About Saint Mary · Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Carpatho-Rusyn) Greek Catholic parish in the coal-region borough of Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1890 by about 200 immigrant families and consecrated on October 13, 1891 (the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God), it has been the spiritual home of three generations of Byzantine Catholics in the anthracite coal country. The parish belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and is currently pastored by Rev. James Carroll, OFM, a Byzantine Franciscan friar of the Holy Dormition Friary in Sybertsville, who also shepherds the mission parish of St. Mary in Brockton. Weekly Sunday Divine Liturgy is celebrated at 9:30 a.m., and the parish is widely recognized for its remarkable Romanesque church, twin towers topped with the triple cross, hand-painted iconography, and an unusual shrine to 'Our Lady of Mahanoy City' showing the Christ Child holding a bucket of anthracite coal.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- The Protection of the Mother of God (Pokrov)
- Rector
- Rev. James Carroll, OFM (Byzantine Franciscan, Holy Dormition Friary, Sybertsville)
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian); the parish also lies geographically within the territorial Roman Diocese of Allentown.
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers a Byzantine Catholic home in the heart of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal country, where three generations of Carpatho-Rusyn families have worshipped under the Protection of the Mother of God since 1891. Sunday Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. is celebrated in a Romanesque church whose iconography, frescoes, and Hungarian iconostasis were hand-painted by the parish's own priests. The congregation is small and famously close-knit, but very active in Schuylkill County ecumenical life — collecting food for the St. Vincent de Paul pantry, hosting the Mahanoy City ministerium's pre-Thanksgiving breakfast at St. Mary Center, and partnering with local organizations in service and outreach. A visitor stepping into this parish steps into a living Carpatho-Rusyn heritage that is rare in the United States.
Mass times at Saint Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Byzantine Catholic Tradition
St. Mary's is a Ruthenian (Carpatho-Rusyn) Byzantine Catholic parish, in full communion with Rome but celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine rite — historically in Church Slavonic, today largely in English with some Slavonic prayers retained. The parish belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (headquartered in New Jersey) while sitting geographically inside the Roman Diocese of Allentown. The 1949 Silver Jubilee book recorded the parish as having about 1,117 souls and a property value of roughly $160,000 — numbers that today sit alongside a smaller, close-knit congregation that the pastor describes as 'very strong in the faith' and 'supporting one another, helping one another, looking out for one another.'
- Jurisdiction: Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian)
- Geographic location: Roman Diocese of Allentown
- Rite: Byzantine, with English and Old Church Slavonic used in worship
History of St. Mary's
The parish was organized in August 1890 by a group of about 200 Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants led by John Žinčak Smith, and the first church was consecrated on October 13, 1891 — the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God — by Father Augustyn Laurishin. After seven short-term pastors in roughly two and a half years, the parish found its long shepherd in Father Emil A. Kubek, a Rusyn priest-poet from Snakov, who arrived in 1904 and served for 36 years.
- 1890 — parish organized by ~200 families; Rev. Theophan Obushkevich first pastor
- 1891 — first church consecrated October 13 (Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God)
- 1895 — iconostasis imported from Hungary and installed
- 1904 — Rev. Emil A. Kubek arrives; serves 36 years
- 1931 — church completely rebuilt; St. Mary Center (parish hall) and new rectory constructed
- 1939 — iconography and ceiling murals finished by Father Anthony E. Kubek and Walter Boettcher
- 1940 — death of Father Emil Kubek
- 2002 — Byzantine Franciscans of Holy Dormition Friary, Sybertsville, take pastoral care; Rev. James Carroll, OFM becomes pastor
- 2016 — 125th anniversary jubilee opened with Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated by Eparch Bishop Kurt Burnette
Father Emil Kubek and the Church He Built
Few American pastors have shaped a single parish the way Father Emil Kubek shaped St. Mary's. Within months of his 1904 arrival he opened a 'Greek School' — directed by the parish's first cantor, Professor Michal Bilansky, who taught first through eighth grade six days a week in Cyrillic, with declamation, long poems, and recitations. He organized the parish's first concerts, plays, and dances, led a 1919 drive for the war-devastated Lemko Region, and in 1931 oversaw the total rebuilding of the church into the Romanesque building parishioners know today. His 1938 autobiography, written for a testimonial banquet, gives an irreplaceable window into the Carpatho-Rusyn immigrant pastorate: he arrived to find a parish in which 'the board of trustees directs the welfare of the church, school, the priest and (sometimes) the religion itself' and stayed to become, in his own words, not only priest but 'cook, laundryman, chambermaid etc.' after his wife's death in 1918.
- Kubek published the first Carpatho-Rusyn novel, Marko Šoltys, in 1915.
- His four-volume collected works, Narodny povísti i stichi (1922–1923), remain the only Kubek books in some American libraries.
- He became a U.S. citizen in 1913.
- An elementary school in Snakov, Slovakia, was named in his honor in 2008.
The Church Building
The present church is the second on the site, the result of a complete 1931 reconstruction. Of Romanesque style, it is brick-veneered and distinguished by twin towers topped with the triple cross associated with Eastern Christian churches, a wide plaza-like approach that recalls old-world cathedrals, and striking artwork inside and out. The most arresting interior feature is the large fresco of the Theotokos and Christ Child over the main entrance — and the terra cotta reliefs above the doors — both the work of Father Anthony E. Kubek, the pastor's son and assistant rector. The original 1895 iconostasis, brought from Hungary, was preserved and fitted into the larger 1931 building; the icons and ceiling murals were repainted by Anthony Kubek and Walter Boettcher of Brooklyn in 1939. A votive icon in the back of the church under the choir loft depicts the Blessed Mother with the Christ Child holding a bucket of anthracite coal — a one-of-a-kind tribute to the mining community known as 'Our Lady of Mahanoy City.'
