About Saint Michael [Ukrainian] · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-Rite Ukrainian Catholic parish in East Baltimore, Maryland, belonging to the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. The parish traces its roots to the Western Ukrainian (Ruthenian) immigrants who began settling in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood in the 1880s and today numbers about 100–120 families. Sunday worship is offered bilingually, with an English Divine Liturgy at 8:00 AM followed by a Ukrainian Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM, both preceded by the Sacrament of Confession. The current church, built on Eastern Avenue and consecrated in 1992, was modeled after a design from Kyiv, Ukraine and is crowned with gleaming golden onion domes.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- Saint Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Yuriy Pylypchak
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia (sui iuris Byzantine metropolitan church)
Why belong here
St. Michael's is a small, family-oriented parish of about 100 families where the Byzantine-Rite Ukrainian Catholic faith is celebrated in both Ukrainian and English every Sunday. After the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy the whole parish gathers for kava (coffee hour) and fellowship, and the community is known for its warmth, its pyrohy/pierogi fundraisers, and its outreach to war-torn Ukraine — collections of goods and tens of thousands of dollars have flowed from the parish through the Archeparchy of Philadelphia. Visitors are warmly welcomed at worship, at parish dinners, at the annual Ukrainian Festival on the church courtyard, and at catechetical classes for children preparing for First Confession and Solemn Holy Communion.
Mass times at Saint Michael [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM (before the English Divine Liturgy)
- Sunday 9:30 AM (before the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy)
- In general, the Sacrament of Penance is heard one-half hour prior to each Divine Liturgy
Parish Identity & Location
St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-Rite (Ukrainian Catholic) parish at 2401 Eastern Avenue in East Baltimore, Maryland. It belongs not to the Latin-Rite Archdiocese of Baltimore but to the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, a sui iuris metropolitan church in full communion with Rome. The parish serves about 100 families from across the Baltimore region and the wider diaspora of Ukrainian Catholics on the East Coast.
A Century of Ukrainian Catholic Life in Baltimore
The parish's roots lie in the wave of Western Ukrainian (Ruthenian) immigrants who settled in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood beginning in the 1880s. After years of gathering in homes and borrowing worship space from neighboring Latin-Rite parishes — most notably St. Stanislaus (S. Ann Street) and St. Casimir (through its pastor Fr. Josaphat Bok) — the community received its first resident priest, Fr. Zachary Orun, in 1910. In 1912 the parish purchased two lots on South Wolf Street, and in August 1913 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the newly built church there. The parish marked the 100th anniversary of its foundation in 2012.
The Move to Eastern Avenue (1981–1992)
After decades of growth, the parish purchased its present site on Eastern Avenue from the City of Baltimore in 1981; the site contained an abandoned city school and warehouse, which were torn down in 1983. The plot for the new church was blessed on Sunday, April 29, 1984, the parish center was completed at the end of September 1988, and the final Divine Liturgy on Wolfe Street was held that September 25. The new church building was completed in May 1991, with the first Divine Liturgy celebrated on May 19, 1991 by Archbishop Sterniuk of Lviv. On November 22, 1992 Metropolitan Stephen Sulyk and Latin-Rite Archbishop William H. Keeler jointly consecrated the new St. Michael's, which had been modeled after a church design in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Interior Decoration and the Iconostasis
Following the consecration, the parish continued beautifying the new church. On June 25, 1995 the iconostasis was blessed and the mortgage on the church was burned in a single ceremony. Since then the entire interior has been decorated with Byzantine icons, the domes have been resurfaced, and the exterior has been repainted; the painting of the interior was completed and blessed by Metropolitan Stephen Sulyk on November 2, 1997.
Pastor & Clergy
The parish is currently served by Rev. Yuriy Pylypchak, who was appointed Pastor on August 1, 2024 by Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia. Father Yuriy was ordained a deacon at St. Michael's on November 12, 2023 and a priest at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia on July 24, 2024; he celebrated his First Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving at St. Michael's on July 28, 2024. He also serves as Staff Chaplain and member of the Palliative Care Team at Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland. His wife Iryna serves as the parish's "Panyi Matka," the traditional Byzantine title for a priest's wife. His immediate predecessor was Rev. Vasyl Sivinskyi, who served as pastor from 2004 until his retirement in 2024 and who concurrently pastored Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Curtis Bay.
Parish Pastoral Council & Leadership
Day-to-day governance is shared between the pastor and an elected Parish Pastoral Council, three Trustees / Financial Advisors, and a Church Council.
- Pastor / Chairman / Administrator: Rev. Yuriy Pylypchak — (410) 675-7557
- Trustees / Financial Advisors: John Wojtowycz, Ihor Remsky, Stephen Humeniuk
- Council Secretary: Mrs. Daria Hauff
- Council Members: Dr. Roman Goy, Marijka Kaczaniuk, Michael Kulyk, Anna Sprinkle, Taras Wojtowycz, Tessa Zilberbaum
Byzantine-Rite Faith & Holy Days
St. Michael's worships according to the Byzantine (Ruthenian-Recension) liturgical tradition of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, served in both English and Ukrainian. The parish observes the Twelve Great Feasts of the Byzantine year — from the Nativity of the Theotokos (September 8) through the Dormition (August 15) — and the four great fasting seasons: Philip's Fast (pre-Christmas, beginning November 15), the Apostles' Fast (before Ss. Peter & Paul, June 29), the Dormition Fast (August 1–14), and the Great and Holy Fast / Lent beginning on Clean Monday and ending before Lazarus Saturday.
