Gift Bringer of Greensburg

A few years ago, I met a charming man who collected my Pipka Old World Santas and who also happened to be a priest, Father Larry. We developed a friendship over our love of Christmas and the gift bringers that represented traditions and cultures all over the world. I wouldn’t be wrong in saying he is one of my most enthusiastic collectors. That is until I got to know his friend Jerry who probably has as many of the Pipka figurines as Father.

Father Larry and Jerry flew in from Greensburg, PA to Milwaukee, rented a car and drove up to the Sister Bay Christkindlmarkt. After two days of shopping, visiting and eating all the good food, Father was inspired to have a Christmas Market celebration at his parish in Pennsylvania. In the meantime, he was appointed Bishop by Pope Francis and in charge of 5 diocese. Under his leadership, and with his remarkable team and volunteers, A Christmas Market in their diocese was planned for 2023. Bishop asked me to design a Santa that represented his parish. I said I would, but I would need to come out and visit so I could get inspired by the culture and history of the area. Bishop invited me to come visit which I did in the summer of 2023. For several days, the Bishop gave me a tour of the area explaining that western Pennsylvania was once a heavy coal mining region, acquainting me with Slovak families and visiting very old churches.

We drove the winding roads through thick forested hills and towns that once were thriving during the coal mining eras but now lay desolate and empty, windows boarded, weeds overtaking the yards. We visited a company store museum and talked to people whose parents and grandparents worked in the mines under extremely dire conditions. Most of the people were working immigrants, coming to this country from Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Poland, all looking for a better life, the American dream. Many of their offspring still live in this area keeping their customs, celebrations, languages and foods from the old countries alive.

My job was to create a painting of a Gift Bringer that represented this region, its history and the people in it. I was very inspired by the Bishop’s tour and the people I met; the Slovak family who made us a traditional Slovak dinner, the elderly man who told me the story how his father started working the mines when he was 14 years old until he retired at 62 and died at 65 from the black lung.

I was warmly welcomed by everyone I met and fell in love with their stories and memories.

Returning home, as I started searching for history of coal mining in western Pennsylvania, my admiration for the miners and their families only grew more although I was devastated to learn children worked the mines at an early age and many men died young from black lung. It was important that the gift bringer I was commissioned to design would represent the tenacity, dignity and hope of these hard working people.

Over the months, I sketched and painted until the Gift Bringer of Greensburg came to life.

I was invited to be the guest host and speaker at the Greensburg 1st annual Christmas Market and as the day approached, I became more and more excited to be a part of this spiritual and cultural event. Over 150 of the Pipka Old World Santas were on display in the cultural center and select images of the Pipka Santas were on items in the gift shop, coasters, mugs, totes, ornaments. Thousands of people attended the event and browsed through the gallery of Santas, many of which related to their own country and heritage, bringing back wonderful memories of Christmas. One day, we had a children’s breakfast and craft event. Children of all ages, and some of their parents, made Santa Christmas cards with cut-out stickers. It was great fun and the children were very creative with their designs. I also gave a talk after mass on “Coming to America” and how my family’s traditions inspired my art and life. Hundreds of school children from surrounding areas attended the talk and I wanted to inspire them to let them know they could do and be anything they dreamed.

The Christmas weekend in Greensburg was the highlight of my career. For the first time I felt connected to my Slovak heritage. The people were so appreciative and kind, welcoming me with stories, memories and open arms. The next time I return, which will be soon, I will go to Greensburg as a tourist, revisiting the friends I made, the villages and restaurants, driving through those thickly forested valleys and discovering the beautiful old churches that are everywhere. It will feel like coming home.