About Saint Eugene [Ruthenian] · Bedford, Ohio
St. Eugene Byzantine Catholic Church was a Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish located in Bedford, Ohio, at 264 Center Road (also addressed as 264 Warrensville Center Road). It was a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma and celebrated the Divine Liturgy according to the Eastern Christian tradition for the local Byzantine faithful of the greater Cleveland area. The parish community began in 1951 and worshipped in its present church building from 1963 until the parish was deconsecrated in January 2019. Under the pastoral care of Father Joseph Repko, the parish maintained a small but devoted schedule of weekday and Sunday Divine Liturgies, a cantoring tradition, and a well-known parish hall that hosted Friday BINGO nights, weddings, and community events.
- Established
- 1951
- Patron
- Pope St. Eugene I (d. 657)
- Rector
- Father Joseph Repko
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma (Ruthenian); geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
St. Eugene offered Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic faithful in the southern Cleveland suburbs a parish home where the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Eastern Christian tradition according to the Eparchy of Parma. The community welcomed both cradle Byzantine Catholics and newcomers exploring the Eastern Catholic rites, with weekday morning liturgies, a Saturday Vigil Divine Liturgy, and a Sunday Divine Liturgy, sung by cantors Sue Patoma and Mary Dirda. The parish hall was a center of community life — hosting Friday BINGO nights and being available for wedding receptions and other gatherings — making St. Eugene a place where worship and fellowship went hand in hand.
Mass times at Saint Eugene [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
St. Eugene Byzantine Catholic Parish was established in 1951 to minister to Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics in Bedford and the surrounding southern Cleveland suburbs, a region geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland but canonically under the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma. The community built and moved into its present church in 1963. The parish remained a small but active Byzantine-rite community for decades, with weekday Divine Liturgies, a Saturday Vigil, and Sunday worship. By 2018 the parish had effectively ceased regular worship, and on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January 2019 Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., celebrated the final Divine Liturgy and announced the church's deconsecration under canon law.
- Founded: 1951
- Present church building dedicated: 1963
- Final Divine Liturgy: January 2019 (Feast of the Baptism of the Lord)
- Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., presided over closing liturgy
- Deconsecrated under canon law in consultation with parishioners
Rite and Eparchy
St. Eugene celebrated the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Divine Liturgy in the tradition of Eastern Christianity and was a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, which covers Byzantine-rite faithful across the U.S. Midwest including Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and surrounding states. The parish's location in Bedford placed it within the geographic territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, reflecting the parallel jurisdictional structure common to Eastern Catholic churches in the West.
- Rite: Byzantine (Ruthenian)
- Eparchy of Parma
- Geographic territory: Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Patron Saint — Pope St. Eugene I
The parish was named for Pope St. Eugene I (d. 2 June 657), who served as Bishop of Rome from 10 August 654 until his death. He succeeded Pope St. Martin I after Martin's arrest and exile by Emperor Constans II over the Monothelite controversy. Eugene is commemorated in the Roman calendar on 2 June, and an icon of the patron adorned the church's iconostasis. The Eastern Catholic liturgical calendar likewise honors Pope St. Eugene I as a saint.
- Patron: Pope St. Eugene I
- Dates: papacy 654 – 657
- Feast day: 2 June
- Icon of the patron venerated on the parish iconostasis
Divine Liturgy and Worship Schedule
When the parish was active, the regular Divine Liturgy schedule included weekday morning liturgies on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m., a Saturday Vigil Divine Liturgy at 4:00 p.m., and Sunday celebrations at 10:30 a.m., with a 7:00 p.m. Sunday liturgy also listed in some directories. Liturgical music was provided by parish cantors Sue Patoma and Mary Dirda.
- Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy
- Thursday 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy
- Friday 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy
- Saturday 4:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy
- Sunday 10:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy (7:00 p.m. also listed)
- Cantors: Sue Patoma, Mary Dirda
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish was served during its final years by Father Joseph Repko, a Byzantine Catholic priest who simultaneously cared for St. John Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church in nearby Solon. From January 2015 through July 2018 the parish had been under the administration of Andrey Kovalenko, whose conduct led to his termination by the Eparchy of Parma and a later federal indictment for embezzlement.
- Father Joseph Repko — pastor
- Andrey Kovalenko — former administrator/pastor (2015–2018), later federally indicted
Parish Hall and Community Life
The parish campus included a separate hall known as the St. Eugene Party Center, which was available for rental for weddings, luncheons, and other community events. Friday BINGO nights — featuring early bird games and a variety of instant-win opportunities — were a regular fixture of parish social life and a notable community gathering point for parishioners and visitors alike.
- St. Eugene Party Center (hall rentals for weddings, luncheons, events)
- Friday BINGO nights with early bird and instant-win games
Closure and Deconsecration
After several months without regular Divine Liturgy, Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., celebrated the parish's final Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January 2019 and announced that the church would be deconsecrated under canon law. The dissolution was carried out in consultation with the remaining parishioners — a contrast to the contemporaneous Roman diocesan closures elsewhere in Cleveland. A subsequent federal indictment named the parish's former administrator as having embezzled roughly $187,898 from parish accounts, with the U.S. Department of Justice specifically stating that 'Saint Eugene Byzantine Catholic Church was closed due to its financial condition.' GCatholic now records the church as a 'Former Church' of the Ruthenian Diocese of Parma.
- Final Divine Liturgy and deconsecration: January 2019
- Presiding bishop: Most Rev. Milan Lach, S.J.
- Closure attributed in part to alleged financial malfeasance by a former administrator
- Listed by GCatholic as a former church
Contact and Visiting Information
The parish's published contact information, while active, was 264 Center Road (also referenced as 264 Warrensville Center Road), Bedford, OH 44146; telephone (440) 232-7302; email [email protected]; website home.catholicweb.com/eugenebedford/. A community blog at steugenebyzantine.blogspot.com also carried announcements and the Divine Liturgy schedule.
- Address: 264 Center Rd., Bedford, OH 44146
- Phone: (440) 232-7302
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: home.catholicweb.com/eugenebedford/
- Blog: steugenebyzantine.blogspot.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Andrey KovalenkoJanuary 2015 – July 2018
Served as Administrator and Pastor; indicted in 2020 on federal mail-fraud charges alleging embezzlement of approximately $187,898 from the parish.
- Father Joseph RepkoAfter 2018 – 2019
Cared for the parish in its final period; presided at or around the time of the last Divine Liturgy and deconsecration in January 2019.