About St. Mary [Ruthenian] · Windber, Pennsylvania
Saint Mary Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish in Windber, Pennsylvania, founded in 1900 by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants who had come to the coal-mining region to work for the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company. It belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris, and is one of the historic Rusyn parishes that established Byzantine Catholic life in the Johnstown–Somerset County coal patch. The current brick church, consecrated in 1927, is administered by Father Ivan Rusyn, who also serves the neighboring mission of Saints Peter and Paul in Jerome.
- Established
- 1900
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (Saint Mary)
- Rector
- Father Ivan Rusyn (administrator, appointed August 20, 2018)
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris); geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
Why belong here
St. Mary Windber offers a living, full Byzantine liturgical tradition — Divine Liturgy on Sundays, Saturdays, Wednesdays, and the Great Fast weekday Presanctified Liturgies — in a church that has served the Rusyn community continuously since 1900. As a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate), it preserves the icon screen, choral and congregational singing, and liturgical calendar of the Byzantine East, while being a small, walkable congregation in the Somerset County coal-patch town of Windber. Confessions are heard half an hour before every service, and the parish priest also serves the neighboring Byzantine mission at Jerome, keeping the Byzantine tradition present across the Windber–Conemaugh region.
Mass times at St. Mary [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- One-half hour before every Divine Liturgy (typically Sunday ~8:30–9:00 a.m., Wednesday and other weekdays ~5:30 p.m., Saturday ~4:00 p.m.)
Parish History
St. Mary was founded in 1900 by Rusyn pioneers who had come to the Windber coal patch to work for the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company. The first Divine Liturgies in Windber were celebrated by the pastor of St. Mary in Johnstown, who traveled 11 miles southeast, while the faithful gathered in one another's homes. By 1900 the community was large enough for Basilian Fathers Cyril Gulovich and Damascene Polivka to organize the parish.
- Late 1890s: Rusyn families begin gathering for Liturgy in private homes.
- 1900: Lot purchased from the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company for $250.
- 1900: Parish established by Fathers Cyril Gulovich and Damascene Polivka, OSBM.
- July 25, 1901: Contract let to build a 40 × 80-foot church with 80-foot steeple for $10,000.
- August 19, 1901: Cornerstone laid.
- May 30, 1903: First church consecrated by Bishop Eugene Garvey of the Diocese of Altoona, with 1,000+ in attendance.
Building the Present Church
By May 1914 the original building was already too small, and the parish resolved to move it and build a new church on the same site. The project was delayed first by the outbreak of World War I and then by the flu epidemic of the 1920s. In 1926 construction finally began on the present church, which was consecrated by Bishop Basil Takach on June 5, 1927 and re-blessed in August 1942 after the interior was completed.
- 1914: Vote to build a larger church on the existing site.
- 1926: Construction begins on the present church.
- 144 feet long, mottled tapestry brick with Indiana stone trim and copper-roofed towers.
- June 5, 1927: Consecration by Bishop Basil Takach.
- August 1942: Re-blessing after interior decoration completed.
Renovations and Centennial
Across the 20th century the parish repeatedly renewed its worship space to keep both its structure and its Byzantine tradition vital. Major work in the 1950s brought a baldacchino altar and stained glass, the 1980s restored the icon screen, and the centennial in 2000 brought further upgrades.
- 1956–57: Major interior renovation — baldacchino on marble pillars, two mosaic shrine altars, stained glass, new lighting.
- November 1958: Rededication.
- 1970s: Interior repainted.
- 1986: Icon screen installed, restoring full Byzantine sanctuary tradition.
- 1990: Elevator with street-level entrance added for accessibility.
- 2000: Centennial renovations completed.
Clergy and Leadership
Since 2018 the parish has been administered by Father Ivan Rusyn, who also serves Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Jerome. The parish's founding pastors were Basilian monks from SubCarpathia who were the first Byzantine Ruthenian priests in this country.
- Father Cyril Gulovich, OSBM — co-founder (1900); first Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic priest from SubCarpathia in America.
- Father Damascene Polivka, OSBM — co-founder (1900).
- Father Robert F. Oravetz — temporary administrator prior to 2018.
- Father Ivan Rusyn — administrator since August 20, 2018; also serves Saints Peter and Paul, Jerome.
Divine Liturgy and Holy Mysteries
The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast (Lent). Confessions are heard a half hour before every service, and the parish follows the standard Byzantine preparation timeline for marriage and anointing.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday Divine Liturgy: 4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday Divine Liturgy: 6:00 p.m.
- Great Fast/Lent Wednesdays and Fridays: Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at 6:00 p.m.
- Confessions: one-half hour before every service.
- Marriage: contact the parish six months before the wedding date.
- Anointing of the Sick: contact the parish to arrange.
Location and Contact
St. Mary is located on Somerset Avenue in the heart of Windber, in the Somerset County coal-mining region of Pennsylvania. It is geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, but ecclesiastically belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris. The rectory phone is the main point of contact for parish business.
- Address: 803 Somerset Avenue, Windber, PA 15963.
- Rectory phone: 814-467-7309.
- Email: [email protected].
- Archeparchy parish page: archpitt.org/place/windberpa-2/.
- Jurisdiction: Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian).
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Cyril Gulovich, OSBM1900–
Co-founder of the parish with Father Damascene Polivka; Basilian monk remembered as the first Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic priest to come to America from SubCarpathia.
- Father Damascene Polivka, OSBM1900–
Co-founder of the parish; Basilian monk.
- Father Robert F. Oravetzprior to 2018
Served as temporary administrator of St. Mary, Windber, and Saints Peter and Paul, Jerome, before being relieved on August 20, 2018.
- Father Ivan Rusyn2018–present
Appointed administrator of St. Mary, Windber, and Saints Peter and Paul, Jerome, effective August 20, 2018.