About St. John the Baptizer [Ukrainian] · San Diego, California
St. John the Baptizer Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic parish serving San Diego County and Southern California since 1960. Originally founded as St. Andrew Mission under the sister parish of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Los Angeles, the community has grown and changed locations several times before settling, for now, at 4080 Hawk St. in San Diego while its permanent church campus is constructed in nearby Santee. The parish is one of several Eastern-rite Catholic communities in the San Diego area and belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church under the Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago, in full communion with the Pope. Worship is celebrated in the Byzantine tradition, with the Divine Liturgy chanted in a combination of Ukrainian and English. Under the pastoral care of Fr. Yurii Sas, the parish also oversees Holy Theophany Mission in southern Orange County and St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Community of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area), and has actively welcomed Ukrainian refugees arriving in San Diego through Mexico since the 2022 Russian invasion.
- Established
- 1960
- Patron
- St. John the Baptizer (originally dedicated under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help; renamed in 2000 in memory of John Arendes)
- Rector
- Fr. Yurii Sas
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, part of the Philadelphia Metropolitanate, in full communion with the Pope). The parish is not part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego; it is one of several Eastern-rite Catholic parishes in the area that answer to their own bishop.
Why belong here
St. John the Baptizer is one of the few Ukrainian Greek Catholic parishes serving all of San Diego County and Southern California, offering the Byzantine Divine Liturgy — chanted in Ukrainian and English — to a community that includes longtime Ukrainian-American families and newer arrivals from Ukraine. The parish is small enough that newcomers are quickly known and welcomed, with weekly worship followed by fellowship and an open table that extends to refugees, travelers, and inquirers alike. With a permanent Byzantine-style church — five gold domes modeled on St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv — rising in Santee, this is a living community in which to plant roots, help build, and pass the Byzantine Christian tradition to the next generation.
Mass times at St. John the Baptizer [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before and after all services
- By appointment
About Our Parish
St. John the Baptizer Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish community serving God and neighbor in San Diego County and Southern California since 1960. Parishioners come from all walks of life yet are united by a common cause: living their faith in Jesus Christ within the Byzantine liturgical tradition. The parish belongs to the Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago and is in full communion with the Pope, but is not part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Each Sunday the community gathers for the Divine Liturgy — chanted in a combination of Ukrainian and English — followed by fellowship.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy at 12:00 PM
- Byzantine-rite worship in Ukrainian and English
- Worship currently at 4080 Hawk St., San Diego, CA 92103
- New permanent church under construction in Santee, opening late summer/early fall 2026
Our History
The parish traces its founding to a 1959 picnic at El Monte Park in the backcountry of San Diego County, where Fr. Michael Koltutsky's letter urging a Ukrainian Catholic community in San Diego was read aloud. On March 12, 1960, twenty faithful gathered for the first Divine Liturgy in San Diego, served by Fr. Stephan Semchuk at the Oneira Women's Club (now the Normal Heights Community Center), and the community was named St. Andrew Mission under the Los Angeles sister parish. The mission grew through the 1960s and in 1966 purchased a small Italian Pentecostal church at 4014 Winona Avenue in City Heights, dedicating it under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In 1972, Fr. Michael Kurylo became the parish's first pastor when it was elevated to parish status.
- 1959 — Founding picnic at El Monte Park
- 1960 — First Divine Liturgy, St. Andrew Mission established (March 12)
- 1966 — Purchased former Italian Pentecostal church on Winona Avenue in City Heights; dedicated as Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- 1972 — Elevated to parish status; Fr. Michael Kurylo becomes first pastor
- 1983 — Fr. Paul Greskow succeeds; third Sunday Liturgy added
- 1985 — Very Rev. Canon Andrew Mykyta becomes pastor
- 2000 — Property on Winona Avenue sold; moved to La Mesa; renamed St. John the Baptizer in memory of John Arendes after a $500,000 gift
- 2010 — 50th anniversary celebrated with Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
- 2014 — Deacon Frank Avant ordained by Bishop Richard Seminack
- 2015 — Fr. Frank Avant ordained to the priesthood on the Feast of the Ascension
- 2018 — Land purchased in Santee; blessed by Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk on August 4; Fr. Yurii Sas appointed administrator August 5
- 2022 — Parish begins refugee ministry in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2024 — Groundbreaking in Santee on July 7
- 2025 — Foundation poured for new church and social hall; Sunday services move to St. Vincent de Paul in Mission Hills on August 31
- 2026 — New church in Santee projected to open late summer/early fall
Early Beginnings – St. Andrew Mission
The early years of the community were served by visiting priests. Fr. Stephan Semchuk traveled from Canada, while Frs. Koltutsky, Salamon, and Chaikovsky came from Los Angeles to celebrate the Liturgy. Fr. Salamon began offering two Sunday liturgies, in English and Ukrainian, as the mission took root in City Heights. Catechism classes, social gatherings, and a strong Women's Auxiliary characterized this formative period at the edge of the Chicago Eparchy.
