About St. Basil The Great Byzantine Catholic Church [Ukranian] · Lancaster, New York
St. Basil the Great Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish serving the Lancaster/Depew area of western New York, on the eastern edge of the Buffalo suburbs. It belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford (Byzantine rite, suffragan to the Archeparchy of Philadelphia), making it one of more than 50 parishes across New York State and New England. The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English, gathering for Sunday worship at its church on Walden Avenue, with the rectory next door on Embry Place.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- St. Basil the Great (Basil of Caesarea, c. 329–379), Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Doctor of the Church, and patron of the Basilian monastic order to which Bishop Paul Chomnycky of the Eparchy of Stamford belongs
- Rector
- Rev. Andriy Kasiyan
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford (Byzantine rite, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; suffragan to the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia)
Why belong here
Parishioners at St. Basil's describe it as a place where the Byzantine Christian tradition of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is kept alive in a tight-knit western New York community. The parish offers the Divine Liturgy Sundays (10:45 a.m. English in winter, 8:00 a.m. in summer), confession before and after every liturgy by appointment, Vespers Saturday evenings, weekday Marian and akathist devotions, and an active Religious Education program for children along with confirmation preparation. A 100th Anniversary Committee worked to honor the founding families, old photographs and memoirs of the parish are actively sought, and a traveling Icon of Our Lady is passed from home to home weekly for prayer.
Mass times at St. Basil The Great Byzantine Catholic Church [Ukranian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before the Sunday Divine Liturgy
- By appointment
- Saturday after Morning Liturgy and after Saturday Vespers (per 2012 bulletin)
- Before and after liturgies
Parish Profile
St. Basil the Great is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Byzantine rite) parish in Lancaster, New York, in the Buffalo suburbs. It belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, one of four Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic eparchies in the United States. The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English and is pastored currently by Rev. Andriy Kasiyan.
History and Founding
Founded in 1915 by local Ukrainian immigrants in the Lancaster–Depew area, the parish built its first frame church in 1917 and a new brick church in 1958. That second building still houses the parish today, with the original structure serving as the rectory.
- September 18, 1915: organizational meeting of about 36 local Ukrainians; first officers elected.
- 1916: eight-member building committee formed under Stephen Kin.
- 1917: small frame church (26 × 50 ft) built at a cost of $3,800 with donated labor.
- Early 1940s: first building fund opened to remodel or rebuild the aging frame church.
- 1957: building committee of twelve organized with Frank Small as General Chairman.
- May 18, 1958: groundbreaking under pastor Rev. Joseph Chaikovsky.
- December 25, 1958: first Divine Liturgy celebrated in the new church.
- April 12, 1959: cornerstone laid.
The 1958 Church and Rectory
The present church is a brick Byzantine-style building measuring roughly 26 × 80 feet, built by the D. H. Lorenz Construction Co. for $65,000, with about $7,000 more in windows, pews and altars (total $72,000). It was financed in part by a 15-year $32,000 mortgage from the Providence Association of Philadelphia. The 1917 frame church was moved behind the new building and later remodeled into the rectory at 12 Embry Place.
Parish Priests
A succession of pastors has served the parish from its founding. The earliest pastor named in parish records is Rev. Joseph Chaikovsky, who led the parish during the 1958 construction and was Honorary Chairman of the Building Committee. The most recent publicly listed pastors are Rev. Fr. Robert Moreno (December 2012) and the current pastor, Rev. Andriy Kasiyan.
Liturgy and Schedule
The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, with English as the principal language. Sunday service moves between 10:45 a.m. in winter and 8:00 a.m. in summer. Saturday and Holy Day Vigils feature Vespers at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday and Weekday Services
Times copied directly from the parish's published schedule.
- Sunday (winter): Divine Liturgy 10:45 AM, English
- Sunday (summer): Divine Liturgy 8:00 AM, English
- Saturday & Holy Day Vigil: Vespers 7:30 PM
- Weekdays: Holy Day Liturgy 7:00 PM (per the Catholic Church Directory listing for the parish)
- Morning Liturgy (weekdays, schedule published weekly in the parish bulletin)
Marian Devotion — The Traveling Icon of Our Lady
A distinctive parish tradition is the traveling Icon of Our Lady, which parishioners bring into their homes for a week at a time. The icon is delivered on Wednesdays in the morning or Fridays around 7:00 PM, with the Akathist to the Mother of God sung in the home; the next host family then takes the icon the following week.
Parish Life and Ministries
St. Basil's is a small but active parish, with sodalities, youth, choir, men's group, religious education, and a heritage/anniversary committee all named in parish bulletins.
Religious Education and Sacraments
Religious Education classes for children, confirmation preparation for teens, baptism, marriage, and first Communion are all arranged through the pastor. The 2012 bulletin records Monday-evening Religious Education classes and rehearsals for the annual Christmas Play.
Sodalities, Youth, Choir and Men's Group
Lay organizations named in the parish's records.
- St. Mary's Sodality (women's sodality; presented a $1,000 gift at the 1958 groundbreaking).
- Ukrainian Catholic Youth Club (also contributed $1,000 to the 1958 building fund).
- Buffalo Deanery Choir — multi-parish choir with Monday-evening rehearsals at 7:00 PM.
- Men Only Group — gathers on a Saturday at 7:30 PM with Vespers.
Heritage and Anniversary
A 100th-Anniversary Committee was at work around 2012–2015, actively collecting old photographs of weddings, First Communions, funerals, parish celebrations, anniversary booklets and memoirs from the founding families, who originally numbered just 36 people in 1915.
Practical Information
The parish's mailing and physical address, rectory location and contact numbers are listed with the Eparchy of Stamford and the local Ukrainian deanery site.
- Church: 3657 Walden Ave., Lancaster, NY 14086
- Rectory: 12 Embry Place, Lancaster, NY 14086
- Parish phone: (716) 683-0313
- Rectory phone (also listed on deanery materials): (716) 823-6182
- Eparchy listing: stamforddio.org
Eparchy of Stamford
St. Basil's is one of approximately 51 parishes of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, a Byzantine-rite eparchy erected in 1956 (raised to an eparchy in 1958) and based at St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Stamford, Connecticut. The eparchy covers New York State, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Its current bishop is Paul Patrick Chomnycky, O.S.B.M. — a member of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, the very order named for this parish's patron.
Patron — St. Basil the Great
St. Basil the Great (c. 329–379) was Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, a Doctor of the Church, and the namesake of the Basilian monastic order (OSBM). He is one of the three Cappadocian Fathers and a defender of Nicene orthodoxy against Arianism. His feast is celebrated January 1 in the Byzantine/Eastern calendar and January 2 in the Western calendar.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Chaikovsky1916–at least 1958
Founding-era pastor; honored as Honorary Chairman of the 1958 Building Committee. Earlier in 1957 Rev. Philip Grushetsky is also referenced as the parish's spiritual leader.
- Rev. Philip Grushetskyc. 1957–1960s (per parish historian)
Listed by the parish historian as 'the present spiritual leader' at the time the new church was built in 1958.
- Rev. Fr. Robert Morenoat least 2012
Listed as Pastor in the December 16, 2012 parish bulletin; led a 'Year of Faith' observance and the 100th Anniversary planning.
- Rev. Andriy Kasiyanpresent (per the 'Ukrainians of Buffalo' Ukrainian Catholic deanery page)
Currently serves St. Basil Lancaster and also as Administrator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help UCC, 1182 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, NY.