About St. Louis Byzantine Catholic Church · Saint Louis, Missouri
St. Anthony the Great Byzantine Catholic Church (formerly the St. Louis Byzantine Catholic Parish) is a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic community in Saint Louis, Missouri, under the jurisdiction of the Eparchy of Parma. It traces its origins to a 1977 mission celebrated by Fr. Patrick Hoffmann in the basement of the Makara family home, was elevated to an independent parish on December 15, 1985, and in April 2025 was formally dedicated to St. Anthony the Great by Bishop Robert Pipta. After decades of borrowing worship space, the community finally acquired its own building at 7100 Virginia Avenue in 2020–21 and now celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy there every Sunday.
- Established
- 1977
- Patron
- St. Anthony the Great (Our Venerable Father Anthony the Great)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Weber (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Parma (Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic), within the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
St. Anthony the Great offers the full rhythm of Eastern Christian worship in an intimate, mission-sized community: Sunday Matins at 9:30 a.m., the Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m., Saturday Vespers, and fellowship after every Sunday liturgy. It is served by five local-area priests (both Archdiocesan bi-ritual priests and Jesuits), making it a place where Roman Catholics, other Eastern Catholics, and newcomers to the Byzantine rite are warmly welcomed and can ask questions in person. After nearly five decades of itinerant worship in borrowed spaces, the parish now has its own home at 7100 Virginia Avenue — a place where Ruthenian Byzantine liturgical life is being rooted for the long term in the City of St. Louis.
Mass times at St. Louis Byzantine Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Eparchy
St. Anthony the Great Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian Catholic parish under the jurisdiction of the Eparchy of Parma, which itself sits within the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. That archeparchy is one of the twenty-three (or twenty-four) sui iuris Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. The parish's territory falls geographically within the Roman Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Louis, and its listing also appears on the Archdiocese of St. Louis parish directory under Byzantine Eparchy of Parma.
- Rite: Ruthenian (Byzantine)
- Eparchy: Parma, OH
- Metropolitan Archeparchy: Pittsburgh, PA
- Geographic location: Archdiocese of St. Louis
Parish History
The community traces its history back to St. Mary's Assumption Ruthenian Catholic Church, founded around 1905 at 1120 Dolman Street and consecrated by Bishop Soter Ortynsky. As Ukrainian refugees reshaped the original parish, Ruthenian families in 1977 asked Bishop Emil Mihalik of Parma to begin a Ruthenian continuation. Fr. Patrick Hoffmann celebrated that mission's first Divine Liturgy in the Makara family basement on June 11, 1977, and the community was originally served from St. Luke Byzantine Catholic Church in Sugar Creek, MO — a 250-mile drive each way. Bishop Andrew Pataki made the mission an independent parish on December 15, 1985, and the community worshipped in a long succession of borrowed spaces until buying its own building at 7100 Virginia Avenue in 2020.
- c. 1905 – St. Mary's Assumption Ruthenian Catholic Church founded
- 1977 – Ruthenian mission begins in the Makara family basement
- 1985 – Designated an independent parish under Fr. Eugene Selzer
- 2013 – Fr. Joseph Weber succeeds Fr. Selzer as administrator
- 2020 – Building at 7100 Virginia Ave. purchased
- 2021 (March 25) – First Divine Liturgy celebrated in the new building
- 2025 (April 20, Pascha) – Renamed St. Anthony the Great Byzantine Catholic Church by decree of Bishop Robert Pipta
A Long Road of Borrowed Spaces
For more than four decades the Ruthenian community of St. Louis worshipped in other people's buildings. Each move brought new neighbors and new logistical challenges, but the community kept a weekly Divine Liturgy alive throughout. The parish finally ended that itinerant chapter when it bought and moved into its own building on Virginia Avenue.
- 1977–1986: Confraternity Home Study Service Hall of the Vincentian Fathers
- 1986–1994: St. Wenceslaus Parish
- 1994–2002: Marian Chapel of the Cathedral Basilica
- 2002–2017: Blessed John XXIII Center
- 2017–2020: Former college of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
- 2020–2021: St. Mary Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church
- 2021–present: 7100 Virginia Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63111
Clergy
The parish is currently served by five local-area priests — a mix of bi-ritual priests from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Jesuits — with Fr. Joseph Weber serving as Administrator. The site names Fr. Hawkes-Teeples, S.J., Fr. Paul Niemann, Fr. James Deshotels, S.J., and Fr. James Theby alongside him.
- Fr. Joseph Weber — Administrator (since February 2013)
- Fr. Hawkes-Teeples, S.J.
- Fr. Paul Niemann
- Fr. James Deshotels, S.J.
- Fr. James Theby
Liturgical Schedule and Worship
The parish follows the Byzantine liturgical rhythm of Matins, Divine Liturgy, and Vespers. Sunday morning begins with Matins at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. and a fellowship hour. Saturday Vespers are celebrated at a different location — St. Peter Catholic Church in St. Charles — and major feast days are usually anticipated the evening before with Vespers or a Vigil Divine Liturgy at 6:30 p.m.
- Sundays: 9:30 AM Matins, 10:30 AM Divine Liturgy, fellowship after
- Saturdays: 5:30 PM Vespers at St. Peter Catholic Church, 221 1st Capitol Dr., St. Charles, MO 63301
- Holy Days: 6:30 PM Vespers or Vigil Divine Liturgy (eve of the feast)
Why Byzantine? The Divine Office and the Liturgy
The parish's own website explains the rhythm visitors will encounter: the Divine Office sanctifies the day through psalms, hymns, and readings, with Vespers beginning the liturgical day by recalling creation and anticipating Christ's resurrection, and Matins proclaiming the resurrection and preparing for the Eucharistic celebration. Together with the Divine Liturgy, these form a continuous cycle of prayer connecting the Church to the heavenly liturgy.
Visiting and Joining the Parish
The parish's 'Join Us for Divine Liturgy' page welcomes everyone — Roman Catholics, fellow Eastern Catholics, and newcomers to the Byzantine rite alike — to attend its liturgical services and to stay for fellowship after the Sunday Divine Liturgy. Visitors are encouraged not to hesitate to attend fellowship and ask questions after the liturgy.
- Everyone is welcome to liturgical services
- Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.
- Fellowship and questions after Sunday Liturgy
Contact, Directions, and Location
The parish is located at 7100 Virginia Avenue in Saint Louis, Missouri 63111. It can be reached by phone at (314) 993-5276 and by email at [email protected]. The Saturday Vespers service, however, is not at the parish's own building but at St. Peter Catholic Church, 221 1st Capitol Drive, St. Charles, MO 63301.
- Address: 7100 Virginia Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63111
- Phone: (314) 993-5276
- Email: [email protected]
- Saturday Vespers: St. Peter Catholic Church, 221 1st Capitol Dr., St. Charles, MO 63301
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Patrick Hoffmann1977
Celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the Makara family basement on June 11, 1977.
- Fr. Frank McGlynn1977–c.1985
Administrator of the mission from St. Luke Byzantine Catholic Church in Sugar Creek, MO; drove 250 miles to celebrate Liturgy.
- Fr. Brian Van Hove, S.J.
First bi-ritual priest enlisted to allow weekly celebration of Divine Liturgy.
- Fr. Eugene Selzer1985–February 2013
Bi-ritual priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis; appointed parish administrator when the mission was made an independent parish on Dec. 15, 1985; retired February 2013; now deceased.
- Fr. Joseph WeberFebruary 2013–present
Appointed administrator upon Fr. Selzer's retirement; celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the parish's own building at 7100 Virginia Ave. on March 25, 2021.