About St. John the Baptist [Ruthenian] · Mingo Junction, Ohio
St. John the Baptist is a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic parish in the small Ohio River mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio, serving faithful of the Byzantine (Ruthenian) tradition in communion with the Bishop of Rome. The community was founded in 1923 by Rusyn immigrants drawn to the area's steel mills and coal fields, and the present church on Standard Avenue was built in 1927 and dedicated in 1928 by Bishop Basil Takach. Today the parish belongs to the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and is shepherded by Very Reverend David A. Bosnich, who also serves the neighboring St. Joseph Church in Toronto, Ohio. The Byzantine Catholic faithful here celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the living liturgical, iconographic, and musical tradition of Eastern Christianity.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist (Forerunner / Prodromos)
- Rector
- Very Reverend David A. Bosnich (Administrator; also pastor of St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church, Toronto, Ohio)
- Diocese
- Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh, in communion with the Bishop of Rome); geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers Mingo Junction and the wider Ohio Valley a rare local opportunity to worship in the living Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic tradition — the same tradition brought to the Ohio River by Rusyn steel-mill and coal-mining immigrants a century ago. The parish is small and intimate, with Sunday Divine Liturgy at 11:00 AM and confession before each scheduled service. As one of two Ruthenian parishes jointly shepherded by Fr. David A. Bosnich alongside St. Joseph in Toronto, OH, it remains a genuine Byzantine Catholic outpost rooted in icon, chant, and the liturgical heritage of Eastern Christianity.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before each scheduled service (typically Sunday 10:30–11:00 AM)
- By appointment — contact the rectory
Parish History — A Century of Byzantine Faith on the Ohio
The Byzantine Catholic community of St. John the Baptist traces its roots to the immigrant-filled days at the turn of the 20th century, when the expanding steel mills and coal fields of the upper Ohio Valley drew many Rusyn people to settle in and around Mingo Junction, Ohio. In 1923 a small group of these immigrants formally constituted the parish, becoming the nucleus of St. John's. The present church on Standard Avenue was built in 1927, with the cornerstone laid and blessed by Bishop Basil Takach, and was dedicated in 1928. For many years the parish was served only by priests traveling from neighboring Byzantine Catholic parishes — first from St. Joseph in Toronto, OH, then as a mission of St. Mary in Weirton, WV. Its first resident pastor, Father Charles Kofile, was only assigned on May 5, 1961. On September 11, 2023 the parish celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding with a centennial liturgy attended by Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla.
- 1923 — Parish nucleus formed by Rusyn immigrants; Articles of Incorporation filed
- 1927–1928 — Church built on Standard Avenue; cornerstone blessed by Bishop Basil Takach; dedicated 1928
- 1958 — Rectory acquired: a former house from the Route 7 relocation moved onto church property
- May 5, 1961 — Father Charles Kofile assigned as first resident pastor
- 1962 — Exterior renovated; rectory joined to church
- 1965 — Interior renovated and redecorated
- 2010 — Under Rev. James Atkins, interior repainted, antique chandelier and Byzantine-style iconostasis installed
- September 11, 2023 — Centennial celebrated with Most Rev. Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla
Clergy & Pastoral Care
St. John the Baptist is currently administered by Very Reverend David A. Bosnich, a protopresbyter of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh who also serves as pastor of St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church in Toronto, Ohio — a long-standing joint-pastoral arrangement reflecting the small size of each community. The parish is in communion with the Bishop of Rome through the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh.
- Very Reverend David A. Bosnich — current Administrator (appointed 2025 following the retirement of Fr. John J. Kapitan Jr., OFM)
- Reverend John J. Kapitan Jr., OFM — recent pastor, retired September 30, 2025
- Reverend James Atkins — guided the 2010 interior renovation and iconostasis installation
- Father Charles Kofile — first resident pastor (May 5, 1961)
Divine Liturgy & Holy Mysteries (Sacraments)
The parish celebrates the Byzantine-Ruthenian Divine Liturgy in the living liturgical, iconographic, and musical tradition of Eastern Christianity, in full communion with Rome. Confession (the Mystery of Reconciliation) is offered before each scheduled service and by appointment; arrangements for marriage (Crowning), anointing, baptism and chrismation are made by contacting the rectory.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 11:00 AM
- Confession — before each scheduled service (typically Sunday 10:30–11:00 AM) and by appointment
- Marriage (Holy Mystery of Crowning) — contact the rectory
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the rectory
Architecture & Interior
St. John the Baptist is a traditional Byzantine-style church distinguished by its dome (a single-tiered dome replaced an earlier double-tiered dome) and by the icon screen that separates the nave from the sanctuary. The present front entrance is a remodeled version of an earlier façade that once featured a double set of stairs. The 2010 renovation gave the interior its current character: a repainted and redecorated nave, an antique chandelier, and a proper Byzantine-style iconostasis bearing icons between the nave and the altar — the focal point of Byzantine liturgical worship.
- Dome (single-tiered, replacing an earlier double-tiered dome)
- Iconostasis installed 2010 with Byzantine-style icons
- Antique chandelier (installed 2010)
- Remodeled front entrance
Byzantine Catholic Identity
The Byzantine-Ruthenian Church sui iuris ('of its own right') is self-governing and equal in dignity to the Roman Catholic Church. It is in communion with the Bishop of Rome, while remaining unique in its clergy, laws, institutions, liturgies, forms of spirituality, and methods of theology. The parish's theological traditions trace to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and to the Eastern Christian heritage carried west by Rusyn immigrants in the early 1900s. St. John the Baptist is geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Steubenville but canonically belongs to the Ruthenian Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
- Rite: Byzantine (Ruthenian)
- Jurisdiction: Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris)
- Geographic location: within the territory of the Latin Diocese of Steubenville
- Languages: English (with Church Slavonic liturgical elements in keeping with Ruthenian tradition)
Visiting & Contact
Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish through the rectory at (740) 537-1026. The parish is listed on the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh's directory at archpitt.org; the current public-facing page for St. John the Baptist is hosted there.
- Address: 207 Standard Avenue, Mingo Junction, OH 43938
- Rectory phone: (740) 537-1026
- Priest: Very Reverend David A. Bosnich
- Listed online via the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh: https://archpitt.org/place/mingojunctionoh-2/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Priest from St. Joseph Church, Toronto, OH1923–early years
Served the Mingo Junction faithful in its earliest decades, initially celebrating once a month, then weekly once the parish became a mission of St. Mary, Weirton, WV.
- Father Charles KofileMay 5, 1961–
First resident pastor of St. John the Baptist; oversaw 1962 exterior renovation joining rectory to church and 1965 interior redecoration.
- Reverend James Atkinsaround 2010
Guided the 2010 interior repainting and redecoration, including installation of the antique chandelier and the new Byzantine-style iconostasis.
- Reverend John J. Kapitan Jr., OFMthrough Sept. 30, 2025
Served as pastor of both St. Joseph (Toronto, OH) and St. John (Mingo Junction); retired from active ministry and relocated to St. Stephen, Leisenring, PA.
- Very Reverend David A. Bosnich2025–present
Appointed Administrator of St. Joseph, Toronto and St. John, Mingo Junction following Father Kapitan's retirement.