About Byzantine Catholic Community of Fort Mill · Fort Mill, South Carolina
The Petro Oros Byzantine Catholic Mission (formerly the Byzantine Catholic Community of Fort Mill) is a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic mission serving the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area and upstate South Carolina. Formed in 2016 in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and granted mission status in 2024 by Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, the community celebrates the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom every Saturday at 4:00 PM in the Ministry Center of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church. The mission draws a small but devoted congregation that includes Carpatho-Rusyn faithful, Roman Catholic converts, and newcomers exploring the Eastern Catholic tradition, and it is named for Blessed Petro Oros, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop martyred by Soviet police in 1953 and beatified in 2025.
- Established
- 2016
- Patron
- Blessed Petro Oros
- Rector
- Father Vasyl Sokolovych (Administrator of SS. Cyril and Methodius, Cary, NC — serves as the mission's regular Celebrant)
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Bishop Kurt Burnette)
Why belong here
Petro Oros Mission offers a rare chance to experience full Byzantine Catholic worship — with the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Prostopinije chant, incense, and icons — in the Carolinas, just minutes from I-77 and 25 minutes from downtown Charlotte. It is a small, multigenerational, welcoming community where retirees who grew up in northern Byzantine parishes worship alongside Roman Catholic converts, former Protestants, and seekers; attending the Saturday 4:00 PM Divine Liturgy satisfies the Sunday Mass obligation. Visitors can participate in potluck dinners, pyrohy (pierogi) sales, pysanky (Easter egg) workshops, and the Eastern Christian formation of new cantors and seminarians, all under the blessing of Bishop Kurt Burnette of Passaic.
Mass times at Byzantine Catholic Community of Fort Mill
Weekly Mass schedule
History of the Petro Oros Mission
The Byzantine Catholic Community of Fort Mill was formed in 2016 by Ron Somich, a Cleveland native who had moved to Lake Wylie, South Carolina five years earlier. With the encouragement of Father John Giuliani of All Saints Catholic Church in Lake Wylie and the blessing of Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Eparchy of Passaic, the community began gathering faithful from across the Charlotte metro. Its first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in July 2018 by Father Mark Shuey, administrator of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Cary, NC. Weekly Saturday worship was made possible for several years by Father Steven Galuschik of All Saints Byzantine Catholic Church in North Fort Myers, Florida, who flew up from Florida each week. By 2024 the community had grown enough to be formally recognized as a mission by Bishop Burnette, who granted it the name 'Venerable Petro Oros Mission' in honor of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop martyred by Soviet police on August 27, 1953, and beatified in September 2025.
- 2016: community formed by Ron Somich with blessing of Bishop Kurt Burnette
- July 2018: first Divine Liturgy celebrated by Fr. Mark Shuey
- 2018–c. 2023: Fr. Steven Galuschik flew weekly from Fort Myers, FL
- 2024: formally recognized as a mission and given the name 'Venerable Petro Oros Mission'
- 2024–present: Fr. Vasyl Sokolovych (Cary, NC) serves as regular Celebrant
Our Patron: Blessed Petro Oros
Petro Pavlo Oros (14 July 1917 – 27 August 1953) was a Ruthenian Greek Catholic auxiliary bishop of the Eparchy of Mukachevo. The son of an Eastern Catholic priest, he was ordained in 1942 and secretly consecrated an auxiliary bishop in 1944, just as Transcarpathia was being absorbed into the Soviet Union. When the Greek Catholic Church was outlawed in 1949, Oros continued to serve his people clandestinely. On August 27, 1953, after celebrating a Divine Liturgy in the village of Veliki Komyati, he was shot by a communist police officer near a roadside cross. His last known liturgy intention in his pocket read simply 'soul of Petro Pavlo Oros.' Pope Francis recognized Oros's martyrdom on August 5, 2022. After several delays — including the death of Pope Francis — he was beatified on September 27, 2025, in Bilky, Ukraine, by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś as papal representative. His feast day is August 27, the day of his martyrdom. The mission's patron is a model of fidelity under persecution for this small Carolinas community bearing his name.
- Born 14 July 1917 in Biri, Austro-Hungarian Empire
- Ordained priest 26 June 1942; consecrated auxiliary bishop 19 December 1944
- Murdered by Soviet police officer 27 August 1953 after celebrating a clandestine Divine Liturgy
- Martyrdom recognized by Pope Francis 5 August 2022
- Beatified 27 September 2025 in Bilky, Ukraine, by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś
- Feast day: 27 August
Divine Liturgy & Worship
The mission celebrates the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom weekly on Saturdays at 4:00 PM in the Ministry Center of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 292 Munn Road East, Fort Mill, SC. During the Great Fast (Lent) the community celebrates the more penitential Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. The Saturday Vigil Divine Liturgy satisfies the Sunday Mass obligation for Catholics in both the Byzantine and Roman rites — the mission's website even provides a letter from a local Roman Catholic priest explaining the canonical basis for this.