- Founded 1959–1960 under sister parish Nativity of the BVM, Los Angeles
- First Divine Liturgy: March 12, 1960, Oneira Women's Club
- Two Sunday liturgies (English and Ukrainian) added under Fr. Salamon
A Second Home – St. John the Baptizer
After shifting demographics led the parish to leave its long-time Winona Avenue home in 2000, the Arendes family — a family with numerous vocations to religious life — gifted $500,000 in memory of their brother John. The community was renamed St. John the Baptizer in his memory and moved to 4400 Palm Ave. in La Mesa. Fr. John Hritzko became pastor and introduced daily liturgies. Fr. James Bankston and his family later arrived from St. Nicholas Cathedral in Chicago.
- New home: 4400 Palm Ave., La Mesa (2000)
- Patronal renaming in memory of John Arendes
- Daily liturgies introduced under Fr. John Hritzko
The Journey Towards a New Home Begins
In 2016 the parish launched an ambitious building campaign after selling its La Mesa property. Land was purchased in Santee, in the shadow of Cowles Mountain, and blessed by Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk on August 4, 2018. The final Divine Liturgy in La Mesa was celebrated in October 2018, and the community was graciously welcomed by the Augustinians at St. Augustine Chapel in North Park. During the pandemic, services went virtual and then outdoors in a parishioner's fruit orchard for nearly a year, before returning indoors in May 2021.
- New land in Santee purchased and blessed August 4, 2018
- Hosted by the Augustinians at St. Augustine Chapel, North Park, from October 2018
- Outdoor Liturgies in a parishioner's fruit orchard during the pandemic
- Sunday services moved to St. Vincent de Paul in Mission Hills on August 31, 2025
From San Diego to Kyiv – The Tabernacle Gift
When Bishop Benedict visited in August 2018, he asked if the parish would be willing to donate its old tabernacle for use in the Cathedral in Kyiv. After conferring with the sole remaining donor, the tabernacle traveled from San Diego — 'a far corner of the Chicago Eparchy' — to Lviv for restoration and finally to Kyiv, where it was placed on the main altar of the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection on Holy Saturday 2019. A small plaque on the back reads: 'A gift from the Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago, and especially from St. John the Baptizer Parish in San Diego. 2019 A.D.'
- Tabernacle restored in Lviv
- Placed on the altar of the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kyiv, Holy Saturday 2019
Our New Church Building Project
The parish is in the process of constructing a permanent Byzantine-style church and parish hall at 9300 Pike Rd. in Santee, at the corner of Carlton Oaks Drive and Pike Road. The 4,200-square-foot campus will be crowned with five gold-painted domes modeled on St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv — what the parish describes as 'evangelization through beauty.' Fr. Yurii Sas calls the project 'the biggest project in my life.' Construction began with a groundbreaking on July 7, 2024, and is expected to take 12–18 months. As of summer 2025, the foundation has been poured; by Easter 2026, framing of the central dome and large curved beams were installed, work on HVAC and electric was underway, retaining walls passed multiple inspections, and the wall separating the narthex and nave was removed. The project has been supported by a $50,000 matching grant from Catholic Extension and a construction loan from the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics. One of the main donors, longtime parishioner Bohdan Kniahynyckyj, died on June 29, 2024, shortly before the groundbreaking.
