About St. John the Theologian · Augusta, Georgia
St. John the Theologian is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic mission parish in Augusta, Georgia, established on June 18, 2017, by Most Reverend Bohdan J. Danylo, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio. The community gathers Byzantine-rite Catholics — Ukrainian, Ruthenian, and others — who celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the ancient Slavonic/Byzantine tradition while remaining in full communion with Rome. As a young mission the community meets in a shared temporary space and is actively searching for a permanent home in the Augusta area.
- Established
- 2017
- Patron
- St. John the Theologian (the Apostle John, who stood at the foot of the Cross with the Blessed Virgin Mary and was entrusted by Christ with her care)
- Rector
- Father Mark Shuey (administrator)
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma (Ohio, USA)
Why belong here
St. John the Theologian offers the rare opportunity in the Augusta area to worship as a Byzantine-rite Catholic in full communion with Rome — praying the ancient Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with iconography, chant, and Eucharistic theology rooted in two millennia of Christian tradition. The community actively reaches out to Ukrainian and Ruthenian Catholics (and anyone drawn to the Byzantine spirituality) through local colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, and military installations, and gathers around shared fellowship meals and catechesis. It is a small, growing family of faith in a deliberate mission phase — a chance to help shape a permanent Ukrainian Catholic home in the CSRA from its earliest days.
Mass times at St. John the Theologian
Weekly Mass schedule
About the Parish
According to its own 'About Us' page, St. John the Theologian is 'an Eastern Catholic Church in communion with Rome that brings the Slavic tradition of Byzantine orthodoxy from the ancient Church Fathers to the present into focus.' The mission states it is only a couple of years old (as of writing) and is seeking a permanent location in the Augusta, Georgia area, currently meeting in a temporary space. It identifies its patron — St. John — as the only apostle to stand at the foot of the Cross with the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom Christ entrusted to John's care. The mission invites visitors to 'worship with us and grow into a deeper appreciation of two millennia of Christian tradition which immerses the pilgrim into the patristic theology that is the foundation of Christianity as we celebrate the Liturgy (work of the people) revealing the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.' The page directs readers to the Eparchy of St. Josaphat for further information.
History & Founding (2017)
The mission was canonically erected on Sunday, June 18, 2017, by Most Reverend Bohdan J. Danylo, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma. The founding Pontifical Divine Liturgy was concelebrated by Father Mark Shuey — the newly appointed administrator — and Father Theodore, a hieromonk from Holy Transfiguration Ukrainian Catholic Monastery in Redwood Valley, California. About 60 Ukrainian Catholics, Ruthenians, and other Catholics attended the historic first liturgy.
- Canonical erection: June 18, 2017
- Bishop who erected it: Most Rev. Bohdan J. Danylo (Eparchy of St. Josaphat)
- Founding administrator: Father Mark Shuey
- Concelebrant: Father Theodore, hieromonk, Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Redwood Valley, CA)
- First Liturgy venue: Saint Augustine Coptic Orthodox Church, Martinez, GA
- Original attendance: ~60 faithful
Byzantine / Ukrainian Catholic Identity
St. John the Theologian is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church — a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church of Byzantine rite in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. Its worship is rooted in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on certain days), celebrated with iconography, chant, and the patristic theology of the first Christian millennium. The mission describes its calling as bringing 'the Slavic tradition of Byzantine orthodoxy from the ancient Church Fathers to the present into focus.' Catechesis at the mission centers on the 'Christ Our Pascha' catechism, the official catechetical text of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
- Rite: Byzantine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic)
- Sui iuris Church: Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
- Eparchy: St. Josaphat in Parma (USA)
- Catechetical text: Christ Our Pascha
Worship Location
The mission does not yet own or occupy a permanent church building. Per the Eparchy of St. Josaphat parish directory, the community currently meets at Alleluia Community School, 2819 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta, GA 30906. The community has publicly stated that it is actively seeking property to develop a permanent home — and, according to a Catholic News Herald report, is in the unique position of possibly attracting a Ukrainian Catholic monastery to the area.
- Current worship site: Alleluia Community School, 2819 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta, GA 30906
- Phone listed by the Eparchy: (706) 951-3326
- Original worship site (2017): Saint Augustine Coptic Orthodox Church, Martinez, GA
- Status: mission seeking a permanent location
Clergy
The mission has been served since its canonical erection in 2017 by Father Mark Shuey as administrator. Father Shuey is widely recognized across the Eparchy of St. Josaphat as a missionary priest: in addition to Augusta, he has been pastor of Saint Michael Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission in North Carolina and has been pivotal in founding more than a dozen new Ukrainian Catholic missions across the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast over the past fifteen-plus years.
- Father Mark Shuey — Administrator (since 2017); also pastor of Saint Michael Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission (Diocese of Raleigh)
Ministry & Outreach
In interviews at the Eparchial Convention on Evangelization and Mission, members of the St. John the Theologian community described their evangelization strategy and parish life. The mission actively seeks to locate Ukrainian, Ruthenian, and other Eastern Catholics by reaching out to local colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, and military bases — a strategy particularly apt for the Augusta area, home to Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon), area hospitals, and Augusta University. Parishioners also noted that shared fellowship meals help build unity at the parish level, and that ongoing catechesis on the Divine Liturgy and the 'Christ Our Pascha' text helps create unity with the wider Ukrainian Catholic Church.
- Outreach to local colleges (Augusta University area)
- Outreach to hospitals and nursing homes
- Outreach to military installations (Fort Gordon / Fort Eisenhower)
- Fellowship meals for community building
- Catechesis on the Divine Liturgy
- Possible attraction of a Ukrainian Catholic monastery to the Augusta area
Eparchy & Deanery
St. John the Theologian is one of two Ukrainian Catholic communities in Georgia within the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, alongside Mother of God parish in Conyers (Rockdale County). It belongs to the Southern Deanery. The Eparchy of St. Josaphat is one of four U.S. eparchies of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and covers a broad territory across the eastern and central United States; over the past decade it has planted eleven-plus new mission-parishes in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
- Eparchy: St. Josaphat in Parma (Ohio, USA)
- Deanery: Southern
- Sibling community in Georgia: Mother of God, Conyers (2880 Highway 138 NE)
Languages & Liturgy
The mission celebrates the Divine Liturgy in English, following the standard practice of newer Ukrainian Catholic missions reaching English-speaking faithful. Its sister mission in North Carolina (St. Nicholas, Raleigh) likewise offers Divine Liturgy in English, while historic Ukrainian parishes such as Sts. Volodymyr and Olha in Raleigh serve Ukrainian-speaking faithful — a bilingual pattern the Eparchy has been navigating across the Southeast.
- Liturgical language: English
- Byzantine liturgical calendar
Visiting & Contact
Anyone interested in attending the Divine Liturgy at St. John the Theologian is invited to contact the mission via the phone number published by the Eparchy of St. Josaphat (706-951-3326) or through its website at www.stjtt.org for the current schedule and location. As a mission in formation, service times are announced to the faithful rather than posted as a fixed weekly schedule.
- Website: www.stjtt.org
- Listed phone: (706) 951-3326
- Contact via the Eparchy of St. Josaphat for details
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Mark Shuey2017–present
Appointed by Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo as the first administrator of the mission at its canonical erection on June 18, 2017. He is also pastor of Saint Michael Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission (Diocese of Raleigh) and has been pivotal in establishing new Ukrainian Catholic missions across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast over the past 15+ years.