About Saint Nicholas [Ukrainian] · Wilmington, Delaware
St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite (Ukrainian Catholic) parish in Wilmington, Delaware, serving the Ukrainian Catholic faithful of Delaware, Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1903 by Ukrainian immigrants who had settled near the city's east-side factories and mills, it belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and is in full communion with Rome. After outgrowing its original 1909 church on South Heald Street, the community built its present house of worship on West Lea Boulevard in 1968–1969, and the parish celebrated its Centennial Jubilee in 2003. Today the parish gathers three generations of immigrants — pre-WWI descendants, post-WWII refugees, and recent arrivals after the fall of Communism — along with non-Ukrainian families drawn to Eastern Christian spirituality.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Saint Nicholas)
- Rector
- Rev. Volodymyr Klanichka
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia (Byzantine-rite, in full communion with Rome; geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Wilmington)
Why belong here
St. Nicholas is the spiritual home of the Ukrainian Catholic community in Delaware and a warm, multi-generational parish rooted in three waves of immigration. Worshippers gather for the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the Byzantine-Ukrainian rite, surrounded by genuine Venetian-Smalti mosaics, an iconostasis, stained-glass Stations of the Cross, and a beautiful cupola. The parish keeps a busy calendar of social, cultural, and religious activities and openly welcomes both cradle Ukrainians and families of any ethnicity who are drawn to Eastern Christian spirituality — the church's own invitation is simply, "Come and see" (John 1:46).
Mass times at Saint Nicholas [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday — after the Divine Liturgy (also available by appointment by calling the parish)
Parish Identity & Byzantine-Ukrainian Catholic Faith
St. Nicholas is a parish of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia — an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Pope of Rome. While most Catholics think of 'the Catholic Church' as the Roman Catholic Church, almost twenty different sui iuris churches together make up the Catholic Communion; the Ukrainian-Byzantine Church is the second largest. St. Nicholas serves the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic faithful of Delaware, Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania, and welcomes non-Ukrainian families drawn to Eastern Christian spirituality.
- Worships God in the Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and confesses Christ as fully God and fully man.
- Celebrates the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (the Byzantine equivalent of the Mass) every Sunday.
- Receives Holy Communion under the form of bread and wine together on a spoon by the priest (the faithful do not say 'Amen' individually — the congregation says it during the Eucharistic prayer).
- Uses the Byzantine Sign of the Cross (two fingers joined to the thumb for the Trinity; last two fingers to the palm for the two natures of Christ), made right-to-left.
- Uses incense as prayer ascending before God's throne.
- Venerates icons — 'Windows into Heaven' — as a focus for prayer; icons themselves are not worshipped, only the persons they depict.
History of St. Nicholas Parish
From a stable-chapel on South Heald Street to the mosaic-decorated Lea Boulevard church of today, St. Nicholas has been the religious, social, and cultural heart of Wilmington's Ukrainian community for more than 120 years. The parish has welcomed three waves of immigration — pre-WWI, post-WWII, and post-1991 — and celebrated its Centennial Jubilee in 2003.
- 1890s — Ukrainians begin settling in east Wilmington's factory/mill neighborhoods.
- 1903 — Stable converted into a chapel; parish formally takes shape.
- 1905 — Charter received incorporating St. Michael's United Greek Catholic Ruthenian Church.
- 1909 — Purpose-built church erected on South Heald Street largely by parishioner labor.
- 1912 — First parish choir formed.
- 1914 — Parochial school founded.
- 1923 — Church Hall built on the adjacent lot.
- 1925 — Hall dedicated by Bishop Constantine Bohachevsky on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
- 1940 — Mortgage on the Heald Street church paid off.
- 1948 — Father Bohdan Osidach becomes St. Nicholas's first resident pastor.
- 1958 — 50th Anniversary; new-church plans announced.
- 1964 — $150,000 Building Fund launched; Lea Boulevard/Miller Road property purchased.
- 1968 (December 7) — Cornerstone laid by Archbishop Senyshyn.
- 1969 (May 4) — Father Andrew Baunchalk celebrates the first Divine Liturgy in the new church.
- 1969 (October 5) — Metropolitan Senyshyn solemnly blesses and dedicates the new church.
- 1972 — Venetian-Smalti mosaics by J.M. Baransky Studio installed.
- 1978 — Iconostasis and stained-glass Stations of the Cross installed; $200,000 construction mortgage paid off; Diamond Jubilee marked at the du Pont Hotel.
- 1993 — Father William Gore becomes pastor and launches major renovations.
- 1998 (April) — Elevator, same-level restroom, hall refurbishment, and other upgrades blessed.
- 2003 — Centennial Jubilee celebrated.
- 2021 — The 1909 South Heald Street church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Special Services Through the Year
Beyond the weekly Sunday Divine Liturgy, the parish publishes a fuller schedule for Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha (Easter), the Nativity (Christmas), and patron-solemnity observances.
- Good Friday (Plaschanytsia) — Vespers with procession of the Holy Shroud, 7:00 PM.
- Holy Saturday — Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, 9:00 AM; Blessing of Paska and Easter Food, 3:00 PM.
- Easter Sunday — Resurrection Matins with Procession, Easter Divine Liturgy, Blessing of Artos-Bread, and Anointing with Holy Oil (Myrovania), 9:00 AM.
- Pentecost — First Penance and First Holy Eucharist for the parish children, followed by coffee and cake.
- Summer schedule — single Sunday Liturgy at 10:00 AM beginning around May 20.
- Christmas — Nativity Divine Liturgy schedule published by the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
Parish Ministries, Organizations & Community Life
St. Nicholas has long paired spiritual life with strong parish organizations for women, men, youth, and musicians — many of them reaching back nearly a century.
