About Saints Peter and Paul [Ukrainian] · Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite (Greek Catholic) parish at 635 North River Street in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in full communion with the Pope of Rome and part of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. Founded in 1909 by Lemko, Galician, and Carpatho-Ukrainian immigrants who had settled in the Wyoming Valley, the parish built its first church on the corner of N. River and W. Chestnut Streets, opened a parish cemetery in Plains, PA in 1910, and added a school hall in 1939 that served generations of children. Today it celebrates the Divine Liturgy in combined English and Church Slavonic, is administered by Rev. Myron Myronyuk (also pastor of St. Vladimir in Scranton), and continues the traditions of its founders — choirs singing both languages, an annual Sviachenne Easter brunch, pyrohy and pastie sales, and the Apostleship of Prayer that has sustained parish life for decades.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul, the Apostles
- Rector
- Rev. Myron Myronyuk (Administrator, assigned March 2022; also Pastor of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church, Scranton)
- Diocese
- Archeparchy of Philadelphia (Ukrainian Catholic)
Why belong here
This is a Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic parish that has welcomed immigrants, refugees, and neighbors for more than a century, and it shows: liturgies are celebrated in combined English and Church Slavonic so both heritage families and newcomers can fully participate. The parish offers daily and Sunday Divine Liturgies, the Sacrament of Reconciliation on request, the May Crowning, an annual Sviachenne Easter brunch, fundraisers (pyrohy and pastie sales, Why Cook Wednesdays, the Turkey-Fest Dinner), a parish cemetery in Plains, and a tradition of lay-run societies — Apostleship of Prayer, Holy Name Society, Mothers' Club, Altar Boys, and the parish Activities Committee — where every member of the family can find a place to serve.
Mass times at Saints Peter and Paul [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Half hour before each Divine Liturgy
- Upon request (before or after liturgies)
History of Saints Peter & Paul
Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church traces its roots to the late 1880s, when Ukrainian immigrants — most from Lemkivshchyna, Carpatho-Ukraine, Galicia, and other Western Ukrainian regions now in Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania — settled across Wyoming Valley. The parish was formally organized in 1909 under Bishop Soter Ortynsky, with Rev. Elias Kuziw as founding pastor. The current 'History of the parish' page on the parish website documents the founding charter (June 1, 1909), the building of the original $6,900 church, the 1910 purchase of cemetery land on Blanchard Street in Plains, the completion and blessing of the church on Labor Day 1912, the 1939 construction of the school hall, and the challenges of the late 20th and 21st centuries — including the 2019 financial warning letter from the Archeparchy, the COVID-19 closure and online-recorded liturgies, and the 2022 assignment of Rev. Myron Myronyuk as Administrator.
- Founded 1909 — charter granted June 1, 1909 by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas
- Church built 1909–1912 for $6,900, blessed Labor Day 1912 by Bishop Ortynsky
- Cemetery purchased March 1, 1910 on Blanchard Street, Plains, PA ($1,600)
- School hall opened September 1939 at a cost of over $20,000
- Celebrated centennial in 2009 with Pontifical Divine Liturgy at Waterfront Banquet Facility, Plains
- Reassigned Rev. Myron Myronyuk as Administrator in March 2022
Who We Are
Saints Peter & Paul is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish of the Byzantine Rite in full communion with the Pope of Rome. The 'Who Are We?' page on the official website explains its communion: the parish's Patriarch is His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, and its Metropolitan-Archbishop is His Grace, the Most Reverend Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia. The parish's worship and identity draw on the spiritual and liturgical traditions of Eastern Christianity while remaining part of the universal Catholic Church.
- Byzantine Rite Ukrainian Greek Catholic
- In full communion with the Pope of Rome
- Patriarch: His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk (Kyiv-Halych)
- Metropolitan-Archbishop: Most Reverend Borys Gudziak (Philadelphia)
- Administrator: Rev. Myron Myronyuk
Parish Ministries & Societies
Saints Peter & Paul has a rich fabric of lay organizations that have served the parish for decades. The Apostleship of Prayer, founded during Rev. Chlystun's tenure, continues to host the annual Sviachenne Easter Dinner and most of the parish's fund-raising and social activities. Other long-running groups include the Holy Name Society (reformed by Rev. Baunchalk in 1972), the Junior Holy Name Society, the Mothers' Club, the Sewing Circle, the Ukrainian Catholic Youth League, the Sodality (started by the Sisters in the late 1930s), the Altar Boy Society, and the parish Activities Committee, formed late in Rev. Burak's tenure to coordinate social and fund-raising events.
