About Saint Luke [Ruthenian] · Sugar Creek, Missouri
St. Luke Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Greek Catholic) parish perched on a hill overlooking the Missouri River in Sugar Creek, Missouri. It belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma and serves Byzantine-rite Catholics of the Kansas City metropolitan area, drawing worshippers from up to 100 miles away. The parish traces its roots to 1910, when Ukrainian and Ruthenian immigrants came to Sugar Creek for work at Standard Oil, and it remains a small but thriving Byzantine community celebrated entirely in English.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. Luke
- Rector
- Rev. John Russell
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma (Ruthenian); located geographically within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph
Why belong here
St. Luke offers full Byzantine Catholic liturgy in English, celebrated according to the Ruthenian tradition within full communion with the Pope of Rome. Despite its small size, the parish is a strong and thriving community that draws worshippers from across the Kansas City region and up to 100 miles away, and its hilltop setting overlooking the Missouri River gives it a distinctive character. Members benefit from a newly renewed interior (oak ceiling, fresh icons, Pantocrator), ongoing catechesis in the Byzantine faith, and the pastoral care of clergy and a permanent deacon rooted in the Byzantine Ruthenian tradition.
Mass times at Saint Luke [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (contact the pastor)
Parish History
The parish was begun in 1910 by Ukrainian and Ruthenian immigrants from Pennsylvania who came to Sugar Creek for work at the Standard Oil refinery. A parish hall was built on the hilltop overlooking the Missouri River, and in 1926 the church was constructed directly on top of it and dedicated as St. Joseph Greek Catholic Church. After a period in which a Russian Orthodox priest from Kansas City, KS served the community and around 1950 it returned to the Catholic Church under Ukrainian Catholic Fr. John Lazar of St. Joseph, MO, the parish eventually declined and was closed by Bishop Gabro in late summer 1984. Meanwhile Fr. Francis McGlynn had begun a Ruthenian Mission (St. Paul's Mission) in 1978, meeting at Roman Catholic parishes and Rockhurst High School; when St. Joseph's closed, the mission took over the Sugar Creek property and in spring 1985 Bishop Andrew formally claimed it for the Eparchy of Parma.
- 1910 — Ukrainian/Ruthenian immigrants found the parish after arriving for Standard Oil jobs
- 1926 — Church built atop the 1910 parish hall; dedicated as St. Joseph Greek Catholic Church
- c. 1950 — Returned to the Catholic Church under Fr. John Lazar, pastor of St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Church, St. Joseph, MO
- 1978 — Fr. Francis McGlynn founds the Ruthenian Mission (St. Paul's Mission) in the Kansas City area
- 1984 — Bishop Gabro closes St. Joseph Church; the Ruthenian Mission takes over the property
- 1985 — Bishop Andrew formally claims the parish for the Eparchy of Parma
- 2016 — Storm damage leads to full interior renewal, completed for Pascha 2017
- 2025 — Fr. John Russell begins as pastor; Fr. Michael Lee becomes rector of the Cathedral of Parma
Clergy
St. Luke is currently served by its pastor and a permanent deacon, and is in hierarchical communion with the bishop of the Eparchy of Parma and the metropolitan of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Metropolitan Church sui iuris.
- Rev. John Russell — Pastor (began 1 July 2025)
- Rev. Deacon Nicholas Szilagye, MD — Permanent Deacon
- Bishop Robert — Bishop of the Eparchy of Parma
- Metropolitan William — Archbishop of Pittsburgh and head of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Metropolitan Church sui iuris
Temple & Iconography
The Sugar Creek church sits on a hilltop overlooking the Missouri River. Its interior was comprehensively renewed after 2016 storm damage, giving it a fresh Byzantine appearance suitable for the Ruthenian rite.
- Built in 1926 on top of the original 1910 parish hall
- New oak ceiling installed after the 2016 collapse
- New festal icon set added
- Lower-tier icons of the iconostasis installed
- Pantocrator installed on the ceiling
- Floor refinished and walls repainted
- Building fund established for a larger church to accommodate growth
Eparchy & Hierarchical Communion
St. Luke is a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, one of the eparchies of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Metropolitan Church sui iuris, in full communion with the Pope of Rome. Geographically the parish lies within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph.
- Eparchy of Parma — Bishop Robert
- Archeparchy of Pittsburgh — Metropolitan William, head of the Metropolitan Church
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph — geographic territory
Sacraments & Pastoral Care
The Mystery of Repentance (Confession) is offered by appointment. Other Byzantine sacraments — including baptism, chrismation, marriage, and anointing — are available through the pastor; the parish website's about page references sacramental ministry supported by clergy in the Byzantine Ruthenian tradition.
- Mystery of Repentance (Confession): by appointment — contact the pastor
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Francis McGlynn1978 – 30 June 2002
Founded the Ruthenian mission (originally St. Paul's Mission) in 1978; obtained bi-ritual faculties; secured the Sugar Creek property for the parish in 1984; retired from active ministry.
- Fr. Stephen Muth2002 – November 2010
Succeeded Fr. McGlynn; reassigned to St. Mary's Church in Whiting, IN.
- Fr. Deacon Nicholas Szilagye, MDNovember 2010 – 2018
Parish administrator during the vacancy, supported by Fr. Thomas Bailey, OSB.
- Fr. Thomas Bailey, OSBNovember 2010 – 2018
Benedictine monk of Marmion Abbey (Aurora, IL); taught at Conception Seminary College; supplied sacramental ministry; later assigned to the Pontifical Greek College of St. Athanasius in Rome.
- Fr. Michael Lee17 June 2018 – 1 July 2025
First married priest to serve the parish; oversaw significant growth and the launch of a building fund; became rector of the Cathedral of the Eparchy of Parma.
- Fr. John Russell1 July 2025 – present
Current pastor.