User:Milzinas/Pranas Valukevicius

Father Pranas "Frank" Valukevičius was the third pastor of Saint George Roman Catholic Lithuanian Church, located in Rochester, New York.

Because of failing health, Father Bakšys, in 1956, handed over the pastorate to Father Pranas Valukevičius, who was well know to the parishioners, having been born and raised in Rochester and having been the assistant priest in the parish from 1938-1950. During his term he remodeled the church, hall, and school. To make the parish financially more secure, he started bingo games. He was also one of the founders in, 1950, of the Lithuanian Radio Program, which is still in existence today; and he chaired the local Lithuanian Foundation Fund raising committee which raised $15,000.

On February 2, 1972, Father Pranas Valukevičius succumbed to cancer. Before his death Father Valukevičius worked with great effort to leave the parish in the hands of a Lithuanian pastor. The Lithuanian Franciscan Fathers responded to his search and in 1972 took over the leadership of Saint George’s Parish.