About Holy Protection of Mary [Ruthenian] · Homer City, Pennsylvania
Saint Mary's Holy Protection Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Greek) Catholic parish in Homer City, Pennsylvania, belonging to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1918 by the area's growing community of Byzantine Catholic immigrants, it sits on Yellow Creek Street in Indiana County and serves the faithful with two weekend Divine Liturgies plus full observance of the Great Feasts of the Byzantine year. The current pastor is Father Wesley M. Mash, who also serves Saint Anne Byzantine Catholic Church in nearby Clymer. The parish is known for its rich Byzantine liturgical life (led by three cantors), its 1989 church with attached social hall, an active Eastern Christian Formation program dating to 1968, and a long tradition of community fundraisers — including the famous nut rolls baked by the parish kitchen crew.
- Established
- 1918
- Patron
- Holy Protection of the Mother of God (Pokrov)
- Rector
- Reverend Wesley M. Mash
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris)
Why belong here
Saint Mary's Holy Protection is a living witness of Byzantine Catholic faith in rural western Pennsylvania, with roots stretching back more than a century and a beautiful 1989 church kept vibrant by three cantors and a faithful community. The parish welcomes newcomers with two weekend Divine Liturgies (Saturday evening and Sunday morning), full celebration of the Great Feasts, a long-running Eastern Christian Formation program for children, and a warm hall that also serves as a polling place and community-gathering space. Visitors and parishioners alike are drawn by the parish's small-town warmth, traditional liturgical life, and the irreplaceable homemade nut rolls from the parish kitchen.
Mass times at Holy Protection of Mary [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 p.m. (or by appointment)
History
Founded in 1918 by Father Constantine Auroroff when enough Byzantine Catholic settlers had gathered around Homer City to form a parish. Land on Yellow Creek Street was purchased September 14, 1918 (the Great Feast of the Holy Cross); two days later some 50 families hired a contractor to build a church. The charter of incorporation was drawn February 24, 1919, and Father Andrew Koman became the first pastor in 1920.
- Founded 1918
- Land purchased September 14, 1918
- Charter of incorporation: February 24, 1919
- First pastor: Father Andrew Koman (1920)
Buildings & Property
The current Byzantine-rite church and attached social hall were built 1988–1989 after groundbreaking on May 8, 1988. The original 1918 church was renovated in 1990 and converted into eight classrooms for youth religious education. A new rectory replaced the deteriorating 1918 farmhouse in 1964. In 2008, a gas well was drilled beneath the parish parking lot to supply all heating needs for the church and rectory and provide modest royalty income.
- New church dedicated at Paschal Divine Liturgy, March 25, 1989
- Former church renovated as 8 classrooms in 1990
- New rectory built by John Flinko in 1964
- Gas well under parking lot, 2008
Liturgical Life & Schedule
The parish celebrates two weekend Divine Liturgies and all of the Great Feasts of the Byzantine year, with some lesser feasts observed on weekday evenings. Even though there is no longer a choir, one part-time and two full-time cantors enrich every liturgical celebration. During Great Lent, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is offered on Friday evenings.
- Saturday Vigil Divine Liturgy — 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 11:00 a.m.
- Friday Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts — 6:00 p.m. (during Lent)
Sacraments
Saint Mary's makes the full sacramental life of the Byzantine Catholic Church available to its parishioners, with confession heard before Saturday liturgy, marriage arranged by appointment, and the Anointing of the Sick offered upon request. A baptismal font has been added in the church for the celebration of that sacrament.
- Confession — Saturday 4:30 p.m. or by appointment
- Marriage — by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — upon request
- Baptism
Faith Formation & Eastern Christian Formation (ECF)
From 1968 to the present, Saint Mary's has run a continuous Eastern Christian Formation program for the religious education of parish youth. After the old church was renovated in 1990, its two floors were converted into eight classrooms to give that ministry dedicated space. The parish uses the God With Us Publications curriculum of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh to ground young people in the Byzantine Christian faith tradition.
- ECF program continuous since 1968
- Eight classrooms in the renovated former church
- Aligned with the Archeparchy's God With Us curriculum
Music & Cantors
Although the parish no longer maintains a separate choir, liturgical singing is led by three trained cantors: Margaret Popp and Kevin Gaydos, who serve the parish regularly. They are part of the wider Metropolitan Cantor Institute (MCI) network of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, which trains and supports cantors across the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitanate.
- Margaret Popp — cantor
- Kevin Gaydos — cantor
- Connection to the Metropolitan Cantor Institute (MCI)
Parish Fundraisers & Community Outreach
Saint Mary's is well known locally for its parish kitchen crew, which bakes nut rolls several times a year to supplement church income. The social hall also hosts an annual basket party and flea market. Beyond fundraisers, the hall is shared with Weight Watchers and Aging Services and serves as a polling station on Election Day — making the parish a true community hub in Homer City.
- Nut roll bake sales
- Basket party
- Flea market
- Hall shared with Weight Watchers and Aging Services
- Polling station during elections
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The current pastor is Reverend Wesley M. Mash, who was appointed to Saint Mary's Holy Protection by the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and also serves Saint Anne Byzantine Catholic Church in Clymer, PA. The parish's recent pastoral history includes Father Jerome G. Botsko (appointed August 3, 2015), and traces back through Father John Bajcura — who served the parish faithfully for some 30 years with his wife Pani Olga — to Father Andrew Koman, the parish's first resident pastor in 1920, and the founder, Father Constantine Auroroff (1918).
- Current pastor: Rev. Wesley M. Mash
- Former pastor: Father Jerome G. Botsko (appointed Aug. 3, 2015)
- Long-serving former pastor: Father John Bajcura (~30 years, with Pani Olga)
- First pastor: Father Andrew Koman (1920)
- Parish organizer: Father Constantine Auroroff (1918)
Jurisdiction & Affiliations
Although the parish sits geographically within the territory of the (Latin) Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, it is canonically a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the U.S. Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris. Its patron is the Holy Protection (Pokrov) of the Mother of God, a feast especially beloved by Slavic Byzantine Christians, observed on October 1.
- Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
- Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris
- Geographically within the Latin Diocese of Greensburg
- Patron: Holy Protection of the Mother of God (Oct. 1)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Constantine Auroroff1918–1920
Organized the parish in 1918 from Byzantine Catholic settlers around Homer City; previously faithful traveled to Bradenville or Punxsutawney.
- Father Andrew Koman1920
First resident pastor of the parish, appointed one year after the 1919 charter of incorporation.
- Father John Bajcura and Pani Olgacirca 1934–1964
Served the parish faithfully for some 30 years; only occupied the new 1964 rectory about six months before ill health required his retirement.
- Father Jerome G. Botskoeffective August 3, 2015
Relieved as pastor of St. Nicholas, Brownsville / administrator of St. Mary, New Salem and appointed pastor of Holy Protection of Mary, Homer City and administrator of St. Jude Thaddeus, Ernest.
- Reverend Wesley M. Mashcurrent
Current pastor; also serves Saint Anne Byzantine Catholic Church, Clymer, PA.