- Romanesque-style, brick-veneered building completed 1931
- Twin towers with triple cross
- Original 1895 Hungarian iconostasis preserved
- Frescoes and terra cotta reliefs by Father Anthony E. Kubek
- 1939 iconography and ceiling murals by Anthony Kubek and Walter Boettcher
- 'Our Lady of Mahanoy City' shrine showing the Christ Child holding a bucket of coal
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
The parish has been pastored since August 2002 by Rev. James Carroll, OFM, a member of the Byzantine Franciscan province assigned from the Holy Dormition Friary in Sybertsville near Hazleton. Father Carroll's assignment to Mahanoy City was part of a wider 2002 outreach of the Sybertsville friars into pastoral ministry, which also brought Byzantine Franciscan care to St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Hazleton and to the small mission parish of St. Mary in Brockton (founded 1912 by the Rev. Cornelius Gribovsky and a group of 25 families), which celebrated its own centennial in 2012.
- Rev. James Carroll, OFM — pastor since 2002
- Also pastor of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Brockton, PA
- Byzantine Franciscan of the Holy Dormition Friary, Sybertsville
Worship, Liturgy, and Music
The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, with the Mass of the Faithful including both English and Old Church Slavonic — a deliberate choice by the parish to retain the ancient language that Rusyn immigrants brought with them. The 2016 Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the 125th anniversary was celebrated in this bilingual form, with Eparch Bishop Kurt Burnette as main celebrant, Father Carroll and the Byzantine Franciscan friars concelebrating, and the congregation chanting the traditional 'God grant us many years' (Mnohaja l'ita) at the close. Visitors and parishioners alike comment on the strong congregational singing.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 9:30 a.m.
- Languages: English and Old Church Slavonic
- Known for strong congregational singing and chant
Parish Ministries and Outreach
St. Mary's is a small parish with a notably active ecumenical footprint. Father Carroll has described the parish's mission in the words: 'Our mission, as is the mission of every other parish, is to go out into the world… We're trying to help local organizations in Schuylkill County.' The parish regularly collects food for the local St. Vincent de Paul food pantry — a program shared with the other Catholic and Protestant churches of Mahanoy City — and is an active member of the Mahanoy City Ministerium, the borough's ecumenical clergy group. Each year, a few days before Thanksgiving, the ministerium holds a community breakfast in St. Mary Center (the parish hall). A youth program continues, and the parish hosts the annual St. Nicholas party near Christmas.
- St. Vincent de Paul food pantry — regular collection
- Mahanoy City Ministerium — ecumenical clergy partnership
- Pre-Thanksgiving community breakfast hosted at St. Mary Center
- Youth ministry
- St. Nicholas party (Christmas season)
- Cantor/choir ministry
Facilities: St. Mary Center
St. Mary Center, the parish hall built during the 1931 rebuilding era on the site of Father Kubek's original 'Greek School' and reading room, is the social and outreach heart of the parish. It hosts parish dinners following major liturgies, the Mahanoy City Ministerium's pre-Thanksgiving breakfast, jubilee receptions, and community lectures — including the introductory lecture of the Emil Kubek West End walking tour, which the parish hosted as part of the celebration of its beloved long-ago pastor.
- Parish hall built during the 1931 expansion
- Site of the original 1904 'Greek School' and reading room
- Used for parish dinners, ministerium breakfast, jubilee receptions, and community lectures
Visiting and Getting in Touch
St. Mary's is at 621 W. Mahanoy Avenue in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The parish rectory can be reached at 570-773-2631 or by email at [email protected]. The parish's official listing on the Eparchy of Passaic website is the most reliable source for current information; visitors are warmly welcomed at the Sunday Divine Liturgy, and the building itself — with its twin towers, plaza approach, hand-painted iconography, and the unusual 'Our Lady of Mahanoy City' icon — is reason enough to stop in.
- Address: 621 W. Mahanoy Avenue, Mahanoy City, PA 17948
- Phone: 570-773-2631
- Email: [email protected]
- Eparchy of Passaic parish page: eparchyofpassaic.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Theophan Obushkevich1890–
First pastor; founded the parish in August 1890 with a group of about 200 people, according to the 1949 Silver Jubilee book.
- Rev. Augustyn Laurishin1891
Consecrated the first church on October 13, 1891, the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God.
- (approximately six short-term pastors)1891–1904
Kubek himself reported that 'within two and one half years, seven pastors had come and gone' before his arrival.
- Rev. Emil A. Kubek1904–1940
Longest-serving pastor (36 years); Rusyn immigrant writer from Snakov; opened the 'Greek School'; led the 1931 rebuilding; author of Marko Šoltys (1915).
- Rev. Anthony E. Kubek1930s–1940s
Son of Emil and assistant rector; painted the iconography, the Theotokos fresco, and the 1939 murals that still define the interior.
- Rev. Stephen Petrick1920s (temporary)
Substituted for Father Kubek during a 1920s vacation; pastor of St. Clair at the time.
- Rev. James Carroll, OFM2002–present
Byzantine Franciscan assigned in 2002 as part of the Sybertsville friars' pastoral outreach; also pastors St. Mary Byzantine, Brockton.