About St. Mary [Ruthenian] · Herminie, Pennsylvania
Saint Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church of the Protection of the Theotokos (Pokrov), commonly known as St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, is a small Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish serving the Herminie community in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1921 by Rusyn Greek Catholic immigrants and formally incorporated in 1923, the parish belongs to the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the Byzantine Catholic successor to the historic Pittsburgh Exarchate. The parish celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine rite and is currently served by Father Vasyl Yakubych. Its current church building on Second Street was originally built in 1912 and acquired by the parish in 1930, giving the community more than a century of worship on its present site.
- Established
- 1921 (unofficial) / 1923 (incorporated)
- Patron
- The Protection of the Theotokos (Pokrov) / Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Father Vasyl Yakubych
- Diocese
- Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh)
Why belong here
St. Mary Pokrov is a small, family-sized Byzantine Catholic parish that has served the Herminie area for more than a century, worshiping in the Rusyn Greek Catholic tradition united with Rome. Visitors can experience the rich liturgical heritage of the Byzantine rite in an intimate, welcoming community where cantors assist the priest in preserving the traditional chant. With its single Sunday Divine Liturgy and the dedicated service of Father Vasyl Yakubych, the parish offers a place for Ruthenian Catholics and newcomers alike to belong to a living tradition rooted in the faith of their immigrant forebears.
Mass times at St. Mary [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Parish Identity & History
Saint Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church of the Protection of the Theotokos (Pokrov) in Herminie, Pennsylvania, is a Ruthenian Catholic parish with roots in the Carpatho-Rusyn immigrant experience. The community first gathered for worship in 1921 and was incorporated on June 29, 1923, under the title of The Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary Byzantine Catholic Church. From its earliest days the parish declared its identity in its founding by-laws, pledging to worship God 'according to the faith, doctrine, creed, discipline and usage of the Rusyn Greek Catholic Church which is united with the Holy See of Rome.' The parish was embraced by the Pittsburgh Exarchate in December 1923 and remains part of its successor body, the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
- Unofficial founding: 1921, in the old Marsh General Store, corner of Sunshine Road and Church Street
- Incorporated: June 29, 1923, as The Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary Byzantine Catholic Church
- First pastor: Father Stephen Loya
- Joined the Pittsburgh Exarchate: December 1923
- Acquired present church building on Second Street: April 1930
Worship & Liturgical Schedule
St. Mary Pokrov celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in the Ruthenian tradition. The principal weekly celebration is the Sunday Divine Liturgy, with a single Holy Day Liturgy as well. The parish's own published schedule and the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh directory both confirm Father Vasyl Yakubych as the celebrating priest, assisted by cantors who maintain the traditional chant of the Byzantine rite.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 8:30 AM
- Holy Day Divine Liturgy: 9:00 AM
- Confessions: Sundays, 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM (before Divine Liturgy)
- Celebrant: Father Vasyl Yakubych
- Cantors: Joseph Lužanski, Zachery Downer, Jesse Lachimi
The Present Church Building
The parish does not own the building it worships in from its own founding. In April 1930, seven years after incorporation, the congregation purchased the present Second Street church building from the Clover Land Company. The structure itself dated to 1912, when it had been built by St. Nicholas Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, which had leased the lot. The acquisition of an existing building gave the young parish a permanent home and allowed it to focus its energy on sustaining community life through the Great Depression and two World Wars.
- Building constructed: 1912 by St. Nicholas Orthodox Greek Catholic Church
- Acquired by St. Mary parish: April 1930
- Seller: Clover Land Company
- Location: 5 Second Street (2nd Street), Herminie, PA 15637
Clergy & Leadership
Father Vasyl Yakubych serves as the current administrator of St. Mary parish. According to the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh's official appointments, he was appointed effective April 25, 2022, having recently arrived in the United States from the Eparchy of Mukachevo (Ukraine). He simultaneously serves as administrator of St. Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church in nearby North Huntingdon. Father Yakubych is the spiritual link between this century-old Ruthenian community and the wider Byzantine Catholic Church in America.
- Father Vasyl Yakubych — Administrator, appointed April 25, 2022
- Previously served in the Eparchy of Mukachevo, Ukraine
- Also administers St. Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church, North Huntingdon, PA
- Contact: cell 412-627-1678 (via parish site pokrov.iksnazul.com)
Music & Cantor Ministry
The parish sustains the traditional Byzantine chant of the Ruthenian Catholic Church through a small group of dedicated cantors. Cantors lead the faithful in the sung portions of the Divine Liturgy, working closely with the priest at the altar and supporting the liturgical responses that define the Byzantine worship tradition.
- Joseph Lužanski — Cantor
- Zachery Downer — Cantor
- Jesse Lachimi — Cantor
Visit & Contact
Visitors and parishioners can find St. Mary Pokrov at 5 Second Street in Herminie, in the Mon Valley region of Westmoreland County. The parish is reached by phone through the rectory line listed by the Archeparchy. Online, the parish is represented by its Archeparchy directory page and its own community site, which also links to a Facebook page.
- Street address: 5 Second Street, Herminie, PA 15637
- Phone: (724) 446-5570
- Archeparchy page: http://archpitt.org/place/herminiepa-2/
- Parish community site: http://pokrov.iksnazul.com
- Diocese: Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh)
- Geographic territory of the Roman Diocese of Greensburg
Connection to the Wider Church
Although geographically situated within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, St. Mary Herminie belongs not to the Latin diocese but to the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh (the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), the canonical home of Byzantine-rite Catholics of Rusyn, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Hungarian heritage in the United States. The Archeparchy itself grew out of the original Pittsburgh Exarchate that welcomed St. Mary in 1923, giving the parish an unbroken institutional link to the early days of organized Byzantine Catholic life in America.
- Archeparchy of Pittsburgh — Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris
- Successor body to the Pittsburgh Exarchate (founded 1924)
- Inside the geographic bounds of the Roman Diocese of Greensburg
- Byzantine / Ruthenian liturgical rite
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Stephen Loya1923 –
First pastor; oversaw the parish's incorporation on June 29, 1923 and its entry into the Pittsburgh Exarchate in December 1923.