About Infant Jesus of Prague [Ruthenian] · Boardman, Ohio
Infant Jesus of Prague Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Greek Catholic) parish in Boardman, Ohio, just outside Youngstown, serving Byzantine Catholic families in the Mahoning Valley under the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. The community worships in the Byzantine liturgical tradition — English-language Divine Liturgy celebrated with icon screen, iconography, incense, and choral chant — and is led today by Rev. Fr. Mykhaylo (Michael) Farynets. Worshippers attend Sunday morning and Saturday evening Divine Liturgies, with confessions heard a half hour before services and Sunday Liturgy livestreamed on the parish Facebook page.
- Established
- 1907 (organized as SS. Peter and Paul in Struthers; current Boardman church dedicated October 23, 1970)
- Patron
- Infant Jesus of Prague (currently; parish voted in 2018 to revert to original patron Saints Peter and Paul, with Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla's permission granted in 2020)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Mykhaylo (Michael) Farynets
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh); geographically located within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown
Why belong here
Parishioners belong to a close-knit Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic community rooted in the Mahoning Valley since 1907, with a 115-acre campus and a beautifully appointed Byzantine-style church — onion dome, Greek-carved icon screen, and full wall iconography. The parish offers the Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, Eastern Christian Formation (ECF) on Tuesday evenings September through May, the Byzantine Social Club that meets the last Wednesday of each month, and a full calendar of festivals (July), parish dinners (September), bake sales on Palm Sunday and in December, and a Flag Day celebration — with Sunday Liturgy also livestreamed on Facebook for shut-ins and family far away.
Mass times at Infant Jesus of Prague [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- One half hour before each Divine Liturgy (i.e., Saturday ~5:30 PM and Sunday ~8:30 AM)
Parish History
The Byzantine Catholic community that today worships at 7754 South Avenue in Boardman, Ohio traces its origins to 1907, when a group of Byzantine Catholic families in Struthers pooled resources to purchase property at 111 Frank Street. Their first church — dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul — was erected in 1917, and they were served initially by itinerant pastors from St. Mary and St. Nicholas in Youngstown. Father Anthony Mhley was the first itinerant pastor; Father Peter Racz became the first resident pastor and built the rectory. Over more than a century the community has grown, moved, been renamed, remodeled, and restored — see the History page on the parish website for the full chronology of pastors, buildings, and milestones.
- 1907 — Struthers faithful purchase property at 111 Frank Street
- 1917 — Original SS. Peter and Paul church erected
- 1946 — Father Emil J. Mihalik appointed pastor; church remodeled
- 1954 — Byzantine Catholic Central School founded under Father Mihalik
- 1958 — Father George B. Petro assigned; recognizes need to move to the suburbs
- 1969 — New church built on 115-acre farm on South Avenue in Boardman
- October 23, 1970 — Dedicated by Bishop Stephen J. Kocisko; renamed Infant Jesus of Prague
- 1982 — 30-foot dome with onion cupola added under Father Daniel Tisak
- 1986 — Father John Cucaro begins; develops on-site oil and gas well
- 1990 — Msgr. Alexis Mihalik leads interior remodel and iconography
- 2007 — Father Christopher R. Burke appointed
- 2010 — Dome refurbished; 2011 — Our Lady of Perpetual Help mosaic installed
- 2015 — Father Mykhaylo (Michael) Farynets appointed current pastor
- 2020 — Permission granted by Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla to revert name to SS. Peter and Paul
The Building and Its Architecture
The current church on South Avenue is a Byzantine-rite building that has been shaped by four decades of additions, repairs, and liturgical renovations. The original roof leaked chronically until 1982, when Father Daniel Tisak oversaw construction of a 30-foot dome topped by a 20-foot drum and onion dome — the silhouette that has since become the parish's visual signature. In 2010, Father Burke commissioned Mid-American Coating Systems of Massillon to refurbish the dome and replace the cupola with a sturdier fiberglass onion. The interior took its present form in 1990 under Msgr. Alexis Mihalik, when a one-tiered red oak icon screen and matching tetrapod (both carved in Greece), a large brass chandelier, and wall icons of SS. Constantine and Helen, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, John Damascene, Roman, Vladimir and Olga, Boris and Glib, and Cyril and Methodius were installed to bring the space into conformity with Byzantine liturgical norms.
- 115-acre parish campus on South Avenue, Boardman
- 30-foot dome with 20-foot drum and onion cupola (1982, refurbished 2010)
- Red oak icon screen and tetrapod carved in Greece (1990)
- Brass chandelier and full Byzantine iconography program (1990)
- Side-chapel mosaic icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, restored by Eikona Studios of Cleveland (2011)
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Infant Jesus of Prague is pastored today by Rev. Fr. Mykhaylo (Michael) Farynets, who was appointed in 2015. He and his family live in the parish rectory and have led its refurbishment; under his pastorate the parish has also re-established the annual Ethnic Food Feast, voted to restore the parish's original SS. Peter and Paul name, and secured Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla's permission for that change in 2020. The parish is supported by the Sister Servants of Mary (Sr. Bernardia and Sr. Leocadia) for Eastern Christian Formation, and named lay leaders including Ken Litwin (Parish Festival, 330-757-3089) help organize community events.
