About Our Lady of Perpetual Help [Ukrainian] · Wheeling, West Virginia
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish serving the faithful of South Wheeling, West Virginia, under the Ukrainian Diocese (Eparchy) of Saint Josaphat in Parma. It was organized in 1911 by Ukrainian immigrants from Galicia who wanted to worship in their own Byzantine rite, and it was formally established as a parish in 1913. More than a century later it remains a small but devoted Appalachian Ukrainian Catholic community, celebrating the Divine Liturgy in English (with Ukrainian elements), maintaining the parish hall annex called Xata, and continuing to support Ukrainian relief efforts. The parish is currently pastored by Father Jason Charron, who also serves Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour)
- Rector
- Father Jason Charron
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Diocese (Eparchy) of Saint Josaphat in Parma, Ohio — geographically within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
Why belong here
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a small, devoted Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish that has kept its Byzantine heritage alive in South Wheeling for more than a century. Visitors are welcomed to a traditional Divine Liturgy celebrated Sundays at 8:00 AM (with the last weekend of the month held Saturday at 5:00 PM), in a church whose iconostasis and windows were preserved from the original 1913 building. The parish sustains Ukrainian traditions through its pierogi project, its parish hall annex called Xata, and active outreach to war-affected Ukraine — including a Friday fish fry raising funds for humanitarian relief. It is a place where Latin-rite Catholics are explicitly welcome and fulfill their Sunday obligation by attending, and where a married pastor with seven children ministers with deep pastoral warmth.
Mass times at Our Lady of Perpetual Help [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM
- By appointment
History of the Parish
Ukrainian immigrants began arriving in Wheeling in the late 1890s from Galicia in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. They wanted to worship in their own Byzantine rite, and so organized what would become Our Lady of Perpetual Help Ukrainian Catholic Church. The first liturgies were celebrated at 4300 Wetzel Street in an old incline station, with parishioners standing because there were no pews. The community reorganized as St. Mary's – Our Lady of Perpetual Help Greek Catholic Ukrainian Church on September 20, 1911, and formally became a parish in 1913 — the same year construction of the first church began on Jacob Street.
The First Church (1913)
On September 22, 1913, Father Anton Strokyj borrowed $5,800 from the South Side Bank of Wheeling at five percent interest to begin construction. The first church embodied classical Greek architecture, with large columns at the entrance, small domes crowning the building, and an interior adorned with mosaics and icons typical of the Eastern rites. The cornerstone was blessed in November 1913.
- Architectural style: classical Greek (columns, small domes)
- Iconography: mosaics and Byzantine icons in the interior
- Cornerstone blessed November 1913 by Father Strokyj
Building the Current Church (1974–1977)
By the 1960s a new church was clearly needed. A decade of fundraising raised $100,000 toward the $240,000 cost. On November 19, 1967 the parish purchased the Ukrainian American Citizens Club building for $10 — a structure that had previously served as a livery stable and dance hall — and renamed it the Xata, which became the parish hall annex and served as a worship space during construction. The new church broke ground in spring 1974 and was completed in February 1975; the iconostasis and windows from the old church were carefully saved and reinstalled. Bishop Basil Losten celebrated the blessing and dedication on October 2, 1977.
- Fundraising total: $100,000 raised over a decade
- Construction cost: $240,000
- Xata (parish hall annex) purchased 1967 for $10
- Cornerstone/dedication: October 2, 1977, Bishop Basil Losten celebrant
Mortgage Paid Off and Icon Installed
The parish paid off its church mortgage on June 5, 1986 — a milestone the parish's own historical sketch proudly notes. That same summer, a beautiful icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was installed on the church façade as a memorial gift in honor of Olga Kohut Sebulsky. In July 1985 the lot next to the rectory was acquired for parking, and in July 1987 the church was reroofed at a cost of $5,800.
- Mortgage paid off: June 5, 1986
- Façade icon installed: summer 1986 (in memory of Olga Kohut Sebulsky)
- Rectory parking lot purchased: July 1985
- Reroofing: July 1987 ($5,800)
Pastor: Father Jason Charron
Father Jason Charron was ordained to the priesthood in the Ukrainian Catholic Church for the Diocese of Saint Josaphat in 2008. He has served in parishes in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and currently serves as pastor of both Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Wheeling, West Virginia, and Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. He also serves on the presbyteral council of the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Parma. Father Charron is married to Halyna and together they are the parents of seven children, and he is a frequent guest on the Catholic podcast 'Pints with Aquinas.'