- Apostleship of Prayer — sponsors Sviachenne Easter brunch and most fund-raisers
- Holy Name Society (parish chapter; Junior Holy Name Society)
- Mothers' Club
- Sewing Circle
- Ukrainian Catholic Youth League
- Altar Boy Society (Altar Servers)
- Parish Sodality
- Activities Committee — coordinates social and fund-raising events
Choir & Liturgical Music
The parish has a long tradition of congregational and choral singing, particularly in the Byzantine-rite style. According to the parish history, Rev. Frank Patrylak formed a chanting choir in December 1977 after the parish had been without a formal choir for decades. In September 1982, the choir was reorganized into a single ensemble that could sing both in Slavonic and English; it rehearses as one body but splits so that each Sunday Liturgy is sung in the appropriate language. The tradition of singing both Sunday Liturgies continues today. Christmas caroling is celebrated with an annual Christmas Carol Sing-Along hosted by the parish.
- Chanting choir reorganized September 1982 into bilingual Slavonic/English ensemble
- Christmas Carol Sing-Along — annual parish tradition (held in early January)
Religious Education: Cross Valley Ukrainian CCD
When the parish school closed in 1952 (after staffing by the Sisters dropped to two teachers), religious education continued through catechetical programs revived by Rev. Patrylak in the late 1970s. In September 1982, Very Rev. Archpriest Alex Burak became Director of the Cross Valley Ukrainian CCD Program, which was housed in the parish school building and drew children aged 3 to 18 from parishes across the region — Plymouth, Nanticoke, Hanover, Glen Lyon, Edwardsville, and Wilkes-Barre. Children were taught by volunteers from all the supporting parishes, with more than 100 students participating in holiday performances, ethnic festivities, and cultural events.
- Catechetical Program re-started under Rev. Patrylak in late 1970s
- Cross Valley Ukrainian CCD Program directed by Rev. Burak from September 1982
- Served 100+ students from across the Wyoming Valley
Parish School & Hall
Parish-operated schooling began with the construction of the school hall in 1938-1939 — funded by a $12,000 mortgage approved by the bishop and built at a cost of over $20,000. It opened for classes in September 1939, initially housing grades 1 through 5 and later expanding to grade 8. Religious Sisters staffed the school, founded a Sodality and Junior Holy Name Society, and started the May Crowning. The first graduating class was 1943. The school closed in 1952 when the Sisters were reduced to two, but the building continued to serve the parish — most notably as the home of the Cross Valley Ukrainian CCD Program from 1982 onward. The school hall also serves as the parish hall and the site for many fund-raising dinners; its phone line remains listed on the parish contacts page.
- School hall constructed 1938–1939
- Opened September 1939; first graduating class 1943
- Closed in 1952 as Sisters were reduced to two
- Later housed the Cross Valley Ukrainian CCD Program
- Parish hall phone: (570) 829-3051
Parish Cemetery (Blanchard Street, Plains)
Land for the parish cemetery was purchased on March 1, 1910 on Blanchard Street in Plains, Pennsylvania for $1,600. The first burial was 22-year-old Ksenia Borys on June 20, 1910; that year there were 13 other burials, nine of them infants. Under Rev. Chlystun, the cemetery was mapped with the help of former caretaker Nicholas Yarish, individual family plots were replaced with a single person hired to maintain the grounds, a granite cross was installed, and the property was fenced. The cemetery remains an important part of the parish's patrimony — when St. Vladimir's parish in Edwardsville was closed in 2022, its cemetery and records were transferred for administration to Saints Peter & Paul in Plymouth rather than this parish.
- Cemetery purchased March 1, 1910 ($1,600) on Blanchard Street, Plains, PA
- First burial: Ksenia Borys, June 20, 1910
- Mapped under Rev. Chlystun; granite cross installed; property fenced
Holy Week, Pascha, and Major Feast Day Schedule
The parish posts an annual schedule of services for the Great Fast and Holy Week, including the Presanctified Liturgy with Sorokousty-Panakhyda, Good Friday Vespers and Procession with Veneration, Holy Saturday Basket Blessing and Grave Closing (Nadhrobe), and the Resurrection Divine Liturgy and Procession on Easter Sunday. The Liturgy for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated around June 29, the parish's patronal feast; Theophany (January 5) is observed as a Holy Day of Obligation with the Blessing of Water, and the parish notes that blessed water is distributed after the liturgy for parishioners to take home in their own containers.