- Rev. Fr. Mykhaylo (Michael) Farynets — Pastor (since 2015)
- Sr. Bernardia — ECF contact (330-757-9186)
- Sr. Leocadia — ECF
- Ken Litwin — Annual Parish Festival contact (330-757-3089)
Divine Liturgy and Holy Mysteries
The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English, with the traditional liturgical elements of the Ruthenian rite. There is no regular daily Liturgy; the weekly schedule centers on Saturday evening and Sunday morning services. The Holy Mysteries (sacraments) are arranged by contacting the parish directly: confessions are heard a half hour before each service, couples must contact the church at least six months before a wedding, and Anointing of the Sick is arranged on request. Sunday 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy is livestreamed on the parish Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.
- Saturday 6:00 PM — Divine Liturgy
- Sunday 9:00 AM — Divine Liturgy (livestreamed on Facebook)
- Confessions: one half hour before services
- Marriage: contact parish at least 6 months in advance
- Anointing of the Sick: contact parish to arrange
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Children and adults of the parish are served by the Eastern Christian Formation (ECF) program, the Byzantine Catholic equivalent of catechism school. Classes meet Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM from September through May, staffed by the Sister Servants of Mary. The parish publicly recognizes its teachers (recently named in the bulletin include Mary Sinowsky, Kristine Bero, Elena Slemons, and Payton Fleet) during Teacher Appreciation Week, and the wider community celebrates First Solemn Communion as a parish event — most recently for Emma Farynets, daughter of the pastor.
- Eastern Christian Formation (ECF): Tuesdays 6:30 PM, September–May
- Coordinated by Sr. Bernardia (330-757-9186) and Sr. Leocadia
- First Solemn Communion celebrated in the parish
Parish Life, Festivals, and Fellowship
Infant Jesus of Prague maintains a busy parish calendar that mixes the sacred and the social. The annual Infant Jesus Ethnic Food Feast is held each July (organized by Ken Litwin), followed by a Parish Dinner in September and bake sales on Palm Sunday and in December. The Byzantine Social Club invites all parishioners to join for $10/person dues and meets the last Wednesday of each month to plan picnics and other events. The community also marks Flag Day as a parish celebration — a tribute to the Eastern European and Central European heritage of many of its founding families.
- Infant Jesus Ethnic Food Feast — July (Ken Litwin, 330-757-3089)
- Parish Dinner — September
- Bake Sales — Palm Sunday and December
- Flag Day Celebration
- Byzantine Social Club — last Wednesday of each month, $10/person dues
Heritage: The Byzantine Catholic Central School Connection
The parish's deep roots in regional Byzantine Catholic education are reflected in its role founding and sustaining the Byzantine Catholic Central School. Father Emil J. Mihalik, pastor from 1946, was instrumental in establishing the school on Youngstown–Poland Road in 1954, staffed by the Sister Servants of Mary and serving five parishes of the Youngstown area. When the school closed in 2009, the parish helped ensure that its artistic heritage was not lost: in August 2011 a mosaic icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was transferred to Infant Jesus of Prague's side chapel, restored by Eikona Studios of Cleveland, and installed with the support of the GCU (Greek Catholic Union) lodge and the generosity of parishioners.
- Byzantine Catholic Central School founded 1954 under Father Emil J. Mihalik
- Staffed by the Sister Servants of Mary
- School closed 2009
- 2011 — Mosaic icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help transferred to Infant Jesus of Prague
Visiting, Contact, and Community
Parishioners and visitors can reach the church by mail at 7754 South Avenue, Boardman, OH 44512; by phone at (330) 758-6019; or by email at [email protected]. Sunday 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy is livestreamed on the parish's official Facebook page, Infant Jesus of Prague Byzantine Catholic Church, which also carries announcements, photos, and weekly bulletin content. The parish describes itself simply on its homepage as 'a community of Catholic families who pray to Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Byzantine tradition.'
- Address: 7754 South Avenue, Boardman, OH 44512
- Phone: (330) 758-6019
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/InfantJesusofPragueByzantineCatholicChurch
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Anthony Mhleyfrom 1917
First itinerant pastor when the church was erected in Struthers.
- Father Peter Racz
First resident pastor; built the rectory.
- Father Emil J. Mihalikfrom 1946
Remodeled the church; promoted the Byzantine Catholic Central School (opened 1954) staffed by the Sister Servants of Mary.
- Father George B. Petrofrom 1958
Led the move from Struthers to Boardman; oversaw construction of the present church, dedicated Oct. 23, 1970, and the renaming to Infant Jesus of Prague.
- Father Daniel Tisak
Built the 30-foot dome with 20-foot drum and onion dome above the original roof in 1982.
- Father John Cucarofrom 1986
Initiated drilling of an oil and gas well on parish property for church heat and royalty income.
- Monsignor Alexis Mihalikfrom 1990
Interior remodel to Byzantine norms; red oak icon screen, tetrapod, brass chandelier, and wall iconography.
- Father Christopher R. Burkefrom 2007
Oversaw the 2010 dome refurbishment and 2011 transfer of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help mosaic from the closed Byzantine Catholic Central School.
- Rev. Fr. Mykhaylo (Michael) Farynetsfrom 2015
Current pastor; refurbished rectory, established Infant Jesus Ethnic Food Feast in 2016, and led parish vote and Metropolitan's permission (2020) to restore the original SS. Peter and Paul name.