The Elick’s brought their Catholic faith to America with them. Newspapers report numerous accounts of their attending church events and services. There were Saturday evening dances attended by the entire family at which music was provided by members playing musical instruments from home.
Our ties to Saint Cyril and St. Methodius Church was strong, with the following family members buried at Saint Cyril Cemetery:
- Andrew J Elcik (26 Oct 1901 – 4 Apr 1951)
- Elizabeth Elcik (1870 – 1 Jun 1934)
- Eugenie Walker Elcik (28 Feb 1898 – 5 Dec 1972)
- Gertrude Fournier Elcik (25 Dec 1918 – 19 Jan 1983)
- Helen B. Kozak Elcik (15 Dec 1892 – 13 Oct 1968)
- John P. Elcik (6 Nov 1866 – 24 May 1941)
- John P. Elcik (16 Feb 1896 – 31 Mar 1963)
- Joseph P. Elcik (1875 – 31 May 1938)
- Maria Anna Pelcarsky Elcik (1875 – 23 Aug 1936)
- Mary A. Fabian Elcik (8 Oct 1891 – 23 Nov 1978)
- Mary G. Byras Elcik (5 Nov 1900 – 18 Apr 1951)
- Paul J. Elcik Jr. (20 May 1915 – 28 Apr 1992)
- Paul J. Elcik Sr. (15 Feb 1896 – 23 Dec 1970)
Today, the church building still stands as a historic monument in Lisbon Falls, Maine. The church was designed in 1923 by Lewiston architects Gibbs & Pulsifer and is an imposing example of neo-Gothic architecture for a relatively small community.
Today, our family branch is no longer predominantly Catholic; instead, we tend towards Presbyterian or Methodist churches. The reasons for this are speculation. I know that John P. Elcik, III, my father, had a break with the Catholic church. It had to do with a parish dispute on getting someone into a Catholic cemetery. No one remembers the details.
