About St. Nicholas of Myra [Ruthenian] · Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish in the small Cambria County borough of Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania, serving the faithful of the Eastern Catholic tradition in the southwestern part of the state. Founded in 1919 under the leadership of Father John Dorohovich and officially chartered on April 26, 1921, the parish has worshipped on the same block on Second Street for over a century, first in a wooden church that was destroyed by fire in 1943 and then in the present brick church dedicated in 1956. Today it belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and is served by Father Robert F. Oravetz and Deacon Joseph Hancharick, offering the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- Saint Nicholas of Myra
- Rector
- Rev. Robert F. Oravetz
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh); geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Why belong here
St. Nicholas of Myra offers the Byzantine Catholic faithful of the Nanty Glo area a fully Eastern-rite liturgical life — with Sunday Divine Liturgy and the seasonal Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts — in a small, multigenerational parish family with deep roots going back to 1919. It remains an active place of faith formation (Adult Education and a religious education program housed in the church's three basement classrooms), ongoing community life through the long-running Altar and Rosary Society, and the steady pastoral care of Father Robert F. Oravetz and Deacon Joseph Hancharick.
Mass times at St. Nicholas of Myra [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before the Divine Liturgy
- By appointment
- During specially announced times
History of St. Nicholas of Myra Parish
The congregation was founded in 1919 in Nanty Glo by Father John Dorohovich and received its official charter on April 26, 1921. Early Masses were celebrated in a wooden church on the present social-hall site. After a devastating 1943 fire and twelve years of financial recovery, the parish broke ground on a new brick church that was dedicated on October 28, 1956. The decades that followed brought a hand-carved icon screen and new icons (1970), a gold anodized aluminum dome replacing the belfry cross (1972), a new social hall (1974), three basement classrooms added by the pastor and parishioner construction crew (1976), and the blessing of two new major icons for the 70th anniversary (1989). The parish marked full payment of its renovation and social-hall mortgage with a mortgage-burning ceremony on June 12, 1983.
- Founded 1919 by Father John Dorohovich
- Chartered April 26, 1921
- Original wooden church destroyed by fire, 1943
- Cornerstone laid June 24, 1956
- New church dedicated October 28, 1956
- Icon screen installed, 1970
- Gold anodized aluminum dome placed atop belfry, March 1972
- New social hall dedicated, December 8, 1974
- Basement classrooms for religious education built by parishioners, 1976
- Mortgage-burning ceremony, June 12, 1983
- 70th Anniversary icons blessed, 1989
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
St. Nicholas of Myra is currently served by Reverend Robert F. Oravetz as pastor and Deacon Joseph Hancharick. Father Oravetz also serves Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church in nearby Conemaugh, PA, and the two parishes share a long pastoral partnership within the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
- Pastor: Rev. Robert F. Oravetz
- Deacon: Joseph Hancharick
- Founding pastor: Father John Dorohovich (1919)
Divine Liturgy & Schedule
The parish offers the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays during Great Lent, with confessions heard before the Liturgy or by appointment.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 11:30 AM
- Wednesday Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts — 6:30 PM
- Confessions: before Liturgy, by appointment, or at specially announced times
Sacraments & Holy Mysteries
The parish celebrates the Byzantine-rite Holy Mysteries. Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the rectory; the faithful may approach the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) before the Divine Liturgy, by appointment, or during specially announced times. Adult Education offerings vary throughout the year, with details published in the parish bulletin.
- Marriage: contact the rectory
- Confessions: before Liturgy, by appointment, or at specially announced times
- Adult Education: varies throughout the year — see bulletin
Parish Ministries & Community Life
St. Nicholas of Myra's parish life has long been sustained by lay organizations and a strong religious education program. The Altar and Rosary Society, organized in the 1940s, continues to provide additional financial support to the parish through fundraising activities. The religious education program meets in the three classrooms the pastor and parishioners built in the church basement in 1976.
- Altar and Rosary Society (since the 1940s)
- Religious Education program (basement classrooms)
- Adult Education
- Parish fundraising activities
Buildings & Facilities
The parish plant on Second Street includes the 1956 brick church, the social hall built in 1974 at the site of the original wooden church, and three classroom spaces created in the church basement in 1976 for the religious education program.
- 1956 brick church with hand-carved icon screen
- 28-foot gold anodized aluminum dome and cross atop the belfry
- Two major icons behind the altar (blessed 1989)
- 1974 social hall at the site of the first church
- Three basement classrooms for religious education
Jurisdiction & Affiliation
St. Nicholas of Myra is canonically a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the eparchial seat of the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris in the United States. Although the parish is geographically located within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown, it belongs to the Eastern Catholic (Ruthenian) Church and follows the Byzantine liturgical tradition.
- Archeparchy: Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
- Metropolitanate: Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh
- Geographic location: Roman Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Dorohovich1919–
Founded the congregation in 1919 and led it to receive its official charter on April 26, 1921.