About Descent of the Holy Spirit · South Deerfield, Massachusetts
Descent of the Holy Spirit is a small Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic parish of the Ukrainian rite in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, in the state's Pioneer Valley. Founded in 1920 by immigrants from Western Ukraine who wanted to worship in their own Byzantine liturgical tradition, it is a parish of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford (Eparchy of Stamford) and sits in a converted 1850s carriage shed crowned by a traditional onion dome. The parish — once known as Descent of the Holy Ghost — today welcomes people of varied ethnic backgrounds drawn to its Byzantine-Ukrainian heritage and the richness of the Divine Liturgy, celebrated on Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- Descent of the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost)
- Rector
- Father Andriy Krip (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford (Eparchy of Stamford, Byzantine rite). Geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.
Why belong here
Descent of the Holy Spirit is a small, active Byzantine-Ukrainian Catholic community that has kept the Eastern Christian liturgy alive in the Pioneer Valley for more than a century. Visitors and parishioners are drawn by the beauty of the Divine Liturgy, the traditional iconostas and onion-domed church, the chance to worship in the Byzantine rite's time-honored English and Slavonic traditions, and the warm welcome offered to people of all ethnic backgrounds who want to experience this Eastern spirituality in a rural New England setting.
Mass times at Descent of the Holy Spirit
Weekly Mass schedule
Welcome from Descent of the Holy Spirit
The parish's homepage invites visitors with a short greeting that has become its signature introduction: 'We are a small, active Eastern Catholic parish located in the quiet town of South Deerfield, Pioneer Valley in north western Massachusetts.' It immediately links this 21st-century identity to the year 988 — the Baptism of Rus'-Ukraine — and to the founding generation of 1920. The page also notes the recent name change from Descent of the Holy Ghost to Descent of the Holy Spirit, identifies Father Andriy Krip as the present pastor and administrator, and directs visitors to read the full parish history and to view the Mass schedule.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 10:30 a.m.
- Father Andriy Krip, Administrator
- Welcomes people of varied ethnic backgrounds drawn to Byzantine-Ukrainian heritage
History of the Parish
The parish's founding story is told on its About Us page in a narrative written by Father Alexis U. Floridi, S.J. Beginning in the late 1870s and into the early 1900s, immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire settled in the Connecticut River Valley, taking up farming in towns such as Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Hadley, Amherst, Greenfield, Hatfield, and Conway. By about 1920, with the encouragement of local Roman-rite clergy, an initial meeting was held and a committee of roughly 60–80 families began collecting support, often accompanied by a Ukrainian Catholic priest from New York or Connecticut.
- 1920 — official establishment of the parish; land on Sugarloaf Street bought from Charles Mosher.
- Land included an 1850s carriage shed of post-and-beam construction, which the parishioners moved onto a new foundation by hand using horses, scoops, and rollers — a process lasting more than a week.
- Services held at Redman's Hall in South Deerfield while construction continued; an Orthodox priest served the community during the first two years because Ukrainian Catholic priests were scarce in rural New England.
- Church finished with stuccoed exterior, plastered interior, wainscoting, choir loft, sanctuary, stained-glass windows, painted icons, and the traditional onion dome and cross on the roof.
- 1922 — parish joined the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Philadelphia because most founding members were of Galician-Ukrainian origin.
- 1929 — a house next door was purchased as the rectory for a resident priest.
- 1971 — a new rectory was built beside the church; the church later received new siding.
- 1981 — renovation project installed the traditional iconostas and reformed a choir to lead congregational singing in English and Slavonic.
- Late 20th century — under the spirit of Vatican II, the parish committed to recovering its Byzantine-Ukrainian liturgical heritage.
- Recent years — parish was renamed from 'Descent of the Holy Ghost' to 'Descent of the Holy Spirit'.
Iconography and the Iconostas
A hallmark of the parish is its program of sacred art. Father Basil, who began serving at Descent of the Holy Spirit around 1988, spent six years studying the iconography — the symbolic artwork — of the Catholic Church. The interior is decorated with hand-painted icons and a traditional iconostas, the screen of icons that in Byzantine churches separates the nave from the sanctuary. Icons in Ukrainian Catholic churches typically depict Christ, the Mother of God, saints, feast days, and figures from the Old Testament, and they function as visual reminders of Christian belief.
- Father Basil studied iconography for six years before taking up pastoral work at DHS around 1988.
- Icons depict Christ, the Mother of God, saints, feast days, and Old Testament figures.
- Traditional iconostas installed during the 1981 renovation.
Faith Formation: Catechism
The parish's Bulletins page lists a regular catechism (religious-education) program for children and families, with sessions scheduled on most Sundays through the spring and into early summer. Bulletin entries posted on the parish site for 2026, for example, list Catechism on Sundays May 3, May 10, May 17, May 24, May 31, June 7, and June 14.
- Catechism sessions held on Sundays throughout the spring liturgical season.
- Bulletins posted online list individual sessions for parishioners and families.
Parish Staff and Trustees
The parish's Contacts page identifies its current leadership and lay trustees. The administrator (the priest in pastoral charge) is Father Andriy Krip. Two parish trustees — Arnold Filipi and Mary Jeanne Perlmutter — share responsibility for the temporal affairs of the parish, along with a Site Administrator who maintains the parish's web presence. Contact information is published for each, including a primary phone line, an alternate phone line, mobile contacts, and a shared parish email inbox.
- Administrator: Father Andriy Krip
- Parish Trustee: Arnold Filipi
- Parish Trustee: Mary Jeanne Perlmutter
- Site Administrator
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Phone: (413) 583-2140; alt (203) 391-4995
Prayers and Meditations Resources
Beyond Sunday worship, the parish's website offers an unusually rich collection of devotional and catechetical texts under 'Meditations.' Pages listed on the site include the Lord's Prayer, a Prayer to the Mother of God, the Nicene Creed, Prayers for the Saints, Prayers for Vocations, Meditations on Christ, Christmas Meditations, Martyrs (lives of Christian martyrs), Lenten Meditations, Prayers After Holy Communion, and Easter Readings. A separate page on the DHS Iconostas walks readers through the symbolism of the icon screen — making the parish's resources useful for both parishioners and visitors who want to understand Eastern Catholic devotion.
- The Lord's Prayer
- Prayer to the Mother of God
- Nicene Creed
- Prayers for the Saints
- Prayers for Vocations
- Meditations on Christ
- Christmas Meditations
- Martyrs
- Lenten Meditations
- Prayers After Holy Communion
- Easter Readings
- DHS Iconostas (symbolism explained)
Contact and Visit Information
The parish welcomes visitors at 44 Sugarloaf Street in South Deerfield. Telephone inquiries go to (413) 583-2140, with an alternate line at (203) 391-4995. The general parish email is [email protected]. GCatholic.org lists an additional telephone number, (413) 665-3880, and identifies the parish as under the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford while sitting geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. The parish maintains a Facebook presence at facebook.com/HolySpiritUCC/.
- Address: 44 Sugarloaf Street, South Deerfield, MA 01373
- Phone: (413) 583-2140 (alt 203-391-4995)
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: dhsparish.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/HolySpiritUCC/
In the Wider South Deerfield Community
Descent of the Holy Spirit shares the small Pioneer Valley village with Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, which stands across Sugarloaf Street. Holy Family was formed in 2009 by merging the historic Roman parishes of South Deerfield (St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr and St. James). Ukrainian families have lived and farmed in the valley towns — Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Conway, and Ashfield — since the late 1800s, and a sizable number in the area still trace their heritage to the founding generation of Descent of the Holy Spirit.
- Across the street from Holy Family Roman Catholic Church.
- Located within the Roman Diocese of Springfield's geographic territory.
- Listed among the Massachusetts parishes of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Stamford.
Historical Sources and Further Reading
The most complete English-language account of the parish is the parish's About Us page, which reproduces the historical narrative written by Father Alexis U. Floridi, S.J. A printed milestone — 'Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church, South Deerfield, MA: A 75th Anniversary Journal, 1921–1996,' compiled by Basil Juli with contributions from Sophie Buczynaki (62 pages, Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1996) — is also catalogued. The Wikipedia article on South Deerfield, Massachusetts likewise describes the parish and its founding year in its 'Religion' section.
- Father Alexis U. Floridi, S.J., 'History of Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church' — published on dhsparish.com/about_us.
- Basil Juli (compiler) and Sophie Buczynaki (contributor), Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church, South Deerfield, MA: A 75th Anniversary Journal, 1921–1996 (Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1996, 62 pp.).
- Wikipedia, 'South Deerfield, Massachusetts' — Religion section.