Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
Encyclopedia
The Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh is the Catholic
archeparchy (archdiocese) governing all of the Byzantine Catholic (Ruthenian)
Church in the Western portion of Pennsylvania
, eastern Ohio
, and in the states of Louisiana
, Oklahoma
, Texas
, and West Virginia
. Its chancery office and the residence of the Archbishop are located at 66 Riverview Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
Since the death of Metropolitan
Basil Schott
on June 10, 2010, the Archeparchy is sede vacante
.
(self-governing) status as a Metropolia
by Pope Paul VI
in 1969. Archbishop Stephen Kocisko
was installed as the first Metropolitan-Archbishop on June 11, 1969, at Holy Spirit Church in Oakland (Pittsburgh). He was the first prelate in the history of people from the Subcarpathian Rus region (of present day Ukraine and Slovakia), to hold this rank.
In 1924, the church had been established by the Holy See as an exarchate, known as the '"Apostolic Exarchate of Pittsburgh for Faithful of the Oriental Rite (Ruthenian)'". Exarchate is an ecclesiastical term which indicates a "missionary diocese" or territory.
This move separated the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the United States into two distinct groups: one for those originating from Galicia (in modern day Ukraine) with its see in Philadelphia, PA and the other for those who were from the Carpathian Mountain region (in modern day Ukraine and Slovakia), as well as those from Hungary and Croatia. In time, the two groups would come to be known as Ukrainian Greek Catholics and Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics, respectively. The Exarchate of Pittsburgh was elevated to the status of an eparchy in 1963.
in Munhall, Pennsylvania
, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh also operates SS. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in the North Side section of the city, for the training of candidates for the priesthood and diaconate, cantors and those in other ministries. Established in 1950 by Bishop Daniel Ivancho
, the seminary serves all four eparchies of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
.
As of 2010, the Archeparchy has 85 parishes under its canonical jurisdiction.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
archeparchy (archdiocese) governing all of the Byzantine Catholic (Ruthenian)
Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
The Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh is an autonomous Byzantine Rite particular church of the Catholic Church, originally serving members of the Ruthenian Catholic Church and their descendants in the United States...
Church in the Western portion of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, eastern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and in the states of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Its chancery office and the residence of the Archbishop are located at 66 Riverview Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Since the death of Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
Basil Schott
Basil Schott
Basil Myron Schott, O.F.M. was the Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh from 2002 until his death....
on June 10, 2010, the Archeparchy is sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
.
History
Byzantine Catholics in the United States were given sui iurisSui iuris
Sui iuris, commonly also spelled sui juris, is a Latin phrase that literally means “of one’s own laws”.-Secular law:In civil law the phrase sui juris indicates legal competence, the capacity to manage one’s own affairs...
(self-governing) status as a Metropolia
Metropolia
Metropolia may mean:* Metropolia is the pre-1970 general term for the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America, now known as the Orthodox Church in America .* Metropolia is a Polish Business Magazine published in the UK since 2007....
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
in 1969. Archbishop Stephen Kocisko
Stephen Kocisko
Stephen John Kocisko was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church-Early life:...
was installed as the first Metropolitan-Archbishop on June 11, 1969, at Holy Spirit Church in Oakland (Pittsburgh). He was the first prelate in the history of people from the Subcarpathian Rus region (of present day Ukraine and Slovakia), to hold this rank.
In 1924, the church had been established by the Holy See as an exarchate, known as the '"Apostolic Exarchate of Pittsburgh for Faithful of the Oriental Rite (Ruthenian)'". Exarchate is an ecclesiastical term which indicates a "missionary diocese" or territory.
This move separated the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the United States into two distinct groups: one for those originating from Galicia (in modern day Ukraine) with its see in Philadelphia, PA and the other for those who were from the Carpathian Mountain region (in modern day Ukraine and Slovakia), as well as those from Hungary and Croatia. In time, the two groups would come to be known as Ukrainian Greek Catholics and Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics, respectively. The Exarchate of Pittsburgh was elevated to the status of an eparchy in 1963.
Operations
The seat of the Archeparchy is the St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic CathedralSt. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral (Pittsburgh)
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral is the mother church of Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church...
in Munhall, Pennsylvania
Munhall, Pennsylvania
Munhall is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the west bank of the Monongahela River, south of the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers where the Ohio River begins. It abuts the borough of Homestead. A large part of the Homestead Works of the Carnegie Steel Company...
, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh also operates SS. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in the North Side section of the city, for the training of candidates for the priesthood and diaconate, cantors and those in other ministries. Established in 1950 by Bishop Daniel Ivancho
Daniel Ivancho
Daniel Ivancho was the third bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.-Early life:...
, the seminary serves all four eparchies of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
The Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh is an autonomous Byzantine Rite particular church of the Catholic Church, originally serving members of the Ruthenian Catholic Church and their descendants in the United States...
.
As of 2010, the Archeparchy has 85 parishes under its canonical jurisdiction.
Hierarchs
- Basil TakachBasil TakachBasil Takach was the first bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.-Early life:...
(1924–1948) - Daniel IvanchoDaniel IvanchoDaniel Ivancho was the third bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.-Early life:...
(1948–1954) - Nicholas Thomas Elko (1955–1967)
- Stephen John KociskoStephen KociskoStephen John Kocisko was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church-Early life:...
(1967–1991) - Thomas Victor DolinayThomas DolinayThomas Victor Dolinay was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.-Early life:...
(1991–1993) - Judson Michael ProcykJudson ProcykJudson Michael Procyk was the third Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.-Career:...
(1994–2001) - Basil Myron Schott, O.F.M. (2002–2010)
See also
- Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of PittsburghByzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of PittsburghThe Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh is an autonomous Byzantine Rite particular church of the Catholic Church, originally serving members of the Ruthenian Catholic Church and their descendants in the United States...
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of PassaicByzantine Catholic Eparchy of PassaicThe Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic is the Catholic eparchy governing most Byzantine Catholics in the eastern United States. Its headquarters are at 445 Lackawanna Avenue, Woodland Park . The current bishop is the Most Reverend William C. Skurla.The Eparchy was erected July 6, 1963 and its...
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of ParmaByzantine Catholic Eparchy of ParmaThe Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma is the Catholic eparchy governing most Byzantine Catholics in the midwestern United States. Its headquarters are at 1900 Carlton Road, Parma, Ohio. The current bishop is the Most Reverend John Kudrick....
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van NuysByzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van NuysThe Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix is the Catholic eparchy governing most Byzantine Ruthenian Catholics in the western United States. Its headquarters are at 8131 North 16th Street, Phoenix, Arizona...
- List of the Catholic bishops of the United States #Metropolia of Pittsburgh for the Ruthenians