About Christ the King [Ukrainian] · Boston, Massachusetts
Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite parish of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, located at 146 Forest Hills Street in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It traces its history back to the first Ukrainian-rite liturgy celebrated in Boston in 1895 and was formed in its present identity in the late 1960s through the merger of two earlier Ukrainian Catholic parishes, Sacred Heart and St. George's. The parish worships according to the Gregorian (new) calendar, celebrates Divine Liturgy in English and Ukrainian, and today serves a community that has been renewed by post-independence Ukrainian immigration.
- Established
- 1972
- Patron
- Christ the King
- Rector
- Very Rev. Dr. Archpriest Yaroslav Nalysnyk, MD, DMin.
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford
Why belong here
Christ the King offers a rare opportunity to worship in the Ukrainian Byzantine tradition in the heart of Boston, with two Sunday Divine Liturgies — one in English and one in Ukrainian — and a pastor who is fluent in both languages and the Eastern Christian spiritual tradition. The parish combines the warmth of a long-established Ukrainian community (whose roots go back to 1895) with active outreach to new immigrants from independent Ukraine, faithful celebration of the major Eastern-rite liturgical seasons, and pastoral care that extends to home and hospital visits. It is a small but vibrant sui iuris church in full communion with Rome, where new parishioners are welcomed and registered by appointment.
Mass times at Christ the King [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- One half-hour before any Divine Liturgy
- By request (call the parish office at 617-522-9720)
Welcome & Parish Mission
Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church welcomes all who wish to worship God with the faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Byzantine Eastern Rite of the Kyivan tradition. The parish mission is to create 'a vibrant and compassionate parish community where our parishioners may encounter the Living Christ through worship, preaching, teaching and healing services,' to share the Good News of the Holy Gospel with all people of good will, and to 'come to our church to glorify God and serve one another in spirit of love and truth, justice and mercy, compassion and empathy.' New parishioners are invited to register by appointment through the Parish Office (617-522-9720).
Our History: A Century of Ukrainian Catholic Life in Boston
Christ the King is the institutional heir to Boston's first Ukrainian Catholic community, organized in 1894 as the Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood and served liturgically from 1895. In 1914 the community purchased a former Presbyterian church on Ferdinand Street (now Arlington Street) and named it Sacred Heart of Jesus. After a fallow period, Father Gregory H. Tom revived the parish in the 1940s, earning the nickname 'Pastor of the Refugees.' In 1950 the parish purchased about nine acres on Forest Hills Street in Jamaica Plain. A second parish, St. George's, was established in 1952. In the late 1960s Pastor Father Stephen Chomko negotiated the merger of the two parishes under Bishop Schmondiuk, who named the new entity Christ the King. The current 400-seat modernist church, incorporating Ukrainian architectural elements, was dedicated debt-free in spring 1972.
- 1894: Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood founded in Boston
- 1895: First Ukrainian-rite liturgy celebrated at St. Leonard's Italian Catholic Church (North End)
- 1907: Bishop Soter Ortynsky, first U.S. bishop for Ukrainian Catholics; Boston named seat of a New England Deanery
- 1914: Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church established on Ferdinand Street
- 1950: Land purchased on Forest Hills Street, Jamaica Plain
- 1952: St. George's Ukrainian Catholic parish established
- Late 1960s: Merger of Sacred Heart and St. George's under Bishop Schmondiuk
- 1971–1972: Construction and dedication of the present Christ the King church
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Very Rev. Dr. Archpriest Yaroslav Nalysnyk, MD, DMin., who has served as pastor since July 15, 1994, and as Dean of Boston for Ukrainian Catholics. In addition to his parish ministry, he serves as a part-time hospital chaplain and member of the ethics committee at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Father Yaroslav holds both an MD (he was a military doctor / toxicologist in Lviv) and a DMin (he defended his dissertation 'From Brokenness to Wholeness' in 2010 at Andover Newton Theological School).
- Pastor: Very Rev. Dr. Archpriest Yaroslav Nalysnyk, MD, DMin. (since 1994)
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Emergency phone: (617) 359-9951
- Dean of Boston for Ukrainian Catholics
Holy Week & Pascha Schedule
The parish follows the Gregorian calendar for all major feasts, including Easter. Holy Week is celebrated with the full Byzantine round of services, including Matins with the Twelve Gospels, Vespers and Procession with the Holy Shroud on Holy Friday, the Blessing of Easter food on Holy Saturday, and the Paschal Divine Liturgy with Blessing of Easter Food on Easter Sunday morning, preceded by the procession and Resurrection Matins.
