About State College Byzantine Catholic Community · State College, Pennsylvania
St. Basil Byzantine Catholic Community, also known as the State College Byzantine Catholic Community, is a small Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic mission serving the State College, Pennsylvania area, including Penn State University students. It was joyfully announced by the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh on October 15, 2005, as the first new Byzantine Catholic community to form in Pennsylvania since 1975. The community is named after St. Basil the Great and gathers in the basement of the University Mennonite Church (and, according to the Archeparchy's more recent directory, also meets at the Catholic Student Faith Center on East Park Avenue). It is one of three Central Pennsylvania Byzantine Catholic communities clustered together — along with Dormition of the Mother of God in Clarence and St. John the Baptist in Hawk Run — and is currently shepherded by Fr. William Rupp together with Deacons John Custaney and Dennis Prestash.
- Established
- 2005
- Patron
- St. Basil the Great
- Rector
- Father William Rupp
- Diocese
- Byzantine-Ruthenian Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Metropolitan Archeparchy), in full communion with the Pope of Rome
Why belong here
St. Basil's offers Byzantine Catholics in central Pennsylvania — and Byzantine Catholic students attending Penn State — a warm, full-communion Byzantine liturgical home in the heart of State College. The community is small and close-knit, gathering twice monthly for the Divine Liturgy, with confession before Liturgy, a parish choir that rehearses monthly, religious education (CCD) during the school year, and adult education announced in the bulletin. Because it shares its clergy with the sister Byzantine communities at Clarence and Hawk Run, parishioners become part of a tight-knit Central PA Byzantine family under the Byzantine-Ruthenian Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
Mass times at State College Byzantine Catholic Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 5:00 PM (before Divine Liturgy)
Identity and Patron
The community bears the name of St. Basil the Great (c. 329–379), Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, one of the Four Great Eastern Fathers of the Church and a Doctor of the Church whose Divine Liturgy is celebrated in Byzantine churches ten times a year. In the Byzantine liturgical calendar his feast is observed on January 1; on the civil/Gregorian calendar it falls on January 14.
History
The Pittsburgh Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy announced the formation of the State College Byzantine Catholic Community on Saturday, October 15, 2005. It was the first new Byzantine Catholic community to be established in Pennsylvania since St. Andrew's in Gibsonia in 1975. From the start, the community has partnered with Penn State Campus Ministry to celebrate liturgy, fellowship, education and prayer.
- Founded: October 15, 2005
- First new Byzantine Catholic community in Pennsylvania since 1975
- Originally gathered at the University Mennonite Church, 1606 Norma Street, State College
- Pastoral care joined with Dormition Parish, Clarence, and St. John the Baptist, Hawk Run
- Effective August 1, 2024: Fr. James A. Ragan reassigned; Fr. William Rupp appointed
Liturgy and Schedule
The Byzantine-Ruthenian Divine Liturgy is celebrated twice a month on Saturday evenings. The community's 2017 schedule listed 5:00 PM, while the Archeparchy's current directory lists Saturdays at 5:30 PM — parishioners are directed to check the Facebook page for any schedule changes.
- Divine Liturgy: Two Saturdays per month (5:00 PM per community site; 5:30 PM per Archeparchy)
- Confessions: Saturdays at 5:00 PM
- Parish choir rehearsal: first Saturday of the month (contact cantors)
- CCD / Religious Education: during the school year
- Adult Education: see bulletin for times
Clergy and Pastoral Team
The community is served as one of three Central PA Byzantine communities by a shared pastoral team. Fr. William Rupp was appointed effective August 1, 2024 to minister to St. Basil, the mission at State College, St. John the Baptist (Hawk Run), Dormition of the Mother of God (Clarence), and Byzantine Catholic students at Penn State.
- Pastor: Fr. William Rupp
- Deacon: John A. Custaney
- Deacon: Dennis M. Prestash
- Former priest: Fr. James A. Ragan (2005 – August 2024)
Penn State Campus Ministry
From its founding, the State College Byzantine Catholic Community has explicitly partnered with Penn State Campus Ministry to celebrate liturgy, fellowship, education and prayer with the university community — a core part of the mission's identity and outreach to Byzantine Catholic students in central Pennsylvania.
- Joint liturgy, fellowship, and prayer with Penn State Campus Ministry
- Worship sites include the Catholic Student Faith Center, 117 E. Park Ave., State College
Christian Formation
Religious formation is offered for both children and adults. The community runs a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program during the school year, and adult education sessions are announced in the parish bulletin.
- CCD for children during the school year
- Adult Education — times published in the bulletin
Music and Liturgical Arts
The community values Byzantine chant and congregational singing. A parish choir rehearses on the first Saturday of each month; prospective cantors and choir members are invited to contact the cantors directly for details. Divine Liturgy podcasts from the community have also been posted online.
- Parish choir rehearses first Saturday of each month
- Contact cantors for details
- Divine Liturgy podcasts shared online
Contact and Location
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Basil through its mailing address, phone, or email; for the latest liturgical schedule changes, the community points visitors to its Facebook page.
- Mailing: P.O. Box 413, State College, PA 16804
- Phone: (814) 861-2005
- Email: [email protected]
- Worship site: University Mennonite Church, 1606 Norma Street, State College
- Alt. worship site: Catholic Student Faith Center, 117 E. Park Ave., State College
- Diocesan listing: archpitt.org/place/state-college-byzantine-catholic-community/
Diocese and Wider Communion
St. Basil is a Byzantine-Ruthenian (Greek Catholic) mission of the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, under Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla, in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. The community belongs to the cluster of three Central PA Byzantine communities that share one pastoral team.
- Diocese: Byzantine-Ruthenian Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
- Rite: Byzantine (Ruthenian)
- Sister communities: Dormition of the Mother of God (Clarence), St. John the Baptist (Hawk Run)
Getting Involved
Because St. Basil is a small mission-sized community, members and visitors are invited into multiple areas of parish life — liturgical (cantors and choir), catechetical (CCD teachers and adult education), and pastoral (hospitality and fellowship after the two monthly liturgies).
- Join the choir (rehearsals first Saturday of the month)
- Volunteer for CCD / religious education
- Bring a dish for fellowship after Divine Liturgy
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father James A. Ragan2005 – August 1, 2024
Original priest assigned to the mission, also shepherding Dormition Parish (Clarence) and St. John the Baptist (Hawk Run), with ministry to Byzantine Catholic students at Penn State. Reassigned effective August 1, 2024 to administer St. Nicholas, Brownsville and St. Mary, New Salem.
- Father William RuppEffective August 1, 2024 – present
Relieved as administrator of Sts. Peter and Paul, Warren, Ohio and appointed priest for the State College mission along with St. John, Hawk Run and Dormition, Clarence. Also serves as Director of Spiritual Formation at SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary.