About Holy Trinity [Ukrainian] · Staten Island, New York
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite (Ukrainian Greek Catholic) parish located at 288 Vanderbilt Avenue in the Clifton neighborhood of Staten Island, New York. Founded in 1949 by post-war Ukrainian immigrants, the parish belongs to the Ukrainian Eparchy (Diocese) of Stamford and has served Staten Island's Eastern European faithful for more than seven decades. Holy Trinity worships in the Byzantine tradition — Divine Liturgy is offered Saturday morning and twice on Sunday (in English and Ukrainian) — and the parish maintains a tight-knit, bilingual community that gathers for feast-day celebrations, Ukrainian cultural festivals, and ongoing outreach to the wider Eastern European community on Staten Island.
- Established
- 1949
- Patron
- Holy Trinity
- Rector
- Rev. Father Jason Charron (since circa 2014). His wife is Pani Halyna Charron; in 2024 the parish publicly thanked him for ten years of pastoral service.
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Eparchy of Stamford (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Byzantine rite — sui iuris church in full communion with Rome). Geographically within the territory of the Roman Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York.
Why belong here
Holy Trinity is one of only a handful of Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic parishes serving the New York City area, and the only one of its rite on Staten Island — a rare opportunity for Eastern-rite Catholics, Ukrainian-Americans and anyone drawn to the Byzantine liturgical tradition to worship within driving distance. Sunday offers two Divine Liturgies (9:00 AM in English and 10:15 AM in Ukrainian), plus Saturday morning Liturgy and weekly confessions, so working adults and bilingual families can all find a home here. The parish combines deep liturgical tradition — iconostas, stained glass, neo-Byzantine art — with a warm, tight-knit social community that puts on an annual Ukrainian Festival of food, music and dance. For anyone seeking the Ukrainian Greek Catholic faith in plain, lived-out form on Staten Island, Holy Trinity is the parish.
Mass times at Holy Trinity [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (also by appointment)
About Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite (Ukrainian Greek Catholic) parish serving Staten Island from 288 Vanderbilt Avenue in the Clifton neighborhood. Founded in 1949 by post-war Ukrainian immigrants, the parish belongs to the Ukrainian Eparchy of Stamford while being geographically within the Archdiocese of New York's territory. Worship follows the Byzantine liturgical tradition, with Divine Liturgy offered on Saturday mornings and twice on Sunday — once in English at 9:00 AM and once in Ukrainian at 10:15 AM. The parish is small but active, supporting both traditional faith life and broader community outreach to Staten Island's Eastern European population.
- Jurisdiction: Ukrainian Eparchy of Stamford (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Byzantine rite)
- Address: 288 Vanderbilt Ave, Staten Island, NY 10304
- Phone: (718) 442-2555
- Languages: English and Ukrainian
Parish History
Founded in 1949, Holy Trinity grew out of a merger of two Ukrainian immigrant communities — Catholic and Orthodox — who came together in union with the Pope of Rome. The first liturgy was celebrated on May 29, 1949 in a wooden-frame building at 37 Warren Street in Stapleton. Forced to relocate in 1957 for a housing development, the parish purchased its present Vanderbilt Avenue site the following year and slowly built the present church. The basement was blessed in 1959, the cornerstone in 1963, and the completed structure was dedicated by Bishop Joseph Schmondiuk on May 30, 1966. Over the next seven years the interior was finished with icons, stained glass and a cherry-wood neo-Byzantine iconostas.
- 1949 — Parish founded; first Catholic liturgy celebrated May 29 at 37 Warren Street, Stapleton
- 1957 — Forced to relocate; land purchased on Vanderbilt Avenue
- 1958 — Title acquired March 11; construction begins
- 1959 — Basement blessed by Bishop Ambrose Senyshyn (July 4)
- 1963 — Cornerstone blessed
- 1966 — Church dedicated by Bishop Joseph Schmondiuk (May 30)
- 1973 — Iconostas (cherry wood, neo-Byzantine painting) completed
Milestones & Anniversaries
Beyond its founding, Holy Trinity has marked several major moments: a 1974 silver anniversary banquet under Rev. Richard Bryda, the 1988 celebration of 1,000 years of Christianity for Kyivan-Rus with a granite cross and memorial marker on the front lawn, and a 50th-anniversary Divine Liturgy in 1999 presided over by Bishop Basil Losten. In 2003 Rev. Mykhaylo Dosyak launched the parish's first website, beginning a new era of outreach. Bishop Paul Patrick Chomnycky, newly appointed Eparch of Stamford, made a pastoral visit in 2006. Since 2012 the parish has hosted an annual Ukrainian Festival on its grounds.
- 1974 — 25th anniversary (silver jubilee banquet)
- 1988 — Millennium of Kyivan-Rus Christianity marked with granite cross/memorial
- 1999 — 50th anniversary; Divine Liturgy with Bishop Basil Losten
- 2003 — Parish website launched under Rev. Mykhaylo Dosyak
- 2006 — Visit of Eparch Most Rev. Paul Patrick Chomnycky
- 2013 — 2nd annual Ukrainian Festival, 400+ attendees
Building & Sacred Art
The present Holy Trinity church is the product of an eight-year build that began with a 1958 groundbreaking. While construction proceeded, the community worshipped in the finished basement. After the 1966 dedication by Bishop Schmondiuk, the parish continued to beautify the interior, installing icons, stained-glass windows, liturgical banners and — most distinctively — a cherry-wood iconostasis painted in the neo-Byzantine style, completed in 1973. A granite cross and memorial marker stands on the front lawn, dedicated in 1988 to commemorate the millennium of Kyivan-Rus Christianity.
