About Saint John the Baptist · Scranton, Pennsylvania
St. John the Baptist (Byzantine) is an Eastern Catholic parish located at 310 Broadway in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It belongs to the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and celebrates the Divine Liturgy according to the Byzantine rite for the faithful in the Scranton area. The parish shares its patron saint with the broader Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic tradition that traces its origins to the Eastern European immigrants of the late 1800s and early 1900s who brought their Greek-rite faith to the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania. It is administratively linked with the Byzantine Catholic community at Saint Mary's in Scranton, and the faithful are encouraged to contact the parish office for current liturgical schedules.
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist (Byzantine / Ruthenian tradition)
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian); geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist (Byzantine) offers Scranton-area faithful the chance to worship in the Byzantine-Ruthenian tradition — the same liturgical, theological, and spiritual heritage brought to the anthracite region by Carpatho-Rusyn and other Eastern European immigrants — while being served by Byzantine Catholic clergy of the Eparchy of Passaic. It is a small, tradition-rooted community of the Ruthenian Catholic Church sui iuris, in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, and welcomes those who desire the Divine Liturgy and Byzantine devotions in the city of Scranton.
Mass times at Saint John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. John the Baptist (Byzantine), Scranton
St. John the Baptist (Byzantine) is a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic parish at 310 Broadway in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic — the U.S. Ruthenian diocese — while sitting geographically inside the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. As an Eastern Catholic parish, it celebrates the Byzantine rite (often called the Greek rite), sharing in the same liturgical, theological, and devotional tradition as the much larger and older St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Georgetown/Wilkes-Barre Township.
- Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic rite
- Located at 310 Broadway, Scranton, PA 18505
- Under the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic
Heritage and the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Context
The Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church in America grew out of the late-19th and early-20th century immigration of Greek-rite Catholics from the Carpathian region of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire — present-day Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary. Many settled in the anthracite coal-mining towns of northeastern Pennsylvania. These families brought with them the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and a deep tradition of iconography, chanting, and Byzantine piety. The Byzantine-Ruthenian Church is self-governing (sui iuris) and in full communion with the Pope, while preserving its own clergy, law, liturgy, and spirituality.
- Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic sui iuris Church
- In full communion with the Bishop of Rome
- Eastern European (Carpatho-Rusyn/Slovak/Hungarian) immigrant roots
Clergy and Pastoral Care
The parish is served by clergy assigned to the Byzantine Catholic community clustered around Scranton. According to the Eparchy of Passaic's directory, the sacramental priest for St. John the Baptist (Byzantine), Scranton is Rev. Roman Vasylynka, who can be reached through his main parish assignment at Saint Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Scranton.
- Rev. Roman Vasylynka — sacramental priest
- Contact via Saint Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Scranton
Visiting and Contact
The parish office can be reached by telephone at (570) 342-8930. The official eparchial directory entry lists the mailing contact for the local Byzantine Catholic priest as Saint Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Scranton. The parish is geographically distinct from but ecclesiastically linked with the better-documented St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Georgetown/Wilkes-Barre Township.
- Phone: (570) 342-8930
- Address: 310 Broadway, Scranton, PA 18505