About Saints Peter and Paul [Ukrainian] · Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania
Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic) parish serving the faithful of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, in the anthracite coal region of Northumberland County. Founded on September 13, 1891 by Carpatho-Ukrainian immigrant miners and their families, it is one of the oldest Ukrainian Catholic communities in central-eastern Pennsylvania and today belongs to the South Anthracite Deanery of the Ukrainian Metropolitan Archeparchy of Philadelphia. The parish celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian Byzantine tradition and continues to serve the spiritual and cultural needs of descendants of those early coal-region settlers.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (Prince of the Apostles)
- Rector
- Rev. Paul Spotts
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Metropolitan Archeparchy of Philadelphia (South Anthracite Deanery)
Why belong here
Sts. Peter and Paul offers a faithful home for Ukrainian Catholics and anyone drawn to the Byzantine liturgical tradition in the heart of the anthracite coal region. The parish combines the centuries-old Ukrainian Greek Catholic Divine Liturgy with active faith formation for children and adults — including Sunday religious education, youth ministry, Bible study, and catechetical classes — together with weekly Confession and weekday worship. As one of the oldest Ukrainian Catholic communities in central Pennsylvania, it is a place where descendants of the original Carpatho-Ukrainian miners continue the same faith their grandparents brought from the old country.
Mass times at Saints Peter and Paul [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM
- Sunday 8:00 AM
Parish Identity & Heritage
Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite Catholic parish in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, founded in 1891 by Carpatho-Ukrainian immigrants who came to work the anthracite coal mines. The parish belongs to the Ukrainian Metropolitan Archeparchy of Philadelphia and forms part of the South Anthracite Deanery, a network of Ukrainian Catholic parishes that dot the coal region of Northumberland and Schuylkill counties.
- Canonically established September 13, 1891
- Patrons: Saints Peter and Paul (feast day June 29)
- Jurisdiction: Ukrainian Metropolitan Archeparchy of Philadelphia
- Deanery: South Anthracite Protopresbytery
- Geographic location: within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Harrisburg
Clergy & Administration
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Paul Spotts, who also serves as Administrator of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Centralia. As is common across the South Anthracite Deanery, one priest is often entrusted with the care of more than one parish to keep these historic communities sustainable amid shifting demographics in the coal region.
- Rev. Paul Spotts — Administrator of Sts. Peter and Paul (Mount Carmel) and Assumption of the BVM (Centralia)
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Parish phone: (570) 339-0650
Liturgical Schedule
Sts. Peter and Paul celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian Byzantine tradition, with services in English and Ukrainian. The weekly schedule includes Saturday and Sunday Divine Liturgies plus a weekday Liturgy, with Confession offered before each Sunday service.
- Saturday Divine Liturgy — 4:00 PM
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 8:30 AM
- Weekday Divine Liturgy — 8:00 AM
- Confession — Saturday 3:00 PM and Sunday 8:00 AM
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish runs a robust religious-education program for its younger members and offers adult formation tied to the Great Fast (Lent), when Ukrainian Catholics traditionally intensify catechesis. Bible study and youth ministry round out the formation offerings, giving parishioners multiple ways to grow in the Byzantine Catholic faith.
- Religious Education for youth — Sundays, 9:30 AM–10:30 AM
- Adult Education — Wednesdays during the Great Fast, 5:00 PM
- Bible study groups
- Youth ministry
- Catechetical classes
Community & Coal-Region Roots
The Mount Carmel parish stands among the earliest Ukrainian Catholic foundations in the anthracite coal region, alongside Transfiguration of Our Lord in Shamokin (1886) and St. Nicholas in Minersville (1896). Ukrainian heritage tours organized in the late 2000s and early 2010s — led by Very Rev. Archpriest John M. Fields, then dean of the South Anthracite Protopresbytery — highlighted Ss. Peter and Paul as a touchstone parish of the region's immigrant story. Descendants of those first miners continue to form the core of the parish community today.
- Founded by Carpatho-Ukrainian immigrant coal miners
- One of the earliest Ukrainian Catholic parishes in the southern anthracite region
- Documented as a heritage-tour stop by the Ukrainian heritage tours of 2010
- Part of the same deanery as St. Nicholas (Minersville), Nativity of the BVM (Middleport), St. Nicholas (Glen Lyon), and Ss. Cyril and Methodius (Berwick)
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Sts. Peter and Paul by mail, phone, or email. The parish also maintains a Facebook page with updates, announcements, and pastoral notes.
- Address: 131 North Beech Street, Mount Carmel, PA 17851
- Phone: (570) 339-0650
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/SsPeterAndPaulMC