- Apostleship of Prayer — women's devotional society, organized in 1932.
- Ukrainian Catholic Club of St. Nicholas — men's organization, founded 1933.
- Parish Choir — re-introduced during Father Gore's tenure after the retirement of long-time cantor Michael Kowalchuk.
- Youth Ministry — discussion groups, plays, and programs before the Christmas Eve Liturgy and at parish dinners (Fathers Gore and Mirchuk).
- Sunday Liturgy live-streamed on Facebook — 10:00 AM.
- Joint activities with neighboring parishes (e.g., St. Basil in Chesapeake City, MD) — sports, picnics, and Ukrainian national-holiday commemorations.
- Support for the Archeparchy's 'Healing of Wounds of the War in Ukraine' humanitarian efforts.
The Church Building & Sacred Art
The present church at 800 W. Lea Boulevard was purpose-built to be a 'citadel for Christ' in the words of Metropolitan Senyshyn. Its Byzantine-Ukrainian sacred art includes Venetian-Smalti mosaics, an iconostasis, stained-glass Stations of the Cross, and a prominent cupola.
- 1968 — Cornerstone laid; first Divine Liturgy celebrated May 4, 1969.
- 1972 — Mosaic icons behind the altar and at both front sides, executed in Venetian Smalti stones by J.M. Baransky Studio of Yonkers, NY.
- 1973 — Church-grounds sign installed (Andco Industries Corporation, Greensboro, NC).
- 1974 — Parking lot paved by E. Earle Downing, Inc.
- 1975 — Blue carpet laid in the center aisle and in the altar apse.
- 1978 — Iconostasis and stained-glass windows depicting the Stations of the Cross installed; beautification of the church essentially completed.
- 1998 — Elevator, same-level restroom, hall refurbishment, kitchen upgrade, repaved parking, and new rectory office (blessed April 1998).
- Cupola — visible landmark feature of the Lea Boulevard church.
The 1909 South Heald Street Church (Historic Site)
St. Nicholas's original purpose-built church stands at 610 South Heald Street in Wilmington's Southbridge neighborhood. It served the Ukrainian community from 1909 until 1968 and was sold in 1969 to the New Calvary Baptist Church. In 2021 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and ethnic heritage — both Ukrainian and African-American — and as the first purpose-built Greek Catholic church in Wilmington.
- Built in 1909 largely with parishioner labor.
- Constructed of ornamental concrete block and decorative pressed sheet metal — an excellent example of early-20th-century vernacular Ukrainian religious architecture.
- Period of significance 1909–1970.
- Sold to New Calvary Baptist Church in 1969.
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 (Reference #100006071).
Visiting St. Nicholas — Location & Contact
The parish warmly welcomes visitors. Sunday Divine Liturgy is at 10:00 AM and is also live-streamed on Facebook for those at a distance. Confession is heard after the Liturgy and by appointment.
- Address: 800 W. Lea Boulevard, Wilmington, DE 19802 (church property also referenced as 801 Lea Blvd., Wilmington, DE 19802-2503).
- Phone: (302) 762-5511.
- Email: [email protected] (parish); [email protected] (pastor).
- Website: https://stnicholaschurchde.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StNicholasUkrainianChurch/ (Sunday Liturgy Live at 10:00 AM).
- Diocese: Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Various priest-administrators (from Philadelphia, before 1914)before 1914
Early transient priest-administrators served St. Nicholas from Philadelphia before a more stable administrator was named.
- Rev. Wolodymyr Derzeruka1914 – April 1922
Pastor of Holy Ghost in Chester and administrator of St. Nicholas in Wilmington; helped the parish refurbish the Heald Street church and start the choir in 1912 and the parochial school in 1914.
- Rev. Antin Lotovych1922 – 1926
Pastor of Chester and administrator in Wilmington; oversaw construction of the Church Hall (1923), dedicated by Bishop Constantine Bohachevsky in September 1925.
- Rev. Father Chehanskyuntil 1936
Administrator in Wilmington; also served St. Basil in Chesapeake City, MD; promoted joint sports, picnics, and Ukrainian national-holiday commemorations.
- Rev. Bohdan Osidachfrom 1948
A recently arrived married priest, he became St. Nicholas's first resident pastor; the parish immediately purchased a rectory at 608 South Claymont Street.
- Rev. A. Ulitskythrough the late 1950s
Oversaw the parish's 50th Anniversary (1958), when the new-church plans were first announced.
- Rev. Stephen HotraDecember 1957 – ~1964+
Administrator from December 1957, acting pastor from 1960; launched the $150,000 new-church fund drive and bought the Lea Boulevard property in 1964.
- Rev. Andrew Baunchalkcelebrated first Divine Liturgy May 4, 1969
Celebrated the very first Divine Liturgy in the new church; oversaw its completion.
- Rev. Roman Dubitskyfrom June 1971
Succeeded Father Baunchalk as pastor; oversaw installation of the Venetian-Smalti mosaics (1972), the church sign (1973), paving (1974), blue carpet (1975), iconostasis and stained-glass Stations of the Cross (1978), and payment of the $200,000 mortgage.
- Rev. William Gorefrom 1993
Major accessibility/renovation pastor: same-level restroom, elevator to the lower hall (blessed April 1998), repainted interior, refurbished hall and kitchen, repaved lot, and a new rectory office; championed youth ministry and re-introduced a parish choir.
- Rev. Roman Mirchukserved alongside Fr. Gore
Shared Fr. Gore's interest in youth ministry; co-led discussion groups and parish theatricals, including the Christmas Eve Liturgy programs.
- Rev. Volodymyr Klanichkacurrent
Current pastor; [email protected]; parish email [email protected].