About Sts. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Mission · Kalispell, Montana
Sts. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Mission is the first Eastern-rite Catholic community in the Flathead Valley of northwestern Montana, established on May 28, 2021 by Bishop Benedict (Aleksiychuk) of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago. Born out of the conversion of Father Daniel Kirk and his family from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the mission makes the Byzantine liturgical tradition accessible to faithful in the Kalispell area, and proudly identifies as the first Catholic Church in Montana to celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English. The young community currently gathers for Sunday Divine Liturgy at Risen Christ Catholic Church in Evergreen and is served today by Father Austin Lewton.
- Established
- 2021
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (the Holy Apostles)
- Rector
- Father Austin Lewton
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago (sui iuris Byzantine Catholic eparchy; geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena)
Why belong here
Sts. Peter and Paul is the only Byzantine Catholic mission in the Flathead Valley, offering Catholics of northwestern Montana direct access to the Eastern Christian liturgical tradition without traveling to Chicago or the West Coast. The community is small enough that newcomers are quickly known and welcomed, yet rooted in the universal Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church under Bishop Benedict of the Eparchy of Saint Nicholas. It celebrates the full Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English, making the ancient Byzantine rite accessible to English-speaking faithful of both Greek- and Roman-rite backgrounds who long to pray the Church's oldest living liturgy in their own tongue.
Mass times at Sts. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment with Father Austin
- Thursday evenings 5:00–6:00 PM with Father Austin (by appointment)
About the Mission
Sts. Peter and Paul is a Byzantine Catholic Mission of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago, canonically erected on May 28, 2021 by Bishop Benedict (Aleksiychuk). It serves the Flathead Valley of northwestern Montana, an area otherwise served by Roman Catholic parishes of the Diocese of Helena. The mission is the first Catholic Church in Montana to celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English, and it presents the full Eastern liturgical tradition to anyone open to praying the Church's most ancient living liturgy. It is a small, welcoming community intentionally bilingual in its Catholic heritage — drawing faithful from both Greek- and Roman-rite backgrounds.
- First Byzantine Catholic community in the Flathead Valley
- Erected May 28, 2021 by Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk
- Jurisdiction: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago
- Geographic area: Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena
History: How the Mission Began
The mission is the fruit of one priest's journey to the Catholic Church. Father Daniel Kirk, raised on a ranch near Cardwell, Montana, was ordained in the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2015 and served St. Herman of Alaska mission in Kalispell, which grew under his care. After prayer and study he concluded that the Catholic Church possesses the fullness of faith Christ intended. On May 16, 2021 he resigned that pastorate; on May 28, 2021 he, his wife Dobrodiyka Anne, and their children Phoebe, Benjamin and Beatrice were received into the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul was formally established with Fr. Daniel as its first Parochial Administrator.
- Father Daniel Kirk: ordained Serbian Orthodox priest, 2015; pastor of St. Herman of Alaska mission, Kalispell
- May 16, 2021: Fr. Daniel resigned St. Herman's and was received into the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with his family
- May 28, 2021: Bishop Benedict established Sts. Peter and Paul parish and appointed Fr. Daniel as Parochial Administrator
- November 19, 2024: Father Austin Lewton assigned as priest serving the mission
First Divine Liturgy (July 11, 2021)
The mission's first Resurrectional Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Sunday, July 11, 2021 — the feast of St. Olha, Princess of Kyiv. About 50 faithful of both Greek and Roman Catholic backgrounds filled the pews. The service was held at St. Matthew's Roman Catholic Church in downtown Kalispell; Bishop Austin Anthony Vetter of the Diocese of Helena, Fr. Stan Rog and the St. Matthew community welcomed the Byzantine community by offering their newly renovated church as a temporary home. A mixed choir of local Catholics learned the Byzantine chant tradition to assist Fr. Daniel at the altar.
- Celebrated on the feast of St. Olha, Princess of Kyiv
- Approximately 50 faithful in attendance
- Held at St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church, 602 S. Main St., Kalispell
- Roman Bishop Vetter and Fr. Stan Rog welcomed the new Byzantine mission
- Local choir learned the Eastern chant tradition
The Eastern Rite in Montana
Sts. Peter and Paul exists to make the Byzantine Christian tradition — the liturgical heritage shared by Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Christians — present and accessible in Montana. The parish follows the Ruthenian/Ukrainian Catholic usage of the Byzantine rite, celebrated in English, so that Catholics raised in the Roman rite can encounter the Eastern Church without a language barrier while keeping the ancient texts, chant, icons, and liturgical calendar of the Byzantine East.
- Byzantine liturgical tradition in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic usage
- Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom celebrated in English
- Ancient chant tradition
- Icons and the Byzantine liturgical year
Leadership
The mission is shepherded by a Byzantine Catholic priest serving under the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago. Bishop Benedict (Aleksiychuk), appointed bishop of the Eparchy of Chicago on April 20, 2017 by Pope Francis, is the ordinary of the eparchy. The parish's current priest is Father Austin Lewton, assigned November 19, 2024. Father Daniel Kirk, the founding Parochial Administrator, remains part of the community's story and continues to serve in the area.
- Bishop Benedict (Aleksiychuk) — Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Chicago (St. Nicholas Eparchy)
- Father Austin Lewton — current priest serving Sts. Peter and Paul, Kalispell (since November 19, 2024); ordained May 19, 2019
- Father Daniel Kirk — founding Parochial Administrator (2021)
Sacraments (Holy Mysteries)
As a Byzantine Catholic community, Sts. Peter and Paul celebrates the seven Holy Mysteries of the Eastern Christian tradition, including the central Mystery of the Divine Liturgy (Holy Eucharist).
- Holy Mystery of Reconciliation (Confession)
- The Holy Eucharist (Divine Liturgy / Holy Communion)
- Holy Mystery of Baptism (Christening)
- Chrismation — Seal of the Holy Spirit (Confirmation)
- Holy Mystery of Matrimony (Crowning)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Christian Burial according to the Byzantine Rite
Worship, Music, and Choir
From its first liturgy, the mission has placed a strong emphasis on the Church's ancient chant tradition. Local faithful — many from Roman Catholic backgrounds — formed a mixed choir to chant the litanies and hymns of the Byzantine liturgy in English, giving the new parish its characteristic sound. Iconography and the rhythm of the Byzantine liturgical year shape the prayer life of the community.
- Mixed choir chanting Byzantine hymns in English
- Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom — the most commonly celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine tradition
- Byzantine liturgical calendar (feast days and holy days)
Visiting and Getting Involved
Visitors are warmly welcomed. The mission shares space at Risen Christ Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic parish in Evergreen, and Byzantine Catholics from anywhere in the world — as well as Roman Catholics and non-Catholic Christians interested in the Eastern tradition — are invited to attend. Those wishing to support the mission can engage with the choir, attend the service calendar's feast-day celebrations, or contact the priest about sacraments and pastoral needs.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy at Risen Christ Catholic Church, Evergreen
- Choir and chant formation opportunities
- Contact the parish through the official website for pastoral needs
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Daniel Kirk2021 – c. 2024
Founding Parochial Administrator (May 28, 2021). Convert to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from the Serbian Orthodox Church with his wife and three children; first priest of the new Byzantine mission in Kalispell.
- Father Austin Lewton2024 – present
Assigned as priest serving Sts. Peter and Paul in Kalispell on November 19, 2024. Ordained May 19, 2019.