- Saturday 4:00 PM — Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (year-round)
- During Great Fast — Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
- Rite: Byzantine (Ruthenian)
- Music: Prostopinije congregational chant
- Setting: icons, incense, portable iconostasis, wooden altar
Clergy & Leadership
Because the mission has no resident priest, it is served by visiting clergy. The current regular Celebrant is Father Vasyl Sokolovych, Administrator of SS. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church in Cary (Raleigh), North Carolina, who makes a four-hour drive each weekend to serve the community. Bi-Ritual Deacon Ron Volek assists. The community's lay administrator is Ron Somich, who founded the group in 2016 and can be reached at (440) 477-6389. Andrea Kakuk is also a listed contact ([email protected]).
- Father Vasyl Sokolovych — regular Celebrant (Cary, NC)
- Bi-Ritual Deacon Ron Volek — assists at the Divine Liturgy
- Ron Somich — Community Administrator / lay leader (440-477-6389)
- Andrea Kakuk — parish contact ([email protected])
Parish Life & Community
Fort Mill is described by the mission as 'a welcoming mission for all ages and walks of life.' Retirees from Byzantine communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York have found both warmer weather and a renewal of the Ruthenian customs they grew up with, while younger members include Roman Catholic converts (such as cantor Nick Peleponuk), former Mormons (Mark and Rebecca LeRoy), and seekers who have come from Pentecostal or other Christian backgrounds. Monthly potluck dinners are a centerpiece of fellowship, with newcomers learning to prepare Eastern staples such as borscht and paska for the Paschal blessing of baskets.
- Monthly potluck dinners
- Multigenerational: retirees, young adults, families, seminarians
- Welcoming Roman Catholic and non-Catholic visitors to fully participate in the liturgy
- Newcomers learn Eastern cooking: borscht, paska, pirohy
Cantors & Liturgical Music
The mission has been deliberate in forming cantors from within its own congregation. Lead cantors include Mark LeRoy (who went on to seminary) and Nick Peleponuk, a Roman Catholic convert. The mission describes cantoring as 'the gateway to the seminary' and teaches Prostopinije, the traditional Ruthenian congregational chant that pairs with the Divine Liturgy.
- Prostopinije chant tradition
- Cantor formation within the community
- Lead cantors: Mark LeRoy, Nick Peleponuk
Eastern Christian Traditions & Fundraisers
The mission carries the cultural heritage of the Carpatho-Rusyn people into the Carolinas through hands-on traditions and fundraiser events. Homemade pyrohy (pierogi) sales are a regular feature — $15/dozen for frozen potato-cheese pyrohy — with proceeds benefiting the mission. Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter egg) workshops are held in Lent, sponsored by the Carpatho-Rusyn Society Southeastern Chapter and led by parishioner Bonnie Burke. The annual Blessing of Baskets on Holy Saturday and the paska tradition round out the Eastern Christian year.
- Pirohy (pyrohi / pierogi) sale — $15/dozen potato-cheese, frozen
- Pysanky workshops — Ukrainian Geometric Design and Drop-Pull Style sessions
- Blessing of Baskets at Pascha
- Paska bread tradition
Seminarian Support
The mission has produced its own candidate for ordained ministry. Mark LeRoy, a former Mormon and one of the mission's founding cantors, and his wife Rebecca moved to Pittsburgh in July so Mark could begin classes at St. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in August. The mission maintains a dedicated 'Seminary Updates' page to keep parishioners connected to Mark and Rebecca and to invite financial support during their formation.
- Mark LeRoy — seminarian at St. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh
- Wife Rebecca LeRoy — accompanying during formation
- Parish page for updates and support
Visiting & Joining the Mission
All people are welcome at Petro Oros Mission. The community explicitly invites Roman-rite and Latin-rite Catholics to 'come and see' and to participate fully in the Divine Liturgy, noting that the Saturday Vigil Divine Liturgy satisfies the Sunday Mass obligation. Visitors traveling south on I-77 are encouraged to stop in. The mission is supported by the Eparchy of Passaic and is one of only three Byzantine communities in the Carolinas.
- All are welcome, including Roman-rite Catholics and non-Catholics
- Saturday Vigil Divine Liturgy fulfills Sunday Mass obligation
- Located minutes from I-77
- One of three Byzantine Catholic communities in the Carolinas
About the Byzantine Catholic Church
The Byzantine Catholic Church is an Eastern Church in full communion with Rome. The Petro Oros Mission is specifically of the Ruthenian tradition and Carpatho-Rusyn background — an American Eastern Catholic Church whose liturgy blends icons, congregational chant, and incense. The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, under Bishop Kurt Burnette, is the eparchy that has oversight of this mission.
- Eastern Church in full communion with Rome
- Ruthenian (Carpatho-Rusyn) tradition
- Under the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Bishop Kurt Burnette)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Mark Shuey2018 (first liturgy, July)
Administrator of SS. Cyril and Methodius, Cary, NC; celebrated the community's first Divine Liturgy in July 2018.
- Father Steven Galuschik2018–c. 2023
Pastor of All Saints Byzantine Catholic Church, North Fort Myers, FL; flew every Saturday from Florida to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at Fort Mill for roughly five years.
- Father Vasyl Sokolovych2024–present
Current regular Celebrant; Administrator of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Cary, NC; makes a weekly four-hour drive to serve the mission.