About Saint Mary · Brockton, Pennsylvania
St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church is a small Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish on Green Street in Brockton, Pennsylvania, founded in 1912 by Carpathian Mountain immigrants and dedicated by the first Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the United States, Bishop Soter Ortynsky. The parish belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and sits geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown in Schuylkill County. It remains a tight-knit community — about 35 families — served from the early 2000s by the Rev. James Carroll, who also pastors St. Mary in Mahanoy City. The little domed church seats roughly 80 people and continues to mark its Byzantine liturgical heritage with English and occasional liturgical languages in the Divine Liturgy celebrated there.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. James Carroll
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian); geographically located within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown.
Why belong here
St. Mary's in Brockton offers a rare opportunity to worship in the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic tradition in a small, intimate setting where nearly every face is known — a parish of about 35 families gathered in a domed church of roughly 80 seats. Parishioners share a remarkable Carpathian-Rusyn heritage dating back more than a century, celebrated through printed jubilee booklets, the 2012 centennial cross atop the dome, and ongoing Byzantine liturgical life under a long-tenured pastor who also serves the sister parish in Mahanoy City. It is a place for Byzantine Catholics seeking their liturgical home, families tracing coal-region immigrant roots, and anyone who values continuity of faith across generations.
Mass times at Saint Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Brockton
The parish was founded on July 7, 1912, by the Rev. Cornelius Gribovsky and about 25 Carpathian immigrant families who had settled in the Brockton coal patch of Schuylkill County. The founders purchased land for $1,000 and built the church that same year; it was dedicated by Bishop Soter Ortynsky, the first Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the United States. Before the parish was established, Byzantine Catholic families from Brockton, MaryD, Tuscarora and Kaska had traveled to St. Michael's Greek-Catholic Church in Saint Clair for worship.
- Founded: July 7, 1912
- Founding pastor: Rev. Cornelius Gribovsky
- Founding community: ~25 Carpathian immigrant families
- Land purchased for $1,000; church built and dedicated the same year
- Dedicator: Most Rev. Soter Ortynsky, first Ukrainian Catholic bishop in the U.S.
- Golden Jubilee marked in 1962 with a commemorative booklet
- 75th anniversary marked in 1987 with a second booklet
Centennial Celebration (2012)
St. Mary's marked 100 years on Sunday, September 30, 2012, with a 2 p.m. Divine Liturgy. To honor the anniversary, the parish commissioned a new stainless-steel cross — 5½ feet tall and just over 3 feet wide — fabricated by Charles Yourshaw Engineering of Pottsville and installed on top of the church's dome that morning, replacing an earlier cross that had been damaged by lightning. A private centennial dinner followed at the sister parish of St. Mary in Mahanoy City (621 W. Mahanoy Ave.).
- Centennial Divine Liturgy: Sunday, September 30, 2012, 2:00 p.m.
- New cross installed atop the dome on the centennial morning
- Cross fabricated by Charles Yourshaw Engineering of Pottsville, PA
- Centennial dinner held at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Mahanoy City
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Mary has been pastored since 2002 by the Rev. James Carroll, who simultaneously serves St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Mahanoy City. The parish cantor is Dr. Peter Yasenchak, a local historian and executive director of the Schuylkill County Historical Society, who compiled the parish's 1962 Golden Jubilee and 1987 75th anniversary booklets.
- Rev. James Carroll — pastor (since 2002); also pastor of St. Mary, Mahanoy City
- Dr. Peter Yasenchak — cantor and parish historian
Founding Pastor
Rev. Cornelius Gribovsky organized the parish in 1912 and oversaw the building of the original church that same year, becoming the first pastor of record for the Brockton Byzantine Catholic community.
Mass & Liturgical Schedule
Listed Mass (Divine Liturgy) times for St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Brockton show a single Saturday afternoon celebration. Byzantine Catholic faithful should confirm the schedule with the parish, as Byzantine calendars can vary with the liturgical year and the feasts of the Eparchy of Passaic.
- Saturday: 4:00 PM
Diocese & Eparchy
St. Mary belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic diocese). Geographically it falls within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown. The parish is listed in the Eparchy of Passaic's online parish directory.
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian)
- Roman Diocese of Allentown (geographic territory)
Community & Identity
St. Mary's remains a small, closely-knit parish of about 35 families. The church building holds roughly 80 people and reflects the modest scale of the original 1912 immigrant community. As pastor Carroll said at the centennial: the anniversary is "a time for us to remember a lot of people…who have shared their lives, their spirit and their energy with the parish family."
- About 35 families
- Church seating capacity: ~80
- Heritage: Carpathian-Rusyn / Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic
Visiting & Contact
The parish can be reached by phone or email, and Mass times are listed through the Eparchy of Passaic's parish directory and through Mass-times aggregators. Visitors are warmly welcomed at the small domed church on Green Street.
- Address: Green Street, Brockton, PA 17925
- Phone: (570) 773-2631
- Email: [email protected]
- Eparchy directory page: eparchyofpassaic.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Cornelius Gribovsky1912–
Founding pastor; organized the parish in 1912 with about 25 families and oversaw the building of the original church that same year.