St. Basil Church, Blessed Trinity Parish

About St. Basil Church

St. Basil Church, located at 1735 Brownsville Road in the Carrick neighborhood of South Pittsburgh, is one of four worship sites that together make up Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish. Originally founded in 1907 to serve the growing Catholic population along Brownsville Road, the current Byzantine-style church was designed by noted Pittsburgh architect Thomas Comes and dedicated in 1923. It remains the spiritual home of nearly 2,400 Catholics in Carrick and the surrounding neighborhoods.

History & Architecture

Saint Basil Parish was founded in 1906 when a small group of Carrick families petitioned the Bishop of Pittsburgh. The first church was dedicated on December 8, 1907, and served the parish until 1922. Under Father Charles J. Steppling, construction of the present church began in 1922 and was dedicated October 7, 1923. The Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper called it 'one of the purest types of basilica in this state' — walls of brick and stone, mosaic floor with cork center aisle, and fourteen great gray-limestone columns with Corinthian capitals dividing the nave. The stained-glass windows were drawn and made in Holland; the single tower houses three bells (St. Aloysius, St. Charles, St. Barbara) operated electronically from the sacristy; and a large rose window depicts Christ and the Four Evangelists. Two four-foot white marble angels, donated by the Dieterle and Winters families, greet visitors at the vestibule, while a statue of the patron, St. Basil, watches over the front doors from a niche above.

• Founded: 1907 (petitioned 1906)
• First church dedicated: December 8, 1907
• Current church dedicated: October 7, 1923
• Architect: Thomas Comes (original 1907 building)
• Patron: St. Basil the Great
• Centennial celebrated: February 14, 2007

Clergy Team

Blessed Trinity Parish is served by a multi-priest pastoral team supported by a strong diaconate. The current clergy team, as listed by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, includes a pastor, a senior parochial vicar, a parochial vicar, and six deacons. Several of these deacons preach the homily at the parish Masses on the third Sunday of each month.

• Rev. Stephen A. Kresak, MDiv — Pastor
• Rev. Kenneth A. Sparks — Senior Parochial Vicar
• Rev. Zachary A. Galiyas — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Michael J. Babcock
• Deacon James R. Grab
• Deacon Daniel E. Nizan
• Deacon Andrew J. White, Sr.
• Deacon Timothy B. Zenchak

Becoming Catholic (OCIA)

Blessed Trinity Parish runs a year-round OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program for adults and OCIC (Order of Christian Initiation of Children) for children, running September through May. Classes meet every Wednesday from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the parish office at St. Albert the Great. The program follows the classical five stages — Inquiry, Catechumenate, Purification & Enlightenment, Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, and Mystagogy — and is led by clergy and parish volunteers.

• Open to anyone unbaptized, baptized in another Christian denomination, or baptized Catholic but never received First Communion/Confirmation
• Weekly Wednesday classes, 7:00 – 8:00 PM at St. Albert the Great Parish Office
• Easter Vigil reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist
• OCIA team: Fr. Ken Sparks, Fr. Zach Galiyas, Dcn. Brian Kail, Jeff Wagner

Devotions & Prayer Life

The parish sustains a rich devotional life beyond Sunday Mass, including a weekly Lectio & Visio Divina prayer group, a Sisters in Christ women's Gospel-sharing circle, the parish-wide First Friday Eucharistic Adoration held at St. Sylvester, and the option to schedule Sanctuary Candle Intentions at any of the parish churches.

• Lectio & Visio Divina — Thursdays, 1:30–2:15 PM, Parish Office building
• Sisters in Christ — 3rd Thursday, 1:00–3:00 PM, Chapel Room at St. Albert's
• First Friday Eucharistic Adoration — 3:00 – 7:00 PM at St. Sylvester
• Sanctuary Candle Intentions — contact Jacqueline in the Parish Office at 412-884-7744

Outreach & Service Ministries

Service to neighbors is a hallmark of the parish. St. Basil itself hosts the monthly Diaper Bank distribution; the wider parish supports the Brentwood Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels (now operating out of St. Sylvester Hall), a parish gardening team caring for the four church campuses, and a creative craft ministry — including the Baptismal Blanket Ministry, a Women's Crochet Group, and ongoing yarn projects for shut-ins, the VA, dialysis centers, nursing homes, the East Liberty Community House, and the West Penn Neonatal Unit.

• Diaper Bank — 2nd Saturday of each month, 9:00–10:45 AM at St. Basil Church
• Brentwood Food Pantry — 3rd Saturday distribution, 9:30–11:00 AM, 3725 Brownsville Road, Brentwood, PA 15227 (412-882-6035)
• Meals on Wheels — St. Sylvester Hall, 412-881-6888
• Blessed Trinity Parish Gardeners — contact Bev Lankes at 412-417-9361
• Baptismal Blanket Ministry — 1st Thursday at Holy Angels School, 9:00–11:30 AM and 6:30–8:30 PM
• Women's Crochet Group — Thursdays at 9:00 AM at Holy Angels School
• Young Families Group — 4th Sunday; breakfast then 11:00 AM Mass at St. Albert (contact Lauren Agliori, [email protected])

Becoming Catholic / Youth & Family

Beyond the formal OCIA/OCIC journey, the parish offers a Young Families Group for parents with small children — meeting the fourth Sunday of each month for breakfast and kids' play time before joining 11:00 AM Mass together at St. Albert the Great. Pre-Baptism classes for parents are held regularly at the Parish Office (St. Albert).

• Young Families Group — 4th Sunday, contact [email protected]
• Pre-Baptism classes — schedule via Deacon Mike, 412-884-7744 X 206
• OCIC for children of catechetical age

Administration & Contact

Day-to-day operations for all four worship sites — St. Albert the Great, St. Basil, Holy Angels, and St. Sylvester — are coordinated from the Blessed Trinity Parish Administration Office on Schieck Street. Inquiries about sacraments, devotions, ministry involvement, and parish registration can be directed there during office hours.

• Parish Administration Office: 3198 Schieck Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15227
• Office hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM (closed 12:00 – 1:00 PM)
• Phone: 412-884-7744
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.blessedtrinitypgh.org