- Presanctified Liturgy and Panakhyda during Great Lent
- Good Friday Vespers and Procession with Veneration
- Holy Saturday Basket Blessing and Nadhrobe (Grave Closing)
- Resurrection Divine Liturgy and Procession — Easter Sunday
- Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — Sunday around June 29
- Theophany (January 5) — Blessing of Water
Parish Events & Fundraisers
The parish's social calendar blends Eastern-Christian tradition with Wyoming-Valley community life. The annual Sviachenne (Easter Brunch Social) follows the Resurrection Divine Liturgy, while the popular "Why Cook Wednesdays" — a series of takeout dinner fundraisers — return each summer. The Turkey-Fest Dinner, the Christmas Pyrohy Sale, and a Pastie Sale round out the year's major fund-raisers, supplemented by occasional Vino's Hoagies and similar promotions. The Exultation of the Holy Cross is observed in September.
- Sviachenne — Easter Brunch Social (after 11:00 AM Liturgy)
- Why Cook Wednesdays (summer dinner fundraisers, e.g., Lasagna Dinner, Ukrainian Festival Food)
- Turkey-Fest Dinner
- Christmas Pyrohy Sale
- Pastie Sale
- Exultation of the Holy Cross (September 14)
Vocations Produced by the Parish
Saints Peter & Paul takes pride in having produced four religious vocations from its small community — all women religious from the Order of Saint Basil the Great (O.S.B.M.). The parish includes a Prayer for Vocations on its Vocations page and links to the Archeparchy's vocations site.
- †Sister M. Stephanie Holub, O.S.B.M.
- †Sister M. Anselm Holub, O.S.B.M.
- †Sister M. Christopher Bonk, O.S.B.M.
- †Sister M. Oksana Iwaschyshyn
Contacts & Getting in Touch
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish by mail, email, or phone. The rectory handles most inquiries, while the parish hall has its own line for events and rentals.
- Mailing address: 635 North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705
- Email: [email protected]
- Rectory phone: (570) 823-1821
- Parish hall phone: (570) 829-3051
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Elias Kuziw1909–1911
Founding pastor; sent by Bishop Soter Ortynsky; prepared parish By-Laws and secured charter.
- Rev. Michael Kuziw1911–1913
Brother of Elias; oversaw completion of the church, blessed by Bishop Ortynsky Labor Day 1912.
- Rev. Volodymyr Spolitakevycz1913–1917
Contracted painter George Seifert of Scranton to decorate the interior (1914).
- Rev. Michael Lysiak1917–c.1919
Came from Auburn, NY; parish saw 1,050 baptisms, 261 marriages, 235 burials (61 of them 1918-flu deaths).
- Rev. Michael Oleksiw (first tenure)1919–1930
Assigned June 1919; oversaw cemetery improvements.
- Rev. John Kutsky1930–1944
14 years; built school hall (1939); Sisters began Sodality and Junior Holy Name Society; May Crowning tradition started.
- Rev. Michael Oleksiw (second tenure)1944–1949
Returned after Kutsky's death; paid off mortgage, installed new boiler, renovated rectory.
- Rev. Andrew Chlystun1949–1972
Visited every family; held first Holy Mission; mapped and fenced the cemetery; formed Mothers' Club, Sewing Circle, Ukrainian Catholic Youth League; commissioned granite front steps.
- Rev. Andrew Baunchalk1972–1976
Founded Holy Name Society chapter, Altar Boy Society; revitalized Apostleship of Prayer.
- Very Rev. Archpriest Alex Burak (initial term)1976–1977
Administrator; transferred to Berwick Feb 1976 (per history page) and again served as Administrator later.
- Rev. Frank Patrylak1977–1980
Re-started the Catechetical Program; formed the chanting choir; transferred to St. Clair January 1980.
- Rev. John Beckage1980–1982
Extended Catechetical Classes to parishes across the valley; transferred to Berwick 1982.
- Very Rev. Archpriest Alex Burak (return)August 1982–December 2002
Director of Cross Valley Ukrainian CCD Program (1982); renovations to entry, A/C, stained glass, roofs; retired December 2002. Founded parish Activities Committee.
- Rev. Andriy DudkevychAugust 2006–August 2007
Administrator residing in Edwardsville; completed major electrical renovation in school.
- Rev. Orest Kunderevych2007–August 2012
Oversaw rectory renovation, completion of church painting; pastor also served as Administrator of St. Vladimir's Edwardsville.
- Very Rev. Paul WolenskyAugust 2012–2020 (medical leave)
Also pastor of St. Vladimir Edwardsville (his home parish); went on medical leave November 2020 due to medical complications.
- Rev. Archpriest Michael HutskoDecember 2020
Named Senior Administrator for Financial Matters during Wolensky's medical leave.
- Rev. Myron MyronyukMarch 2022–present
Assigned by the Archeparchy in March 2022 as Administrator of Saints Peter and Paul; concurrently Pastor of St. Vladimir's, Scranton.