About St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community · Toronto, Ohio
St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community in Toronto, Ohio is the gathering name by which the Melkite Catholic mission in the upper Ohio Valley is publicly known — it worships on Sundays at St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church (814 N 5th Street, Toronto, OH). The community was begun in 2023 by Rev. Peter Wingerter, a Melkite (Byzantine-rite) married priest of the Eparchy of Newton, and within its first year grew to an average of about 60 attendees at its Sunday Divine Liturgy. As of mid-2024, the group was working with Bishop François Beyrouti of Newton on a formal process of discernment toward being elevated from a worshipping community to an official Melkite mission parish. (Note: diocesan/online references also list the community under the newer name 'St. Lazarus Melkite Catholic Community,' which operates the website steubenvillemelkite.org; the community's weekday services are held at Our Lady of Lourdes in Wintersville and at the Sycamore Youth Center in Steubenville.)
- Established
- 2023
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Peter Wingerter
- Diocese
- Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton (under the authority of Bishop François Beyrouti)
Why belong here
This is a small, warm, brand-new Melkite community where most newcomers arrive without any prior Melkite background and are welcomed as they are. Sunday worship is celebrated in full Byzantine-rite tradition at St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church in Toronto, with weekly Vespers and Great Vespers services during the week, and a communal agape meal after Sunday Liturgy in the early-Christian tradition of fellowship. It is an ideal place to experience the Byzantine-rite Catholic tradition — in full communion with Rome — within the upper Ohio Valley.
Mass times at St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 9:40 AM (before Divine Liturgy)
About the Community
St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community is a worshipping mission community of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton serving the Steubenville–Toronto–Wintersville area of the upper Ohio Valley. It exists to bring the Byzantine-rite Catholic tradition — in full communion with the Pope and the worldwide Catholic Church — to believers and seekers in eastern Ohio and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The community is currently (2024) in an active period of discernment with its bishop about becoming a formally chartered Melkite mission parish.
What is the Melkite Catholic Church?
The community's own website explains the Melkite tradition: the Melkite Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church of the Byzantine rite, in full communion with the Holy See in Rome, and is part of the global Catholic Church. Members trace their lineage back to the Christians of the ancient Syrian cities of Antioch and Damascus — making it one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world.
Founding Story (2023)
The community was founded in 2023 by the Rev. Peter Wingerter. Born and raised Roman Catholic in Erie, Pennsylvania, Wingerter discovered the Melkite Church over time and, with his wife, sought and was granted a canonical transfer of ascription into the Melkite Church. While serving in the U.S. Air Force he discerned a vocation to the married Eastern-Catholic priesthood (married men may be ordained in the Melkite tradition if married before ordination). He was ordained on September 11, 2022, but could not serve a parish until leaving the military.
- Wingerter retired from the Air Force in 2023 and enrolled at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
- Local families heard he needed a place to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and reached out to the Eparchy of Newton.
- Bishop François Beyrouti approved the arrangement.
- The Pearson family and others located St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church in Toronto as the Sunday worship site.
- Average Sunday attendance grew to ~60 within the first year.
Divine Services Schedule
Sunday worship takes place at St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church, 814 N 5th Street, Toronto, OH. Weekday services are held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1521 Bantam Ridge Rd, Wintersville, OH. The community posts a Google Calendar link so visitors can sync the schedule.
- Sunday — Orthros (Matins): 9:00 AM (Toronto)
- Sunday — Mystery of Repentance (Confession): 9:40 AM (Toronto)
- Sunday — Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM (Toronto)
- Wednesday — Vespers: 5:30 PM (Wintersville)
- Saturday — Great Vespers: 5:30 PM (Wintersville)
Worship Locations
Because the community is in discernment for mission status and does not yet own its own building, it rotates worship between borrowed parish facilities in the upper Ohio Valley.
- St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church — 814 N 5th St, Toronto, OH 43964 (Sunday Divine Liturgy)
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church — 1521 Bantam Ridge Rd, Wintersville, OH 43953 (weekday Vespers)
- Sycamore Youth Center — 301 N 4th St, Steubenville, OH 43952 (regular prayer services & feast-day observances)
Community Life
Following the Sunday Divine Liturgy the community gathers for a communal agape meal — a practice dating back to the early Christian Church that signifies the unity and fellowship of the faithful. Guests are explicitly told not to feel they must bring anything; they are simply invited to 'come join us in celebration without reservation, and let us serve you with joy and hospitality.' Members regularly participate in Steubenville's First Friday festivals, staffing an outreach table to spread awareness of the Melkite tradition.
The Agape Meal
The agape meal (literally 'love feast') is a tradition from the early Church, when believers shared a common meal after the Eucharistic celebration. At St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community, the practice continues after each Sunday Divine Liturgy as a sign of fellowship, unity, and welcome to newcomers.
Discerning Mission Status
In an April 2024 interview with The Herald-Star, Fr. Wingerter explained the community is in an 'ongoing process of discernment' with Bishop François Beyrouti of Newton about elevating the worshipping community to formal Melkite 'mission' status. The community and its bishop agree a mission must include outreach to people without a spiritual home — which points toward relocating the parish's permanent base to Steubenville proper, where that population is greatest. Key factors in the discernment include the community's ability to financially support a priest (Fr. Wingerter or another, since he may be re-assigned after his studies) and a mortgage on a permanent building, which still has to be located.
- Bishop François Beyrouti makes the final decision.
- A mission must include outreach to those without a spiritual home.
- Steubenville is the preferred permanent location.
- First-year attendance: average ~60 per Sunday.
Pastor: Rev. Peter Wingerter
Fr. Peter Wingerter is the founder and current pastor. Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, he came to the Melkite Church from the Roman Catholic tradition after personal study and discernment. He is a married priest — a tradition the Melkite Church allows — and he and his wife met in college. After ordination on September 11, 2022, he could not serve a parish until his Air Force service ended in 2023. He is now pursuing a master's in clinical mental health counseling at Franciscan University of Steubenville to strengthen his pastoral work.
- Ordained: September 11, 2022
- U.S. Air Force veteran (retired 2023)
- Graduate student, Franciscan University of Steubenville
- Bishop of Newton: François Beyrouti
Eparchy of Newton (Jurisdiction)
St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community belongs to the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, which covers the entire United States. The current bishop is François Beyrouti, who has pastoral oversight of every Melkite parish and mission in the country, including this small Ohio Valley community. (The community is geographically located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, but as an Eastern Catholic parish it falls under its own eparchy.)
- Eparchy: Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton
- Bishop: François Beyrouti
- Geographic area: United States
Notion Page (Original Web Presence)
The community's original online home is a Notion site at melkiteohiovalley.notion.site, which gives the community its original public-facing name: St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Community. The community has since launched a more developed website at steubenvillemelkite.org, where it appears under the name 'St. Lazarus Melkite Catholic Community.' Both names are used to refer to the same worshipping body.
Getting Involved / Visit
Visitors are warmly welcomed. Because it is a small community, newcomers are likely to be greeted personally after the Divine Liturgy. Those interested in learning more about the Byzantine-rite Melkite tradition, transferring canonical membership, or supporting the community as it discerns its future can reach the pastor at 253-414-2610.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Peter Wingerter2023–present
Founder and only pastor to date. Ordained a Melkite priest on Sept. 11, 2022; retired from U.S. Air Force in 2023; established the community while studying at Franciscan University of Steubenville.