About St. Vladimir [Ukrainian] · Arnold, Pennsylvania
St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic parish in Arnold, Pennsylvania, founded in 1894 by six immigrant families and today serving as Arnold's only Catholic church. It belongs to the Ukrainian Diocese (Eparchy) of Saint Josaphat in Parma, while geographically situated within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Greensburg. The parish is best known locally for surviving a catastrophic December 4, 2021 fire that caused more than $4 million in damage to its 74-year-old sanctuary, and for the remarkable community-led reconstruction — completed in 2024 at roughly $2.2 million — under the pastorate of the Rev. Yaroslav Koval.
- Established
- 1894
- Patron
- St. Vladimir the Great (Equal-to-the-Apostles, Baptizer of Kyivan Rus')
- Rector
- Rev. Yaroslav Koval
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Diocese (Eparchy) of Saint Josaphat in Parma (within the territorial bounds of the Roman Diocese of Greensburg)
Why belong here
St. Vladimir is a small but resilient Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic community in Arnold that has rebuilt itself literally from the ashes — its 2024 consecrated sanctuary is a living symbol of that determination. Visitors and parishioners can worship in the Ukrainian Catholic tradition alongside a tight-knit congregation that still gathers for Divine Liturgy on Sundays, hosts pierogi-making teams that turn out hundreds of dozens of potato pockets, and welcomes back alumni and newcomers alike to a parish that has been part of the Allegheny-Kiski Valley since 1894.
Mass times at St. Vladimir [Ukrainian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Overview
St. Vladimir is a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic parish in the Byzantine rite, founded in 1894 and now the only Catholic church in Arnold, Pennsylvania. It sits under the Eparchy (Diocese) of St. Josaphat in Parma and is pastorally led by Fr. Yaroslav Koval. After a 2021 fire destroyed much of its mid-20th-century sanctuary, the parish completed a $2.2 million rebuild that was consecrated in September 2024.
- Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma
- Byzantine (Ukrainian) rite
- Pastor: Fr. Yaroslav Koval
- Bishop: Most Rev. Bohdan Danylo
- Founded 1894
- Consecration of rebuilt church: September 14, 2024
History
The parish traces its origin to 1894, when six Ukrainian immigrant families began gathering for prayer in a local home and later in a social hall. By 1911, about 50 families had petitioned for a church, and a building was erected on Third Avenue in New Kensington. As the community grew, the parish relocated to Kenneth Avenue in Arnold, where a new church, school, and social hall were constructed in the late 1940s — the building that stood for roughly seven decades.
- 1894: founding by six immigrant families
- 1911: first church built on Third Avenue, New Kensington
- Late 1940s: new church, school, and hall on Kenneth Avenue, Arnold
- Peak weekend attendance: ~700 people
The 2021 Fire
On the evening of December 4, 2021, a serious fire broke out in the church proper, causing extreme damage to the roof, numerous windows, and the interior. Part of the roof later collapsed; about 12 fire trucks responded and battled the blaze until roughly 3 a.m. Fr. Yaroslav Koval was on site and remained in immediate contact with the Eparchy. The parish relocated Divine Liturgy to the adjoining school/social hall — a worship home it would keep for nearly three years.
- Date: December 4, 2021
- Damage: more than $4 million
- Cause: undetermined
- Response: ~12 fire trucks on scene until ~3 a.m.
- Immediate liturgy: celebrated in adjacent social hall within 24 hours
Rebuild & 2024 Consecration
Initial architectural plans were developed by Oakland-based Ukrainian-American architect Walter Boykowycz; the construction-phase architect was Dan Macek of Canzian/Johnston & Associates in New Kensington. Rather than replicate the original 400-seat footprint, the parish built a smaller church seating about 100, with the original altar incorporated into a new altar, an open-air courtyard where the middle of the old nave once stood, and a narthex adjoining the preserved bell tower. Belgian-made stained-glass windows were reused in alcoves overlooking the courtyard. The project cost approximately $2.2 million, funded largely by donations through donorbox.org/stvlads and a community-wide pierogi-dinner effort. The Most Rev. Bohdan Danylo, bishop of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat, presided at the consecration on Saturday, September 14, 2024, with a pierogi dinner that evening and the blessing/anointing of the new walls on Sunday, September 15.
