/2014/04/stephanotis-now-and-forever-flower.html : accessed 8 June 2025). ↩︎
5. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim (blog), 2 July 2020 (https://restlesspilgrim.net/blog/2020/07/02/byzantine-wedding-primer/ : accessed 8 June 2025). ↩︎
6. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
7. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
8. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
9. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
10. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
11. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
12. “Byzantine Wedding Primer,” Restless Pilgrim. ↩︎
13. “St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church – A Photo Essay,” Medium: The Photographic Muslim (blog), https://medium.com/the-photographic-muslim/st-marys-byzantine-catholic-church-a127e93b95de (accessed 8 June 2025). ↩︎
14. Wedding photo of the author’s parents, 1968; photograph privately held by family member, location withheld for privacy. ↩︎
15. Photograph of author as flower girl, circa 1976; privately held by Kirsten Max-Douglas, Blue Ash, Ohio, 2025. ↩︎
16. “St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church, New York City,” A Bit More Detail (blog), 19 September 2012 (https://abitmoredetail.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/photo-st-marys-byzantine-catholic-church-new-york-city/ : accessed 8 June 2025). ↩︎
17. David W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan’s Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004), 228. ↩︎