- Five gold-painted domes modeled on St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv
- Byzantine-style church plus parish hall, 4,200 sq ft
- Groundbreaking July 7, 2024
- Foundation poured summer 2025
- Easter 2026 updates: central dome framing, large curved beams, HVAC/electric underway, retaining walls passed inspections, narthex wall removed
- $50,000 matching grant from Catholic Extension
- Construction loan from Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics
- Target opening: late summer / early fall 2026
Schedule & Sacraments
The parish gathers each Sunday for the Divine Liturgy at 12:00 PM at its current worship location. Confessions are heard before and after all services or by appointment. As a Byzantine-rite community, the Sunday Liturgy is approximately 90 minutes long and is entirely chanted, without instrumental accompaniment; it is celebrated in a combination of Ukrainian and English, with leavened bread used for the Eucharist and the priest and people facing the same direction. Bishop Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego visited the parish on March 6 (2022) and preached at the Sunday Liturgy — a sign of communion between the Eastern- and Latin-rite Catholic communities of the region.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 12:00 PM
- Confession: before and after all services, or by appointment
- Languages: Ukrainian and English
- Byzantine chant, no instruments; leavened bread for Eucharist
Missions & Outreach
Beyond San Diego, the parish oversees two outreach missions under Fr. Yurii Sas: Holy Theophany Mission in southern Orange County (which Fr. Yurii founded) and the revived St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Community of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area). Since the renewed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the parish has ministered to refugees from Ukraine who have come to San Diego through Mexico, welcoming numerous women and children into the parish family.
- Holy Theophany Mission — Southern Orange County (founded by Fr. Yurii Sas)
- St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Community — Coachella Valley / Palm Springs (revived by Fr. Yurii Sas)
- Refugee welcome ministry for Ukrainians arriving through Mexico
Our Pastor – Fr. Yurii Sas
Fr. Yurii Sas, age 43, is a graduate of the Ivano-Frankivsk Theological Seminary. After ministry as Protodeacon to Metropolitan Volodymyr, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 24, 2009 and served at a large parish in Radcha where his late father-in-law was pastor. Fr. Yurii came to the United States in 2016 and shortly thereafter became pastor of the historic St. John the Baptist and St. Demetrius parishes in western North Dakota. Bishop Benedict appointed him Administrator of St. John the Baptizer Parish in San Diego in the summer of 2018, and he was awarded the epigonation (nabedrennyk) by the Bishop in November 2024. In addition to his work as parish administrator and builder, Fr. Yurii is a full-time chaplain at a San Diego hospital and maintains a hospice ministry across Southern California. He comes from a long lineage of priests — two of his cousins serve as priests in the Eparchy, one in Oregon and another in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- Ordained: May 24, 2009
- Appointed Administrator: August 5, 2018
- Awarded epigonation (nabedrennyk): November 2024
- Hospital chaplain and hospice minister
- Founding priest of Holy Theophany Mission, Orange County
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Fr. Yurii Sas directly by cell phone or email. The parish mailing address is in La Mesa, while Sunday worship takes place at the current location in San Diego (4080 Hawk St.) and — beginning in 2026 — at the new Santee campus.
- Phone: 917-224-0904 (Fr. Yurii Sas, cell)
- Email: [email protected]
- Sunday worship: 4080 Hawk St., San Diego, CA 92103
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 3116, La Mesa, CA 91944
- Future church: 9300 Pike Rd., Santee, CA 92071
- Website: www.stjohnthebaptizer.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/StJohnTheBaptizerSanDiego
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Stephan Semchuk1960s (visiting from Canada)
Celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in San Diego on March 12, 1960; continued visiting throughout the 1960s.
- Fr. Michael Kurylo1972–1983
First pastor when the San Diego mission was elevated to parish status.
- Fr. Paul Greskow1983–1985
Added a third Divine Liturgy to the Sunday schedule; catechism, social events, and the Women's Auxiliary flourished under his leadership.
- Very Rev. Canon Andrew Mykyta1985
A priest who had served for thirty years throughout California.
- Fr. Myron Mykyta
Succeeded Fr. Andrew Mykyta after a period of visiting priests.
- Fr. John Hritzko
Became pastor after the 2000 move to La Mesa; offered daily liturgies; later assigned to Omaha.
- Fr. James Bankston
Came to San Diego from St. Nicholas Cathedral in Chicago with his family after Fr. Hritzko's assignment to Omaha.
- Fr. Yurii SasAugust 5, 2018–present
Appointed parish administrator by Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk the day after the bishop blessed the new Santee land; awarded the epigonation in November 2024.