Fr Andrew Pier
Birth: 1910 Blandburg, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death: 18 Mar 2003 (aged 92–93) Ohio, USA
Burial: Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA
Memorial #: 123979568
Bio: FATHER ANDREW PIER, OSB Nationally renowned Slovak-American writer, historian and preeminent cultural activist Benedictine Father Andrew Pier, 93, a monk of St. Andrew Svorad Abbey in Cleveland, died Tuesday, March 18, 2003, at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, where he had been taken from Regina Health Center in Richfield, OH, his residence since 2001. He was the oldest monk in the abbey's 80-year history. Father Andrew had been a monk for 71 years. He marked his 66th anniversary of ordination as a priest on February 20. A native of Blandburg, baptized Wendelin Pier in 1910, he was the son of the late Vendel and Anna (Dokupil) Pier, both immigrants from Slovakia. He attended local public schools, graduating from Reade Township High School in 1926. Wendelin continued his studies at st. Procopius College (now Illinois Benedictine University) in Lisle, IL. In June 1930 he entered the newly established Saint Andre Svorad Benedictine Monastery in Cleveland, and was given the religious name, Andrew. He completed his novitiate year of training at St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, PA, and professed his first monastic vows on July 2, 1931. His studies for the priesthood were pursued at Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland, and he was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Joseph Schrembs on February 20, 1937. Father Andrew was the last surviving member of his ordination class. He taught history, English and religion at Benedictine High School, and in 1937 wa named principal, a post he held until 1941. He also coached freshman and junior varsity basketball teams. He earned a master's degree in American History from Case Western Reserve University in 1943. Father Andrew retired from teaching in 1971 after 40 years in the classroom. Father Andrew made his only visit to Slovakia when he was two-years-old. The country would consume his intellectual and emotional energies for the next nine decades. when the country of Czecho-Slovakia was created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1918 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had ruled the Slovaks since the 15th century, Slovak patriots at home and abroad rallied to maintain the Slovak identity and culture. As a young priest Father Andrew became heavily involved in American-Slovak efforts to promote this cause. A prolific writer, Father Andrew authored numerous articles in English and Slovak in American and foreign publications. From 1960 until 1065 he wrote a weekly column, "Slovak News and Views" in the national Slovak-American newspaper, Jednota, the official publication of the First Catholic Slovak Union (FCSU). In 1952 he was among the founders of the Slovak Institute located at Saint Andrew Abbey in Cleveland. Under Father Andrew's leadership as director from 1958 to 2001, the Institute developed one of the largest collections of Slovak literature and memorabilia in the United States. In 1974 he published his autobiographical look at coal mining small town life in Western Pennsylvania, the Woodlands Above - The Mines Below, which is still available in print in English and Slovak. Father Andrew was an active member of many Slovak-American fraternals and organizations including : the First Catholic Slovak union; the First Catholic Slovak ladies Association; the Slovak League of America; the Slovak Catholic Sokol; and the Cleveland Slovak Radio Club. Working with the Slovak Catholic Federation in th 1960s, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Slovak Institute of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests outside Slovakia which was then under Communist control. Over the years, Father Andrew received many distinguished awards and honors including the prestigious Hinka Silver Cup, presented to him by the Association of Slovak Writers and Intellectuals in 1991, the Stefan Banic Parachute Fondation Medal (named aft the Slovak inventor of the parachute) in 1997, and the Memorial Medal of the National Slovak Cultural Institute (Matica Slovenska) of Slovakia in April 2002. However, his greatest recognition came in 1993 when he traveled to New York City to receive the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in the Great Hall at Ellis Island, where his parents had entered the United States at the turn of the century. Also inducted that year were Secretary of State James Baker, General Norman Schwartzkopf, George Steinbrenner, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Natalie Cole and Mickey Mantle. Father Andrew was preceded in death by a brother, Steve. Surviving are a brother, Monsignor Joseph Pier of Johnstown, and a sister, Mary, of Johnstown. The funeral Mass for Father Andrew Pier, OSB, was celebrated in Saint Andrew Abbey Church on Saturday, March 22. Committal was in Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland.
Family Members
Parents
Wendell J. Pier 1936-2009
Anna E. Pier 1888-1980
Half Siblings
Joseph Pier 1912-2006
Mary Ann Pier 1921-2014
Created by: Joan of VA (46993634)
Added: 22 Jan 2014
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123979568
Citation: Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 08 July 2019), memorial page for Fr Andrew Pier (1910–18 Mar 2003), Find A Grave Memorial no. 123979568, citing Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Joan of VA (contributor 46993634) .
