Socially distant farewell for retiring Greensburg area minister

Retiring in the midst of a pandemic requires a different kind of farewell ceremony, which is what will happen Saturday for the minister at the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Greensburg.

A socially-distant farewell is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for the Rev. Donna Havrisko, who is retiring after 18 years in the pulpit of the church along Route 819 in Hempfield. Her last day at Westminster Presbyterian will be Sunday.

Havrisko said she will be inside the church for those who want to get out of their cars and say goodbye, or will go outside to say farewell to parishioners who feel safer wishing her good luck in retirement from the safety of their vehicles.

“I understand their concerns” about keeping away from crowds, especially “those whose health is compromised,” Havrisko said.

Havrisko, who turns 65 in April, was a pastor at two other Presbyterian churches in Westmoreland County — First Presbyterian Church of Irwin for 1½ years and Manor Presbyterian Church for eight years — before taking over the ministerial duties at Westminster Presbyterian Church in November 2002.

She said she was influenced to go into the ministry by a counselor she encountered whose knowledge of God had an impact on her and others.

“I wanted to do that. This brings life,” Havrisko said.

The path was one Havrisko did not see possible for a young girl growing up in the 1960s. Back then, she said, she only saw ministers as “men in black,” even though the Presbyterian Church started ordaining women in the year she was born, 1956.

In retirement, Havrisko, a Hempfield resident, said she will have more time for something she loves to do — being around horses. She said she plans to volunteer for the horse rescue organization, Second Chance Equine in Armbrust, and Meals on Wheels. She also will have more time to spend with her adult children, who live in the area.