- Reconstruction cost: ~$2.2 million
- Seating: ~100 (down from ~400)
- Architect of record: Dan Macek, Canzian/Johnston & Associates
- Initial designs: Walter Boykowycz
- Consecration: September 14, 2024
- Wall anointing: September 15, 2024
- Fundraising: donorbox.org/stvlads
Clergy
The parish is currently served by its pastor, the Rev. Yaroslav Koval, who has shepherded the community through the fire and the multi-year reconstruction. The Eparchy's bishop, the Most Rev. Bohdan Danylo, has remained a close presence, visiting for liturgy and presiding at the 2024 consecration.
- Pastor: Rev. Yaroslav Koval
- Bishop: Most Rev. Bohdan Danylo (St. Josaphat Eparchy)
Worship & Liturgy
St. Vladimir celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian Catholic (Byzantine) tradition. During the three years of post-fire reconstruction, services were held in the adjacent social hall alongside bingo tables and an active kitchen; with the 2024 consecration, the parish returned to a proper sanctuary. Listed Mass (Divine Liturgy) schedules show Sunday worship at 11:00 AM (a 9:30 AM listing also appears on older aggregator pages).
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 11:00 AM
- Rite: Byzantine (Ukrainian Catholic)
- Languages: English (with elements of Ukrainian tradition)
- Salvaged liturgical items in use: original pulpit, baptismal font, tabernacle, statues, shroud icons, bell tower
Community Life & Fundraisers
The parish is best known locally for its pierogi operation. Volunteers — many of them returning alumni — produce roughly 600 dozen potato pockets each week that regularly sell out, and the team won the 2024 PTL Pierogi Bracket. Pierogi dinners and other fundraisers (including a Christmas concert with St. Mary of Czestochowa) have helped finance the rebuilding effort and bind the parish together across generations.
- Pierogi-making team: ~600 dozen/week
- 2024 PTL Pierogi Bracket champions
- Pierogi fund-raising dinners
- Joint Christmas concert with St. Mary of Czestochowa
- Alumni outreach through pierogi team
Facilities & Address
The parish sits at the corner of Kenneth Avenue and McCandless Street in Arnold, Pennsylvania. The complex historically included the church, an elementary school, and a social hall. The school and social hall — the latter still used for parish events and the pierogi operation — survived the 2021 fire and hosted Divine Liturgy throughout the reconstruction.
- Address: 1601 Kenneth Avenue, Arnold, PA 15068
- Corner of Kenneth Avenue and McCandless Street
- Complex: church, former elementary school, social hall
- Bell tower preserved and incorporated into rebuilt sanctuary
Diocese & Jurisdiction
St. Vladimir is a parish of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of Saint Josaphat in Parma, headquartered in Parma, Ohio. Though pastorally Eastern Catholic, the parish sits geographically within the territorial bounds of the Latin-rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
- Eparchy: St. Josaphat in Parma (Ukrainian Catholic)
- Geographic territory: Diocese of Greensburg
- Rite: Byzantine (Ukrainian)
Contact & Visit
Visitors and parishioners can reach St. Vladimir by phone at (724) 339-9257 or by email at [email protected]. The parish maintains a Facebook page at facebook.com/StVladsArnold/ and a website at stvladimirarnold.com that documents the rebuilding with extensive photo galleries of pre-fire, fire aftermath, and consecration moments. Online donations are accepted via donorbox.org/stvlads.
- Phone: (724) 339-9257
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stvladimirarnold.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/StVladsArnold/
- Donations: donorbox.org/stvlads
- Pierogi-dinner RSVP: 724-681-3383