About Saint Anne · New Port Richey, Florida
St. Anne's Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic parish located at 7120 Massachusetts Avenue in New Port Richey, Florida. As a Byzantine-rite community in full communion with the Holy See and the Pope, it follows the Eastern liturgical tradition while welcoming all Catholics seeking the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church; attendance at its Divine Liturgy fulfills the Roman-Catholic Sunday Mass obligation. The parish sits geographically within the Diocese of St. Petersburg (West Pasco–Hernando Deanery) but is canonically a mission of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey, under Bishop Kurt R. Burnette. The community is small and family-oriented, currently led by Parochial Administrator Fr. Oleksiy Nebesnyk, a Ukrainian-born priest who arrived in June 2017 with his wife Zoriana and their three daughters.
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Reverend Oleksiy (Oleks) Nebesnyk — Parochial Administrator
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (jurisdictional); geographically within the Diocese of St. Petersburg (West Pasco–Hernando Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Anne's offers the rare gift of a Byzantine-rite Catholic community in full communion with Rome on Florida's Gulf Coast — perfect for Byzantine Catholics living far from larger eparchial centers, for Roman Catholics who long to experience the Eastern liturgical tradition, and for any Catholic seeking a small, family-style parish where the priest knows your name. The community gathers every Sunday for the 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy, observes all five Byzantine Holy Days of Obligation, and practices distinctive Eastern devotions such as Mirovanije (anointing with Holy Oil) and the remembrance books for the living and deceased, all under the pastoral care of Fr. Oleksiy and his family.
Mass times at Saint Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before Divine Liturgy (face-to-face, following the ancient Byzantine tradition — no confessionals)
- By appointment with Fr. Oleksiy
Welcome & Parish Identity
St. Anne's is presented on its own homepage as a Byzantine Catholic Church 'following the Eastern tradition of the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis.' The parish warmly welcomes 'all those in union with the Holy See (The Vatican & The Pope) seeking their One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church,' and explicitly notes that worshiping at St. Anne's fulfills the Roman Catholic Mass obligation. The site invites visitors to 'Welcome Home' and to 'Join us Sundays, 10 AM.' Bishop Kurt R. Burnette, DD, Ph.D., JCL, Eparch of Passaic, is identified as the parish's hierarch on the homepage, while Fr. Oleksiy Nebesnyk is introduced as the local Administrator.
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently served by Parochial Administrator Reverend Oleksiy (Oleks) Nebesnyk. According to the parish's 'About Us' page, Fr. Oleksiy and his wife Zoriana and their three children — Edita, Ahnesa, and Tereza — are from Ukraine and arrived at St. Anne's in June 2017. The community credits him with 'strong faith, compassion, caring, and excellent Homilies,' and notes that one of his primary goals is to build the parish with young families without losing the closeness cherished by St. Anne's lifelong members.
- Fr. Oleksiy Nebesnyk — Parochial Administrator (since June 2017); Ukrainian-born, married with three daughters
- Bishop Kurt R. Burnette, DD, Ph.D., JCL — Eparch (Bishop) of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic
Byzantine Rite & Eastern Identity
The parish walks visitors through the meaning of being 'Byzantine' rather than 'Roman' Catholic. A dedicated page on the website explains the Byzantine rite's roots in the evangelization of the region of Byzantium (associated with St. Andrew) and emphasizes that, together with the Latin Church, the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches make up the one Catholic communion in union with the Bishop of Rome. The Gulf Coast Catholic, the Diocese of St. Petersburg's newspaper, notes that within the diocese's territory there are four Byzantine-rite parishes belonging to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church, of which St. Anne's is one.
- In communion with the Holy See and the Pope
- Fulfills the Roman Catholic Sunday Mass obligation
- Ruthenian Greek Catholic tradition
- Part of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (NJ)
Holy Days of Obligation & Liturgical Calendar
St. Anne's observes five Byzantine Holy Days of Obligation, as reduced for U.S. Byzantine faithful by a 1966 decree of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The parish's website also explains that the Byzantine liturgical year begins on September 1 — the Indiction — and runs through the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (August 29), a different structure from the Roman Advent-based calendar. Specific Holy Day service times are published in the weekly bulletin.
- Nativity of Our Lord — December 25
- Epiphany — January 6
- Ascension of Our Lord (movable)
- SS. Peter and Paul — June 29
- Dormition of the Blessed Mother of God (Theotokos) — August 15
- Byzantine liturgical year begins September 1
Parish Devotions
Distinctive Eastern devotions practiced at St. Anne's include Mirovanije — anointing with Holy Oil, traditionally reserved for special feast days, in which the priest anoints the forehead and proclaims 'Christ is among us!' to which the faithful reply 'He is and He shall be!' — followed by the sharing of blessed bread (which is not the Eucharist). Two remembrance books are kept by the new front icons of Our Lady and Our Lord, one for the living and one for the deceased, allowing parishioners to entrust loved ones to perpetual prayer and to light candles alongside them. A sick list is maintained and prayed for at every Liturgy; names may be added or removed by request to the priest.
- Mirovanije (anointing with Holy Oil) on feast days
- Remembrance Books for the living and the deceased, by the front icons
- Sick List prayed at each Liturgy
Bulletin, News & Outreach
The 'Bulletin, News & Reflections' page is the parish's main communication hub, with weekly bulletins, reflections, and global Catholic news. Parishioners can subscribe to the eparchial monthly newspaper Eastern Catholic Life for $15 per year (checks payable to St. Anne's). The parish also offers a bulletin advertising program — $20/month for one spot or $35/month for two spots on a yearly contract — as a way for local businesses to support the parish. Online giving is available through the homepage, and the parish maintains outreach to the wider Byzantine community through its Saturday mission at The Villages.
- Weekly bulletin (PDF linked from the site)
- Eastern Catholic Life eparchial newspaper subscription — $15/year
- Bulletin advertising — $20/mo (1 spot) or $35/mo (2 spots)
- Online giving via the homepage 'Give Online Now' button
- Saturday mission outreach to The Villages / Summerfield
Location, Contact & Practical Information
St. Anne's is located in a residential area of New Port Richey in western Pasco County, Florida, in the West Pasco–Hernando Deanery of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. The mailing and physical address is 7120 Massachusetts Avenue, New Port Richey, FL 34653, and the parish can be reached by telephone at 727-849-1190. Because the parish is a Byzantine community under the Eparchy of Passaic, those moving to the area who are Byzantine Catholic but registered in a Latin parish are encouraged to speak with Fr. Oleksiy about formally joining.
- Address: 7120 Massachusetts Avenue, New Port Richey, FL 34653
- Phone: 727-849-1190
- Website: http://www.stannesbyzantine.com
- Diocese (geographic): Diocese of St. Petersburg — West Pasco–Hernando Deanery
- Eparchy (canonical): Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, NJ
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Oleksiy NebesnykJune 2017 – present
Parochial Administrator; arrived from Ukraine with his wife Zoriana and daughters Edita, Ahnesa, and Tereza. His ministry has emphasized building up the parish with young families while cherishing longtime members.