- Twelve Great Feasts: Theophany (Jan 6), Presentation (Feb 2), Annunciation (Mar 25), Entry into Jerusalem, Ascension, Pentecost, Transfiguration (Aug 6), Dormition (Aug 15), Nativity of the Theotokos (Sep 8), Exaltation of the Cross (Sep 14), Presentation of the Theotokos (Nov 21), Nativity of Christ (Dec 25)
- Holy Days of Obligation observed in the parish: All Sundays; Theophany (Jan 6); Annunciation (Mar 25); Ascension; Ss. Peter & Paul (Jun 29); Dormition (Aug 15); Christmas (Dec 25)
- Anointing / Myrovannya is celebrated with the faithful on all feast days and holy days
Sacraments
In the Byzantine tradition the Mysteries (Sacraments) of Initiation — Baptism, Chrismation, and First Holy Eucharist — are typically celebrated together, even for infants. The Sacrament of Penance (Confession) is heard half an hour before each Divine Liturgy, and the Anointing of the Sick is offered both in church and on home/hospital visits.
- Baptism, Chrismation, Holy Eucharist — administered together
- Crowning (Marriage) — by appointment with the priest
- Holy Anointing of the Sick — for healing of body and soul
- Sacrament of Penance — Sunday 7:30 AM and 9:30 AM, or by arrangement
- First Confession and Solemn Holy Communion — annual catechetical program
- Sick Calls — Father Yuriy brings Communion, Confession and Anointing to the homebound; call 443-824-6878
Catechetical Classes & Faith Formation
Each Lent the parish runs catechetical classes (Катехитичні класи) for children, culminating in the celebration of First Confession and Solemn Holy Communion in May. Classes and sacramental preparation are offered in both English and Ukrainian.
- Lent catechetical classes (early March through late March in 2026)
- First Confession and Solemn Holy Communion — May 17, 2026
Parish Life, Fellowship & Ukrainian Food
St. Michael's describes itself as a "small family oriented parish" and the social life of the community is built around food and feast days. After every Ukrainian Divine Liturgy the parish gathers for kava (coffee), and roughly once a month a team of parishioners prepares pyrohy (pierogi) and other Ukrainian dishes for sale as a fundraiser — with kava and pyrohy proceeds often directed to charitable causes such as the Ukrainian Military.
- Kava (coffee hour) after the 10:00 AM Ukrainian Divine Liturgy each Sunday
- Monthly Pyrohy / Pierogi & Ukrainian Food Sale fundraisers
- Church kitchen in the Lower Hall (used for pyrohy preparation)
- Christmas Launch (Різдвяний Обід) — January 11, 2026
- Concert "Rozkolyada" — January 25, 2026
- Easter Bazaar — Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026
- Ukrainian Festival on the church courtyard & 500 Block S. Montford Ave — September 26–27, 2026
- Ukrainian Christmas Bazaar — December 19, 2026
- St. Nicholas Day celebration (Святого Миколая) — December 7, 2026
St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery
The parish maintains its own cemetery as part of its pastoral mission to the faithful and their families. The annual Blessing of Graves is held the Sunday after Easter, with kava following.
- Cemetery Administrator: Stephen Humeniuk — (410) 967-0501
- Email: NA (per contact page)
- Blessing of Graves @ St. Michael Cemetery & Kava — April 12, 2026
Outreach to Ukraine
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, St. Michael's has been a hub for humanitarian relief — gathering camouflage clothing, military boots, medical supplies, antibacterial ointments, pain relievers, children's books, backpacks and kitchen supplies in the parish hall, and sending pirohy-sale proceeds and donations through the Archeparchy of Philadelphia's humanitarian outreach. The parish also marks each anniversary of the full-scale war with a Community Prayer for Ukraine, and remembers the Holodomor with a Panakhyda memorial service.
- Goods collection for Ukraine (ongoing in parish hall)
- Fundraising through pyrohy/pierogi sales — proceeds directed to humanitarian outreach
- Community Prayer for Ukraine on the anniversary of the full-scale war — February 22, 2026
- Mass Rally in Washington, D.C. for the 4th Year of the full-scale war — February 21, 2026
- Holodomor Remembrance Panakhyda — November 2026 (date TBD)
- Ukrainian Independence Day observance — August 24, 2026
Contact, Office & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office, the pastor, council members, the cemetery administrator, and the pyrohy team through the contact information below. The parish is a registered 501(c)(3) under the IRS name "Saint Michaels Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church" (Tax-ID 47-4867849).
- Address: 2401 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
- Office Phone: 410-675-7557 — Fax: 410-732-0839
- Pastor's Cell: 443-824-6878
- General Email: [email protected]
- Trustee Emails: John Wojtowycz, Ihor Remsky, Stephen Humeniuk (as listed on the contact page)
- Pyrohy / Pierogi Pre-Orders via email (see contact page)
- Bulletin and calendar of events published on the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Josaphat Bok1890s
Pastor of St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church who helped the Ukrainian Catholic community worship in the Byzantine Rite before a dedicated parish existed.
- Fr. Zachary Orun1910–
Assigned by Bishop Soter Ortynsky, Bishop of Ukrainian Catholics in America, as the first resident priest for the Baltimore faithful.
- Rev. Vasyl Sivinskyi2004–2024
Long-serving pastor who led the parish into its modern era; also concurrently pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Curtis Bay; oversaw the pirohy/pierogi fundraiser and the parish's massive humanitarian relief efforts for Ukraine after the 2022 invasion; retired in 2024.
- Rev. Yuriy Pylypchak2024–present
Ordained deacon at St. Michael's November 12, 2023; ordained priest at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Philadelphia on July 24, 2024; celebrated his First Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving at St. Michael's on July 28, 2024 and was appointed Pastor on August 1, 2024 by Metropolitan Borys Gudziak.