- Iconostasis: cherry wood, neo-Byzantine painting (completed 1973)
- Icons, stained-glass windows and liturgical banners (installed post-1966)
- Granite cross / millennium memorial (dedicated 1988 on the front lawn)
Worship & Liturgy
Worship at Holy Trinity follows the Byzantine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic) rite. The parish offers Divine Liturgy on Saturday mornings at 9:00 AM (English) and twice on Sunday — at 9:00 AM in English and 10:15 AM in Ukrainian — reflecting the bilingual character of the community. Weekday Divine Liturgy is offered at 9:00 AM, and Holy Day Liturgies typically at 10:00 AM. Visitors are encouraged to call the parish for the current schedule, especially around Great Lent, Pascha and the feasts of the Byzantine calendar.
- Saturday Divine Liturgy — 9:00 AM (English)
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 9:00 AM (English)
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 10:15 AM (Ukrainian)
- Weekday Divine Liturgy — 9:00 AM
- Holy Day Divine Liturgy — 10:00 AM
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
Holy Trinity has been served by approximately 20 priests across more than seven decades. The parish's most internationally prominent former pastor is Rev. Lubomyr Husar, OSBM (served 1966–1969), who later became Cardinal and Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (2001–2011). The current pastor is Rev. Father Jason Charron, with his wife Pani Halyna Charron, who in June 2024 was publicly thanked by the parish for ten years of pastoral service ('Mnohaya lita!').
- Current Pastor: Rev. Father Jason Charron
- Pani Halyna Charron (pastor's wife)
- Former Pastor of renown: Rev. Lubomyr Husar, OSBM (1966–1969), later Major Archbishop of the UGCC
Community Life & Ukrainian Festival
Holy Trinity is more than a place of worship — it is a cultural anchor for Staten Island's Eastern European community. Since 2012 the parish grounds have hosted an annual Ukrainian Festival featuring traditional music, song and dance performed by parish children in folk costume, with a feast of homemade Eastern European food prepared by the women of the parish. The festival draws hundreds from Staten Island and the other New York City boroughs and has helped introduce the church to new parishioners. Ukrainian-Americans, Byzantine Catholics and friends from neighboring Orthodox parishes (such as St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in Manhattan) travel to keep fellowship across the city's Ukrainian community.
- Annual Ukrainian Festival (music, dance, song, homemade food)
- Children in traditional Ukrainian folk costume perform dance
- Welcomes visitors from Manhattan's St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church and other parishes
Visitor Information
Holy Trinity welcomes Byzantine-rite Catholics, Roman Catholics seeking an Eastern-rite experience, and visitors of any background. Weekend Mass-goers may choose the Saturday morning liturgy or either of the two Sunday Divine Liturgies. The church is located in the Clifton neighborhood, at Vanderbilt Avenue near the corner of Osgood Avenue. Because the parish is small and bilingual, advance notice is appreciated for sacraments, feast-day visits, and larger groups.
- Address: 288 Vanderbilt Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10304
- Phone: (718) 442-2555
- Languages: English, Ukrainian
- Rite: Byzantine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Basil Feddish1949–1954
First pastor, served in the original Warren Street, Stapleton location.
- Rev. Leo Pelenskymid-1950s–c. 1961
Led the parish through its relocation from Stapleton to Vanderbilt Avenue; oversaw the 1957 land purchase.
- Rev. Eugene Maceluch1961–1966
Oversaw groundbreaking, basement construction (blessed 1959) and cornerstone (1963).
- Rev. Lubomyr Husar, OSBM (later Cardinal, Major Archbishop)1966–1969
Served early in his priestly career; later Cardinal and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
- Rev. Volodymyr Danyliw1969
- Rev. Michael Horoshko1970
- Rev. Iwan Mak1971–1976
- Rev. Michael Shewchuk1977
- Rev. Antin Pawliuk1978–1979
- Rev. Bohdan Woloszyn1979–1985
- Rev. Michael Charyna1986–1988
- Rev. Lev M. Lubynsky1988–1990
- Rev. Marian Struc1991
- Rev. Basil Bucek1991–1992
- Rev. Wasyl Gren1993–1994
- Rev. Volodymyr Zaiats1994–1997
- Rev. Oleksa Chouter1997–1998
- Rev. Iura (Vasile) Godenciuc1998–2002; returned c. 2012
Family from Romania; later posts in Rochester and Elmira; returned to Holy Trinity in October 2012 according to a 2013 Staten Island Advance article.
- Rev. Volodymyr Piso2002–2011
- Rev. Ivan Kaszczak2011–circa 2012
- Rev. Father Jason Charroncirca 2014–present
Byzantine-rite pastor; celebrated ten years of service in 2024 (per parish Facebook).