- Palm Sunday: Blessing of pussy willows at both Sunday Liturgies
- Holy Thursday evening: Confession 5:00–6:00 p.m., then Matins with the Twelve Gospels
- Good Friday: Confession 5:00–6:00 p.m., Vespers and Procession with the Holy Shroud
- Holy Saturday: Confession 3:00–4:00 p.m., Blessing of Easter food, prayer at the Lord's grave until 7:00 p.m.
- Easter Sunday: Procession and Resurrection Matins 9:00 a.m., Paschal Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. (Ukrainian/English), Blessing of Easter Food
- Bright Monday and Bright Tuesday: 6:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy
Sacraments & Pastoral Care
Christ the King prepares and celebrates the sacraments of the Ukrainian Byzantine tradition. Confessions are heard one half-hour before every Liturgy or by request. Marriages must be arranged at least six months in advance through the parish office. Baptisms, weddings, and funerals can be coordinated by calling (617) 522-9720. The pastor also makes sick calls — bringing sacraments to the elderly and sick at home or in the hospital — and asks that families advise the parish of any hospitalization. Letters of Recommendation and Certificates of Sponsorship for godparents are issued only to active registered members, generally after at least one year of regular attendance and support of the parish.
- Baptism — by arrangement
- Marriage — at least 6 months prior; office appointment required
- Confession — 30 minutes before any Liturgy, or by request
- Sick Calls / Anointing — for the elderly and sick at home or in hospital
- Letters of Recommendation / Certificates of Sponsorship — for active registered members
Contact & Directions
The parish office can be reached by phone, email, or in person. Visitors coming by MBTA should take the Orange Line to Green Street Station, walk several blocks to Forest Hills Street, and turn right — the church is on the left side about half a block down, set on a hilltop site that backs onto Franklin Park.
- Address: 146 Forest Hills Street, Boston, MA 02130
- Parish office phone: (617) 522-9720
- Parish office email: [email protected]
- Webmaster email: [email protected]
- Pastor emergency phone: (617) 359-9951
- MBTA: Orange Line to Green Street Station, then walk to Forest Hills Street
The Building & Property
The current Christ the King church is a 400-seat modernist structure on the hilltop next to the rectory on Forest Hills Street. It was built debt-free by the merged parish in 1971–1972 and incorporates many Ukrainian Byzantine architectural elements, marking a fresh start for a community that had previously worshiped in a converted Presbyterian church, in the basement of Holy Trinity German Church, and at the former St. George's Syrian Orthodox church on Tyler Street in Chinatown.
- Built 1971–1972
- 400 seats
- Incorporates Ukrainian Byzantine architectural elements
- Sits on about nine acres backing onto Franklin Park
Ukrainian Catholic Identity & the Wider Church
Christ the King is a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic parish — sui iuris (own-law), with the unique Ukrainian spiritual, liturgical, theological, and canonical tradition, in full ecclesial communion with the Pope of Rome. It belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, which serves Eastern-rite Ukrainian Catholics across the eastern United States. The worldwide Ukrainian Catholic Church is headed by His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav, who resides in Kyiv, where the Patriarchal Cathedral of Christ's Resurrection was recently erected.
- Rite: Ukrainian Catholic (Byzantine Eastern Rite of the Kyivan tradition)
- Eparchy: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford
- Universal head: His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav (Kyiv)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Nestor Dmytriv1895
Celebrated the first Ukrainian-rite liturgy in Boston (at St. Leonard's Italian Catholic Church, North End).
- Father Eugene Volkay1895
Appointed vicar for Ukrainians of Boston by Archbishop John Williams; based in Brooklyn but traveled to Boston.
- Father Oleksa Pavlak1907
First dean of the New England Deanery under Bishop Soter Ortynsky.
- Father Gregory H. Tommid-1940s–
First resident pastor of Sacred Heart parish in more than 15 years; known as the 'Pastor of the Refugees'; purchased the Forest Hills Street land in 1950.
- Father Dmytro Fedasiuk1952
First pastor of St. George's Ukrainian Catholic parish (Julian calendar).
- Father Wolodymyr Kozoriz
Succeeded Father Fedasiuk as pastor of St. George's.
- Father Stephen Chomko1968
Pastor of Sacred Heart who began the negotiations that merged the two parishes into Christ the King.
- Very Rev. Dr. Archpriest Yaroslav Nalysnyk, MD, DMin.July 15, 1994 – Present
Appointed administrator and later pastor; also serves as Dean of Boston for Ukrainian Catholics and as a part-time hospital chaplain at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.