About Our Lady of Zarvanycia Ukrainian · Seattle, Washington
Our Lady of Zarvanycia Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Українська Греко-Католицька Церква Зарваницької Божої Матері) is a Byzantine Catholic parish of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) located in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It belongs canonically to the Ukrainian Diocese of Saint Nicholas of Chicago (Eparchy of St. Nicholas), led from its South Beacon Hill building at 5321 17th Ave S, even though it sits geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. The parish was founded as a mission in British Columbia and grew at St. James Cathedral in Seattle for nearly five decades before purchasing its own building in 2007 and celebrating its first independent Divine Liturgy there on Christmas Day. Today the community gathers for Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM in Ukrainian and English, with regular Marian devotions, a Ukrainian-language school named after Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, and Bible and media groups.
- Established
- 1959 (mission founded by Fr. Michael Chykhovsky); 2007 (established as independent parish)
- Patron
- Our Lady of Zarvanycia (Mother of God of Zarvanytsia / Зарваницька Богородиця)
- Rector
- Father Andriy Oliynyk (also spelled Father Andrii Oliynyk)
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Diocese of Saint Nicholas of Chicago (Eparchy of St. Nicholas), a Ukrainian Greek Catholic eparchy under the Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych. The parish sits geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle.
Why belong here
Our Lady of Zarvanycia is a small but active Byzantine Catholic home for Ukrainians, Ukrainian-Americans and anyone drawn to the spirituality of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on Seattle's Beacon Hill. Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM is paired with weekly Marian prayer on Wednesdays, Divine Liturgies for health and for the departed, catechesis for children after Liturgy, and a Ukrainian-language school that has taught the language, Christian ethics and culture to dozens of children in its first three years. The community is bilingual (Ukrainian and English), live-streams services on YouTube for those unable to attend in person, and is small enough that new families are quickly drawn into its Bible circle, media team, school, and parish feast-day celebrations.
Mass times at Our Lady of Zarvanycia Ukrainian
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available by appointment (Father Andriy can be reached at (425) 610-7022 for weekday services)
History & Mission Roots
Our Lady of Zarvanycia grew out of a mission founded in 1959 by Father Michael Chykhovsky, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest from British Columbia, who placed the community under the patronage of the Mother of God of Zarvanytsia. For forty-eight years the faithful worshipped in the side chapel of St. James Cathedral in downtown Seattle — first once a month, then twice monthly in the 1990s, and finally every Sunday for the last two years before they moved, as the community had outgrown the space.
- Founded 1959 as a mission under Fr. Michael Chykhovsky
- 48 years hosted at St. James Cathedral, Seattle
- Bishop Richard Seminack (Eparchy of St. Nicholas) pushed for a permanent parish and church building
- October 19, 2007 — the parish purchased a church on South Beacon Hill, nicknamed 'the Blue Church'
- December 16, 2007 — formal farewell from St. James Cathedral
- Christmas Day 2007 — first Divine Liturgy celebrated in the new church
Patron: Our Lady of Zarvanycia
The parish takes its name from the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Zarvanytsia, venerated for centuries in the village of Zarvanytsia in Ukraine's Ternopil region. According to tradition, in 1240 a Kyivan monk who had fled the Mongol invasion fell asleep beside a spring and saw the Blessed Virgin Mary in a dream; on waking he found the icon and a chapel was built to house it. The icon was crowned by Pope Pius IX in 1867 and again by Pope Francis in 2017, and in 2019 the shrine church was raised to the status of minor basilica — the first in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
- Icon discovered in Zarvanytsia in 1240 by a monk fleeing the Mongol sack of Kyiv
- Crowned by Pope Pius IX in 1867
- Recrowned by Pope Francis at St. Peter's on October 15, 2017
- Shrine elevated to minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2019
Clergy
The parish is currently served by Father Andriy (Andrii) Oliynyk, who succeeded Father Abraham (Avraam) Miller as pastor. Father Miller led the community through its transition from St. James Cathedral to the South Beacon Hill church in 2007 and presided at the farewell liturgy. The mission itself was founded by Father Michael Chykhovsky. A small, dedicated parish staff and volunteer teams support the priests in liturgy, education, and media.
