About Saint Michael · Pittston, Pennsylvania
St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Church is a Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic parish located at 205 North Main Street, Pittston, Pennsylvania, on a bluff above the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County. Founded in 1911 by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants from present-day Eastern Slovakia, the parish belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey, and shares its pastor with its sister parish, St. Nicholas of Myra in Swoyersville. The community worships in the Byzantine liturgical tradition while remaining fully in communion with Rome, and celebrated its centennial on November 1, 2015.
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Andrii Dumnych (pastor since December 2019; the parish shares his ministry with the sister parish of St. Nicholas of Myra in Swoyersville). Note: the Eparchy of Passaic directory lists him as Parochial Vicar with Deacon Lawrence Worlinsky as Administrator.
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (New Jersey), a suffragan see of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian / ecclesia sui iuris)
Why belong here
St. Michael's offers the unique experience of Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic worship — the transcendent chant, iconography, and liturgical rhythm of the East — while remaining fully Catholic and in communion with Rome. The parish is small but visibly active in community outreach, religious formation, and ethnic heritage, rooted in a Carpatho-Rusyn immigrant story going back more than a century. With a current pastor who serves both St. Michael's and St. Nicholas in Swoyersville, it is a friendly, family-sized community that welcomes visitors to 'experience God's presence in the transcendent beauty and expression of our Eastern Catholic Byzantine rite.'
Mass times at Saint Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 – 4:45 PM
- Sunday 8:00 – 8:15 AM
- By appointment — call 570-654-4564
Welcome & Identity
St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Church calls itself 'the parish community of St. Michael the Archangel.' The parish describes itself as 'a Catholic Church of the Byzantine-Ruthenian Rite,' affiliated with the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, NJ. Liturgical worship follows the Eastern Catholic tradition, with the Divine Liturgy and a calendar that honours St. Michael the Archangel as dedicated patron saint, commemorated on November 8.
- Catholic Church of the Byzantine-Ruthenian Rite
- Affiliated with the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, NJ
- Patron: St. Michael the Archangel (feast day Nov. 8)
- Welcomes visitors to experience the Byzantine rite's 'transcendent beauty and expression'
History of St. Michael's
The parish's history page tells how a group of Carpatho-Rusyn men, yearning for a church of their own, met at the old Bohemian Hall on North Main Street in September 1911 with Rev. Myron Volkay of Taylor, and founded St. Michael the Archangel Greek Catholic Church of Pittston. The community bought land at 205 N. Main Street in 1912, built a basement church dedicated in 1915, and completed the upper church in 1919 — a building that stands majestically above the Susquehanna River. The parish celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 1, 2015, with Bishop Kurt Burnette presiding.
- 1911 — founding meeting at the Bohemian Hall with Rev. Myron Volkay
- 1912 — land purchased from Stroh Estates for $5,000 (205 N. Main St.)
- 1913 — church basement completed; dedicated 1915 by Bishop Ortynsky
- 1918–1919 — upper church built (cost: $45,000)
- 1919, Nov 2 — first liturgy in the new church (Rev. Victor Suba)
- 1920 — church dedicated by Monsignor Gabriel Martyak
- 2015, Nov 1 — 100th Anniversary celebrated with Bishop Kurt Burnette
Carpatho-Rusyn Heritage
The founders of the parish came from small villages in present-day Eastern Slovakia — the Trebisov and Kosice regions and as far as the Presov region — a Carpathian area bordering Poland to the north and Ukraine to the south and east. They were Carpatho-Rusyns (Rusyns / Rusins), an ethnic group whose language, culture, and traditions developed under complex political, economic, and religious influences. In America in the early 1900s the term 'Greek Catholic' was used; it was changed to 'Byzantine Catholic' in the 1960s to avoid confusion with ethnically Greek churches.
- Ancestral villages in Trebisov, Kosice, and Presov regions of Eastern Slovakia
- Carpatho-Rusyn (Ruthenian) ethnic and religious heritage
- Add to the diversity of the broader community by preserving ancestor traditions
A New Pastoral Direction and 100-Year Anniversary
During Fr. Gary Mensinger's pastorate the church became more visibly active through community outreach, religious formation, and increased parishioner involvement. The 100th-anniversary celebration in November 2015 was organized by volunteer committees over the preceding year, preceded by a free public educational program by the Carpatho-Rusyn Society in October 2015. Fr. Gary's sudden death on December 6, 2019, presented a difficult pastoral transition.
- Centennial liturgy: November 1, 2015 with Bishop Kurt Burnette
- Free Carpatho-Rusyn Society educational program in October 2015
- Parishioner-led anniversary committees
A New Journey Begins in Faith
Fr. Andrii Dumnych, an ordained priest from the Transcarpathian region of Western Ukraine, came to the United States in summer 2019 through a program coordinated by the Ruthenian Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic in cooperation with the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo (the 'mother eparchy' of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church). He first served a Divine Liturgy at St. Michael's in October 2019 and was assigned pastor in December 2019. The arrival coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, requiring the parish to adjust through live-streamed services; attendance restrictions were lifted in May 2020.
