About Cathedral of Saint Josaphat [Ukrainian] · Parma, Ohio
Saint Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral is the mother church and seat of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, serving Ukrainian Greek Catholics throughout Ohio, much of the South, and western Pennsylvania. The Byzantine Revival cathedral, distinguished by its five titanium-nitride-clad onion domes, was built between 1982 and 1985 on a State Road campus in Parma that had hosted a Ukrainian Catholic school since 1951 and a parish since 1959. It is the home parish of Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo and ministers to one of the largest Ukrainian-American communities in Ohio through Ukrainian- and English-language Divine Liturgies, traditional iconography, and Byzantine devotions.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych (Josaphat of Polotsk, Uniate martyr, †1623)
- Rector
- Rev. Volodymyr Hrytsyuk (Cathedral Rector)
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma
Why belong here
Saint Josaphat is the spiritual heart of one of the largest Ukrainian-American communities in Ohio, offering the full Byzantine liturgical tradition celebrated in both Ukrainian and English every week. Parishioners can participate in the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings with a resident choir, receive the Mystery of Penance on Saturdays, and join longstanding groups like the Apostleship of Prayer that have shaped the campus—including the brick Shrine to Our Lady of Pochaiv. As the cathedral church of the Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, it is also the seat of the Eparchy's ministries, jubilee-year pilgrimages, and Eastern-rite faith formation across Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and much of the American South, making it a natural home for Ukrainian Catholics and for anyone drawn to the Byzantine tradition.
Mass times at Cathedral of Saint Josaphat [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM (English, summer)
- Saturday 3:00 PM (English, winter)
- By appointment / by request to the parish office
History of the Cathedral
Saint Josaphat Cathedral traces its roots to a 1947 land purchase by Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Cleveland for a mission school in Parma. The 1951 school chapel, named for the Uniate martyr Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych, became the seed of an August 1959 parish under Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky, with Father Andrew Ulicky as its first pastor. After a chapel fire in 1973 and the death of the second pastor in 1979, Father Michael Fedorowich organized the campaign that led to groundbreaking on June 24, 1982 and to a finished cathedral in 1985—but the building was deliberately left unconsecrated until the millennial anniversary of Christianity in Ukraine. Formal consecration came on April 29–May 1, 1988 under Cardinal Myroslav Lubachivsky.
- 1947 – Saints Peter and Paul buys 10 acres on State Road for $17,500
- May 31, 1951 – school dedicated; chapel of St. Josaphat becomes local mission
- November 15, 1951 – school opens, staffed by Sisters of St. Basil the Great
- August 1959 – St. Josaphat Parish erected by Archbishop Bohachevsky
- 1973 – chapel destroyed by fire (April 11); liturgies move to the Astrodome
- December 1979 – Father Michael Fedorowich assigned as third pastor
- June 24, 1982 – groundbreaking for cathedral (architect: McWilliams Martyniuk Schidlowski)
- August 30, 1983 – 12-ton main aluminum onion dome set in place
- December 5, 1983 – Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma erected by the Holy See
- February 29, 1984 – Father Robert Moskal installed as first eparch
- June 24, 1985 – cathedral opened; Eparch Moskal celebrates first Divine Liturgy
- April 29, 1988 – Cardinal Lubachivsky consecrates the main altar
- May 1, 1988 – walls of the cathedral consecrated; Pontifical High Mass
The Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma
The cathedral is the mother church of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, which Pope John Paul II erected on December 5, 1983 by carving its territory out of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia. The eparchy covers Ohio, Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Florida, and the western Pennsylvania counties of Potter, McKean, and Clinton together with all counties west of them. Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo has headed the eparchy since his episcopal ordination on November 4, 2014.
- Bishop Robert Mikhail Moskal (first ordinary, 1984–2009)
- Bishop Ivan Bura, Apostolic Administrator (2009–2014)
- Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo, current eparch (since 2014)
- Territory: 11 states + western PA, about 1.26 million km²
- About 38 diocesan priests, 20 deacons, and 4 religious serve the eparchy
Architecture, Domes & Iconography
The 500-seat structure was designed in Byzantine Revival style by McWilliams Martyniuk Schidlowski of Kent, Ohio and built by Chopko Construction. It blends traditional Byzantine elements—onion domes and an altar set into the east wall—with contemporary 'futuristic' details meant to evoke the Ukrainian Christian millennium. After their aluminum predecessors faded, the cathedral's five domes were replaced in 2015 with stainless-steel domes clad in titanium nitride to give a brilliant gold finish; architect Christ J. Kamages designed them and Unique Services & Applications installed them for about $550,000.
- Architect: McWilliams Martyniuk Schidlowski (Kent, OH)
- General contractor: Chopko Construction
- Capacity: 500 seats
- Original aluminum domes (1985) painted gold in the 1990s
- 2015 domes blessed by Eparch Danylo, October 5
- Iconostasis and iconographic program completed for 1988 consecration
Shrine of Our Lady of Pochaiv
On May 23, 2010, the parish dedicated a brick Shrine to Our Lady of Pochaiv on the cathedral grounds—the fruit of a seven-year design and fundraising effort by the Saint Josaphat Apostleship of Prayer. Kulchytsky Architects of Cleveland designed the shrine; the mosaic inside it was designed by Eikona Studios of Cleveland and produced in Italy. It was blessed by Bishop John (Ivan) Bura, then apostolic administrator of the eparchy.