- Ordained: 2008, Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Saint Josaphat
- Also pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, Carnegie, PA
- Member, presbyteral council of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma
- Married to Halyna Charron; father of seven children
Father Charron's 2022 Ukraine Rescue Mission
In 2022, Father Charron accompanied parishioner Alan Sherwood of Carnegie on a humanitarian rescue mission to Ukraine. The two flew to Poland and crossed into Ukraine as Russian forces were beginning their invasion. What began as a plan to rescue five children from Kyiv grew to 36 children (22 of them orphans) and six adults, who were ultimately given refuge in the Czech Republic. Father Charron served as interpreter and provided spiritual support. The parish has since raised funds — including through its regular Friday fish fry — to supply medical and humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine, and Father Charron has continued to plan additional relief trips.
- Traveled with parishioner Alan Sherwood
- Rescued 36 children and 6 adults (22 orphans) to safety
- Final refuge: Czech Republic
- Parish fish fry fundraiser supports ongoing Ukraine humanitarian relief
Worship and Liturgy
The parish celebrates the Byzantine-rite Divine Liturgy primarily on Sundays, with Saturday services on the last weekend of the month. The current Sunday Divine Liturgy is celebrated at 8:00 AM; the Saturday Vigil is at 5:00 PM. Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons at 4:30 PM, or by appointment. Services are primarily in English, with Ukrainian elements of the Byzantine tradition preserved.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 8:00 AM
- Saturday Vigil (last weekend of the month and select Saturdays): 5:00 PM
- Confessions: Saturday 4:30 PM or by appointment
- Byzantine (Ukrainian) Rite
Parish Community and Ministries
Our Lady of Perpetual Help sustains a small but active parish life centered on Ukrainian Catholic identity and outreach. The parish hall annex called Xata, purchased for $10 in 1967, hosts community gatherings, fundraisers, and cultural events. A pierogi project raises funds and keeps Ukrainian culinary tradition alive, while a weekly Friday fish fry supports humanitarian relief for Ukraine. The parish also hosts community concerts, such as a Shadyside Community Band benefit performance, and offers Ukrainian language lessons to preserve cultural heritage.
- Pierogi project (fundraising and cultural preservation)
- Friday fish fry (Ukraine relief fundraiser)
- Parish advisory council (member Mary Ann Mysliwiec publicly noted)
- Ukrainian language lessons
- Xata parish hall annex — community events and benefit concerts
Faith, Tradition, and Welcome
The parish belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in communion with Rome but governed by the Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, Ohio. Latin-rite Catholics are explicitly free to worship here and fulfill their Sunday obligation at a Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgy. The parish is named for the Byzantine icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour), which has been venerated since the 15th century. Its feast day is June 27.
- Diocese: Ukrainian Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, Ohio
- Geographic location: within the Roman Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston
- Only Ukrainian Catholic parish in West Virginia
- Patron: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Byzantine icon)
- Feast day: June 27
Visiting the Parish
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is located at 4136 Jacob Street in South Wheeling, West Virginia. The rectory can be reached at (304) 232-2168 and the church hall at (304) 232-1777; the parish email is [email protected]. The official website is stmarysolph.com (currently being rebuilt — visitors are advised to call for current schedule information). The church is easy to find via I-70 to WV-2 south to Boggs Run Road, and the parish owns a dedicated parking lot next to the rectory.
- Address: 4136 Jacob Street, Wheeling, WV 26003
- Rectory phone: (304) 232-2168
- Church hall phone: (304) 232-1777
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stmarysolph.com (currently 'Coming Soon' / under reconstruction)
- Directions: I-70 to WV-2 south to Boggs Run Road
- Parking: dedicated lot next to rectory (purchased July 1985)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Dalijanus
First priest of the community; very little is known about him. Served when liturgies were first celebrated in an old incline station on Wetzel Street.
- Father Anton Strokyj
Took over after Father Dalijanus. Purchased the Jacob Street lots, signed the deed over to Bishop Ortynsky, and borrowed $5,800 from the South Side Bank of Wheeling to build the first church. Cornerstone blessed November 1913.