- Father Andriy Oliynyk — current pastor; founder of the Ukrainian school, Bible circle, and media group
- Father Abraham Miller — previous pastor; oversaw the move to Beacon Hill in 2007
- Father Michael Chykhovsky — founder of the original 1959 mission
Divine Liturgy & Schedule
The parish follows the Byzantine liturgical calendar of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The main celebration is the Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM, with Vespers on Saturday evenings at 6:00 PM. Weekday services are celebrated by appointment with Father Andriy.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 10:00 AM
- Saturday Vespers — 6:00 PM
- Divine Liturgy for the Repose of the Faithful — 2nd and 4th Saturday, 9:00 AM
- Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary — every Wednesday, 7:00 PM
- Divine Liturgy for Health — first Friday, 7:00 PM
- Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts — Fridays of Great Lent, 7:00 PM
- Obligatory mid-week feast days — 7:00 PM
Faith Formation & Ukrainian School
Catechesis for children takes place on Sundays after the 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy. In September 2023, Father Andriy also launched the Ukrainian Language School named after Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, which teaches Ukrainian language, Christian ethics, history and literature to children in several age groups (5–7, 8–10, 11–13). The school is in its third year under the direction of Ms. Oksana Rzytska and was recently expanding to include preschool through 6th grade classes. Children in the school also participate in parish feasts such as Shevchenko Days, Mother's Day, St. Nicholas' Day, and Ukrainian Independence Day.
- Sunday Catechetical Classes (after Divine Liturgy)
- Ukrainian Language School named after Patriarch Lubomyr Husar (founded Sept 2023)
- Teachers include Ms. Oksana Rzytska (director/administrator), Ms. Lyuba Stoyan, Ms. Olha Ruda, Ms. Nataliya Marshalok, Ms. Svitlana Volovenko
- Contact for school: 253-334-3045 or [email protected]
Bible Circle & Spiritual Formation
During Great Lent the parish gathers for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Friday evenings at 7:00 PM, followed by a Bible Circle in the Lectio Divina format — a communal reading of Scripture in which the community listens together for what the Lord wishes to say through the Holy Scriptures. This ministry continues beyond Lent as part of the parish's ongoing adult formation.
- Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts — Fridays of Great Lent, 7:00 PM
- Bible Circle / Lectio Divina study group for adults
Parish Life, Media & Prayer Intentions
Our Lady of Zarvanycia maintains an active online presence so that members of the community — including parishioners displaced by the war in Ukraine or those unable to attend in person — can stay connected. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and recordings are archived on the parish Facebook page. A parish media group, led by a volunteer coordinator (Mr. Nazar), produces a regular newsletter, photo reports, and service schedules. Through the Facebook page, parishioners can submit prayer intentions via a Google form that goes directly to Father Andriy.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy livestreamed on YouTube
- Past service recordings posted on Facebook
- Parish newsletter with news, photo reports, and schedules
- Online 'Prayer Intentions' Google form on Facebook
- Technical group providing audio/video support for livestreams
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed to the church on South Beacon Hill. For weekday services, sacraments, or to arrange a visit, contact Father Andriy by phone or text at (425) 610-7022. Email correspondence goes to [email protected], and the parish website at ukrchurch.org provides up-to-date schedules and announcements in both English and Ukrainian.
- Address: 5321 17th Ave S., Seattle, WA 98108
- Father Andriy phone/text: (425) 610-7022
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.ukrchurch.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/zarvanycia/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Michael Chykhovsky1959 – (mission era)
Founded the Ukrainian Greek Catholic mission in the Pacific Northwest and placed it under the patronage of Our Lady of Zarvanycia.
- Father Abraham (Avraam) Millerpastor of mission, then first pastor of independent parish (through late 2000s)
Led the community from St. James Cathedral's side chapel to its own building on South Beacon Hill; presided at the farewell from the Cathedral on December 16, 2007; first Liturgy in the new church on Christmas Day 2007.
- Father Andriy (Andrii) Oliynykcurrent pastor
Founded the Ukrainian Language School named after Patriarch Lubomyr Husar (2023), the Lectio Divina Bible circle, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Fridays of Great Lent, the catechetical program after Sunday Liturgy, and the parish media group.