About Holy Wisdom [Ukrainian] · Citrus Heights, California
Holy Wisdom is a small Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Byzantine rite) parish serving the greater Sacramento area from Citrus Heights, California. Although it lies geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, it belongs jurisdictionally to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago, the largest of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. Founded in 2002 as an English-speaking community in the Ukrainian tradition, the parish gathers weekly for the Byzantine Divine Liturgy at La Casa House on the grounds of the Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center. Although its membership is largely Ukrainian, all Catholics are welcome to attend and fulfill their Sunday obligation at its liturgies, which are sung in English.
- Established
- 2002
- Patron
- Holy Wisdom (Sophia of God — an Eastern Christian title for Christ as the Wisdom of the Father)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Theodore Wroblicky
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago (geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento)
Why belong here
Holy Wisdom offers Sacramento-area Catholics — and visitors of any background — the opportunity to experience the rich Byzantine liturgical tradition of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in English. The community is small, warm, and largely Ukrainian-American, and all Catholics may fulfill their Sunday obligation at the Sunday Divine Liturgy. The parish also brings Eastern Catholic members into broader contact with the wider Sacramento-area Ukrainian community, including its popular Polish Festival and Christmas Around the World Festival.
Mass times at Holy Wisdom [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before and after the Divine Liturgy
Holy Wisdom Parish — Overview
Holy Wisdom is a small Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish in Citrus Heights, California, that gathers the Sacramento-area Ukrainian Catholic community (and any Catholic who wishes to join) for the Byzantine Divine Liturgy each Sunday. Although it sits on the grounds of the Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center, it is not a Latin-rite parish: it is a suffragant community of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago, the U.S. eparchy responsible for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in the western United States.
- Rite: Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Byzantine)
- Eparchy: Saint Nicholas of Chicago
- Geographically within: Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
- Location: 6520 Van Maren Lane, Citrus Heights, CA 95621
History & Founding
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic presence in California dates to the 1950s, when war and Communist persecution drove Ukrainian immigrants to settle in the state. Holy Wisdom itself was founded in 2002 as an English-speaking Ukrainian Greek Catholic community serving Sacramento and its suburbs. From its founding it has worshipped on the grounds of the Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, sharing the property of the Passionist retreat house and meeting in the La Casa conference building.
- Founded 2002 as an English-speaking Ukrainian Greek Catholic community
- Ukrainian immigration to California began in the 1950s after WWII and Soviet rule
- The Eparchy of Saint Nicholas (its mother diocese) was erected July 14, 1961 by Pope John XXIII
Clergy & Staff
Parish directories list Rev. Fr. Theodore Wroblicky as Pastor/Administrator, Rev. Fr. William Dohman as Pastor Emeritus, and Dr. George Kostyrko as Cantor. A previous pastor, Rev. Fr. Vasyl Miziuk — a married Ukrainian priest ordained in 2002 — served Holy Wisdom together with St. Andrew Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Sacramento, and in February 2022 joined Bishop Jaime Soto of the Roman Diocese of Sacramento in a recorded appeal for prayers for peace in Ukraine.
- Rev. Fr. Theodore Wroblicky — Pastor/Administrator
- Rev. Fr. William Dohman — Pastor Emeritus
- Dr. George Kostyrko — Cantor
- Rev. Fr. Vasyl Miziuk — past pastor (at least through early 2022)
Divine Liturgy & Sacraments
Holy Wisdom celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy (the Eastern Catholic equivalent of the Roman Mass) each Sunday. Unlike older Ukrainian parishes where the liturgy may be in Church Slavonic or Ukrainian, Holy Wisdom sings its liturgy in English. Confessions are heard before and after the Divine Liturgy, and Mass is offered on Holy Days as scheduled.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 10:00 AM (English)
- Holy Days — as scheduled
- Confessions — before and after the Divine Liturgy
Community Life & Events
Although small, Holy Wisdom maintains an active community calendar and ties into the wider Sacramento-area Ukrainian and Eastern European Catholic scene. Annual community events include the Polish Festival and the Christmas Around the World Festival, which bring together Ukrainian-American Catholics and their neighbors for cultural and faith-filled celebration.
- Polish Festival (annual community event)
- Christmas Around the World Festival (annual community event)
- Welcomes all Catholics, Ukrainian or not, to attend and fulfill their Sunday obligation
Connection to the Eparchy of Saint Nicholas
Jurisdictionally, Holy Wisdom belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago, which covers the northwestern United States (including California) and is headed by Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk (in office since April 20, 2017). The eparchy is part of the Philadelphia Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and, together with the larger UGCC, is in full communion with Rome. The parish's presence in the Sacramento area is coordinated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which lists it among the Eastern Catholic communities in its territory.
- Mother eparchy: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago
- Current bishop: Most Rev. Benedict Aleksiychuk
- Rite: Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Byzantine)
- In full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Vasyl Miziukat least 2022
Married priest from Ukraine with three children; married in 2001 and ordained in 2002; first served in Ukraine before coming to the U.S. Pastor of both Holy Wisdom and St. Andrew Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Sacramento; in February 2022 he joined Bishop Jaime Soto in a message asking prayers for Ukraine.
- Rev. Fr. Theodore Wroblickypresent
Listed as Pastor/Administrator on parish directories.