About St. Nicholas [Ruthenian] · Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church is a small Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish located at 302 Third Avenue in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and it belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. Organized in 1911 by immigrants from Subcarpathian Rus' and Hungary, the parish has worshipped in its beloved Byzantine Catholic tradition for more than a century in an almost cathedral-sized church adorned with stained glass and a unique glass icon screen. It is currently served by Reverend James A. Ragan as administrator, who also shepherds nearby St. Mary Assumption in New Salem. Sunday Divine Liturgy is celebrated at 9:00 a.m., with Lenten weekday services and Saturday confessions rounding out the schedule.
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- St. Nicholas of Myra
- Rector
- Reverend James A. Ragan (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh); geographically situated within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Greensburg.
Why belong here
St. Nicholas offers a warm, small Byzantine Catholic community in the Mon Valley where the Divine Liturgy, the Eastern Christian Formation program, and parish life (the St. Nicholas Society, the annual July picnic, monthly Coffee & Donuts) are all rooted in the tradition brought from Subcarpathian Rus' and Hungary. Visitors and newcomers are welcomed into a parish that still preserves its stained-glass and glass icon-screen sanctuary, celebrates the full cycle of Lenten services, and provides Saturday confessions plus weekday feasts and devotions for anyone seeking to worship in the Byzantine rite.
Mass times at St. Nicholas [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30 – 3:15 PM
History of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church
Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church was organized in 1911 by immigrants from Subcarpathian Rus' and Hungary who settled in the Brownsville area of southwestern Pennsylvania. Before a church of their own could be built, the congregation worshipped in the neighboring First Hungarian Presbyterian Church. The parish's first pastor was Father Constantine Roskovics, who gave this Rusyn and Hungarian community a permanent spiritual home. A basement church was constructed and dedicated on February 22, 1913. As the immigrant families' resources grew, an upper church was built above the basement and dedicated on July 4, 1918. The parish celebrated the burning of its mortgages on October 10, 1948, in a service presided over by Bishop Daniel Ivancho. The sanctuary was further beautified over the decades with artistically beautiful stained glass windows donated in memory of families who emigrated from the Subcarpathian counties of Bereg, Ungvar, and Zemplyn, and from Hungary, and in 1971 a unique glass icon screen was added to complement those windows.
- Parish organized 1911 by Subcarpathian Rus' and Hungarian immigrants
- First pastor: Father Constantine Roskovics
- Basement church dedicated February 22, 1913
- Upper church dedicated July 4, 1918
- Mortgage burning October 10, 1948 with Bishop Daniel Ivancho
- Stained-glass windows donated by families from Bereg, Ungvar, Zemplyn and Hungary
- Unique glass icon screen installed 1971
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently administered by Reverend James A. Ragan, who simultaneously serves as administrator of the neighboring St. Mary Assumption Byzantine Catholic Church in New Salem, PA. Fr. Ragan came to Brownsville from his previous assignment providing Liturgical Services and Spiritual Welfare at St. John the Baptist in Hawk Run and the Dormition in Clarence, with ministry to Byzantine Catholic students at Penn State. He can be reached through the parish rectory.
- Reverend James A. Ragan – current administrator of St. Nicholas Brownsville and St. Mary New Salem
- Rectory phone: (724) 785-7573
- Parish email: [email protected]
Architecture and Interior Treasures
St. Nicholas is housed in an almost cathedral-sized Byzantine Catholic building that befits the scale of its early-twentieth-century immigrant congregation. The sanctuary is distinguished by artistically beautiful stained glass windows and, since 1971, by a unique glass icon screen that complements the glass and gives the church its distinctive Byzantine character.
- Almost cathedral-sized church building
- Stained glass windows donated in memory of immigrant families
- Unique glass icon screen installed 1971
Divine Liturgy and Schedule
The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy and observes the Eastern liturgical calendar with weekly and seasonal services. The principal Sunday celebration is at 9:00 a.m., with weekday Lenten observances on Monday evenings and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday evenings.
- Sundays: Divine Liturgy at 9:00 AM
- Mondays: 6:30 PM – Lenten Devotions
- Wednesdays: 6:30 PM – Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Holy Mysteries (Sacraments)
Reconciliation is offered on Saturday afternoons before the Sunday Liturgy, and parishioners are encouraged to contact the rectory to arrange marriages and the Anointing of the Sick.
- Confessions – Saturdays 2:30 to 3:15 PM
- Marriage – please contact the rectory
- Anointing – please contact the rectory
Religious Education and Parish Life
Faith formation for children is offered through the Eastern Christian Formation (ECF) program, held Sundays from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Parishioners also gather socially through the St. Nicholas Society, the annual parish picnic held each July, and the Coffee and Donuts fellowship on the second Sunday of every month.
- Eastern Christian Formation (ECF) – Sundays 10:15–11:15 a.m.
- St. Nicholas Society
- Annual Parish Picnic – held in July
- Coffee and Donuts – 2nd Sunday of the month
Parish Cemetery
The parish owns Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, located south of the intersection of Broad Street and York Street in Brownsville, adjacent to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, the historic Old Jewish section, and Woodlawn Cemetery. The cemetery is a tangible part of the parish's heritage, acquired through the sacrifices of its original immigrant families.
- Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, Brownsville, PA 15417
- Located in the north corner of a four-cemetery grouping near Broad and York Streets
- Coordinates approximately 40.01132, -79.89324
Jurisdiction and Canonical Status
St. Nicholas is canonically a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the see of the Ruthenian (Byzantine) Metropolitanate sui juris. Although the physical territory lies within the boundaries of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, the parish is governed according to the Eastern Code of Canons and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite.
- Archeparchy: Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
- Metropolitanate: Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh
- Geographic territory: within the Roman Diocese of Greensburg
Visiting and Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed to the Divine Liturgy and to parish activities. The rectory can be reached by phone or email to arrange sacraments, the Anointing of the Sick, or to inquire about joining the parish.
- Address: 302 Third Avenue, Brownsville, PA 15417
- Rectory: (724) 785-7573
- Email: [email protected]
- Listed on the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh parish directory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Constantine Roskovicsfrom 1911
First pastor of the parish, organized the community of Subcarpathian Rus' and Hungarian immigrants shortly after the parish was established in 1911.
- Father Jerome G. Botsko
Listed in Archeparchy appointments as previously serving as pastor of St. Nicholas, Brownsville (and administrator of St. Mary, New Salem) before being relieved and reassigned to Holy Protection of Mary, Homer City.
- Father Christopher R. BurkeEffective August 1, 2024
Appointed pastor of St. Nicholas, Brownsville and administrator of St. Mary, New Salem; later relieved and reassigned to assist at Holy Ascension, Clairton, with residence at the St. Nicholas rectory in Perryopolis.
- Reverend James A. Ragancurrent
Administrator of St. Nicholas, Brownsville and St. Mary Assumption, New Salem; previously priest for Liturgical Services at St. John, Hawk Run and Dormition, Clarence, with ministry to Byzantine Catholic students at Penn State.