- Dedicated May 23, 2010
- Designed by Kulchytsky Architects (Cleveland)
- Mosaic designed by Eikona Studios, created in Italy
- Funded by the Apostleship of Prayer over seven years
Liturgy & Sacraments
Saint Josaphat celebrates the Divine Liturgy in both Ukrainian and English every week. Saturday evening Liturgy alternates between summer (5:00 PM) and winter (4:00 PM) English services, while Sunday features an 8:00 AM Ukrainian liturgy, a 9:30 AM English liturgy, and an 11:00 AM Ukrainian liturgy. The Mystery of Penance (Confession) is heard Saturday afternoon and by appointment; Byzantine Lenten services include the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, and the cathedral hosts bilingual Paschal and Christmas Hierarchical Liturgies, the Theophany Water Blessing, and Jubilee-Year Molebens.
- Saturday 5:00 PM (summer) / 4:00 PM (winter) – English
- Sunday 8:00 AM – Ukrainian
- Sunday 9:30 AM – English
- Sunday 11:00 AM – Ukrainian
- Saturday 4:00 PM (summer) / 3:00 PM (winter) – Confession (English)
Parish & Eparchial Clergy
The cathedral is staffed by Eparch Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo together with a rector, a priest-in-residence, an archdeacon, and a subdeacon, supported by a choir director who leads the Sunday Ukrainian liturgy. Multiple deacons and subdeacons of the Eparchy of Saint Josaphat assist at liturgies and apostolates throughout Greater Cleveland.
- Most Rev. Bohdan J. Danylo – Bishop / Eparch
- Rev. Volodymyr Hrytsyuk – Cathedral Rector
- Rev. Sviatoslav Ditchuk – assigned at the cathedral
- Rev. Archdeacon Jeffrey Smolilo – Cathedral Deacon
- Subdeacon Don Dalessandro
- Ms. Lyudmyla Sonewald – Choir Director
Music & Liturgical Art
The cathedral's committed volunteer choir practices weekly and sings the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy every Sunday under choir director Lyudmyla Sonewald. Traditional Byzantine chant is paired with the iconography installed ahead of the 1988 consecration.
- Cathedral Choir – weekly practice, sings the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy each Sunday
- Traditional iconostasis and icons completed by April 1988
Ministries & Pilgrimages
Beyond the Sunday liturgical schedule, Saint Josaphat hosts lay groups and eparchial events. The Apostleship of Prayer women's group funded and tended the Shrine of Our Lady of Pochaiv, and the cathedral regularly hosts Western Deanery pilgrimages such as the Jubilee Year Moleben of Thanksgiving attended by more than 150 faithful. Clergy Days and eparch-wide formation are held periodically at venues such as the Jesuit Retreat Center in Parma.
- Apostleship of Prayer
- Cathedral Choir
- Western Deanery Jubilee-Year Pilgrimages (e.g., May 25, 2025)
- Eparchial Clergy Days
Visiting Saint Josaphat Cathedral
Saint Josaphat is a working cathedral and the seat of the Eparchy; visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the four weekend Divine Liturgies and are asked to dress modestly as a sign of reverence for the sacred space. The cathedral campus also encompasses Saint Josaphat School, the parish hall, and the Our Lady of Pochaiv Shrine—an easy walk around the grounds before or after liturgy.
- Divine Liturgies Saturday evening and three times Sunday
- Modest dress expected in the sanctuary
- Domes, iconostasis, and Our Lady of Pochaiv Shrine are the visible highlights
- On-site parking available on the cathedral campus
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Andrew Ulicky1959–1973
First pastor, appointed by Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky from Saints Peter and Paul in Cleveland; oversaw parish founding, chapel, and high school construction.
- Very Rev. Yaroslav (Yaroslaw) Sirko1971–1979
Second pastor; continued planning for the cathedral but died in October 1979 after a two-year battle with cancer.
- Right Rev. Michael Fedorowich1979–c.1983
Third pastor; organized committees and fundraising that made cathedral construction possible; oversaw groundbreaking in June 1982.
- Bishop Robert Mikhail Moskal1983–2009
First eparch of the new Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, installed at the unfinished cathedral on February 29, 1984; led first liturgy in 1985; oversaw 1988 consecration.
- Bishop Ivan (John) Bura2009–2014
Apostolic Administrator sede vacante; blessed the new Our Lady of Pochaiv shrine in 2010.
- Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo2014–present
Third bishop (second ordinary) of the Eparchy, appointed August 7, 2014, ordained November 4, 2014; blessed the new golden domes in October 2015.
![Cathedral of Saint Josaphat [Ukrainian] in Parma, Ohio — photo 1](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_entrance_-_St_Josaphat_Ukrainian_Catholic_Cathedral_(48106356271).jpg "Cathedral of Saint Josaphat [Ukrainian]")