- Sister-parish model: St. Michael's Pittston + St. Nicholas Swoyersville
- Mukachevo-Passaic priestly cooperation program
- Returned to full in-person liturgy after May 2020
Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic
St. Michael's belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, NJ. The American Greek Catholic Ruthenian community was raised to an Exarchate in 1924 under Bishop Basil Takach (seat: Pittsburgh), became an Eparchy in 1963, and in 1969 Pope Paul VI established Pittsburgh as the Metropolitan Church (ecclesia sui iuris) with Passaic, Parma, and (later) Phoenix as suffragan sees.
- 1924 — Ruthenian community becomes an Exarchate, seat in Pittsburgh
- 1963 — East Coast Eparchy created, seat in Passaic, NJ, Bishop Stephen J. Kocisko
- 1969 — Pope Paul VI establishes the Pittsburgh Metropolia
Our Heritage & Liturgy
The Byzantine-Ruthenian Rite that St. Michael's practices is part of the broader Eastern Catholic tradition in communion with Rome. Worship is characterised by iconography, chant, and a liturgical calendar that includes the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other bodiless powers of heaven on November 8. The hymn sung on the parish's feast day is sung in all Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic churches.
- Byzantine-Ruthenian Rite, in full communion with Rome
- Honours St. Michael the Archangel on November 8
- St. Michael depicted holding the church building on the parish graphic
Sister Parish — St. Nicholas of Myra, Swoyersville
St. Michael's currently shares its pastor with St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church in Swoyersville, PA (271 Tripp Street, 18704). The sister parish publishes its own Sunday Divine Liturgy at 11:00 AM with confessions Sunday 10:30–10:45 AM.
- St. Nicholas of Myra — 271 Tripp Street, Swoyersville, PA 18704
- Sunday Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas — 11:00 AM
- Confessions at St. Nicholas — Sunday 10:30–10:45 AM, or by appointment
Our Shepherd and Friend — Fr. Gary J. Mensinger (Eternal Memory)
The parish honours the memory of Very Rev. Gary J. Mensinger, who served as pastor of St. Michael's, Pittston and St. Nicholas, Swoyersville from 2013 until his passing into eternal rest on December 6, 2019 — the Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra. Fr. Gary also served as Syncellate of the Susquehanna Syncellate for the Eparchy of Passaic, was an instrumental member of the Eparchial and Inter-Eparchial Youth and Young Adult Commissions, and was appointed a consultor for the Eparchy of Passaic. He was ordained on June 7, 1998, at St. Michael's B.C. Church and previously served at parishes including Ss. Peter and Paul (Somerset, NJ), St. Mary's (Trenton, NJ), St. Mary's (Mahanoy City), St. Nicholas (Old Forge), and St. Mary's (Taylor).
- Ordained June 7, 1998, at St. Michael's
- Prior assignments in NJ and PA
- Died December 6, 2019
Contact & Visit
St. Michael's Byzantine Catholic Church is located at 205 North Main Street, Pittston, PA 18640, on a bluff above the Susquehanna River. The parish office can be reached at 570-654-4564 for appointment requests, confessions, and Holy Day schedules.
- Address: 205 North Main Street, Pittston, PA 18640
- Phone: 570-654-4564
- Website: stmichaelsbyzantine.com
- Eparchy of Passaic directory listing confirms pastor and administrator
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Myron Volkay1911 – c.1917
First pastor; non-resident, of Taylor, PA; celebrated the first Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, William Street, Pittston.
- Rev. Victor Suba1917 – 1921
First resident pastor; celebrated the first liturgy in the new church on November 2, 1919.
- Rev. Alexius Medveczky1921 – 1932
- Rev. Basil Lipeczky1932 – 1945
- Rev. George Durisin1945 – 1946
- Rev. Michael B. Warady1946 – 1967
Longest-tenured pastor on the published list (21 years).
- Rev. Sergius Bachkosky1967
- Rev. Robert Moneta1967
- Rev. Theodore Rudy1967 – 1979
- Rev. George Bujnak1979 – 1981
- Rev. Edward Higgins1981 – 1982
- Rev. Christopher Petruska1982 – 1987
- Rev. Michael Mondik1987 – 1996
- Rev. Robert F. Kemeter1996 – 2002
- Rev. Michael Krulak2002 – 2007
- Rev. G. Scott Boghossian2007 – 2009
- Rev. Joseph Bertha2010 – 2013
- Very Rev. Gary J. Mensinger2013 – December 2019
Also Syncellate of the Susquehanna Syncellate for the Eparchy of Passaic; consultor; member of the Eparchial and Inter-Eparchial Youth and Young Adult Commissions; ordained June 7, 1998 at St. Michael's. Died unexpectedly December 6, 2019 (Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra).
- Rev. Andrii DumnychDecember 2019 – present
An ordained priest from the Transcarpathian region of Western Ukraine; came to the U.S. in summer 2019 through a program coordinated by the Ruthenian Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic in cooperation with the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo. Also serves St. Nicholas, Swoyersville.