About Sts. Peter and Paul · Dunlo, Pennsylvania
Saints Peter and Paul is a small Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic mission church in the village of Dunlo, in the green mountainous coal-country of central Pennsylvania. Founded by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants who came to work in the mines, the parish was established alongside a sister parish in Beaverdale, and shares pastoral care with Saints Peter and Paul in Portage and St. Mary in Beaverdale. Today it remains an active Byzantine Catholic congregation under the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, with the Very Reverend James A. Spontak serving as pastor and Deacon Daniel F. Perich assisting at the regular Saturday celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (the Apostles)
- Rector
- Very Reverend James A. Spontak
- Diocese
- Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Byzantine Catholic / Ruthenian Metropolitanate of Pittsburgh); the parish's geographic location falls within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown.
Why belong here
Saints Peter and Paul in Dunlo is one of the small historic Byzantine Catholic missions founded by Carpatho-Rusyn coal-country immigrants, and it remains an intimate place of prayer for those attached to the Ruthenian liturgical tradition. Families who worship here share in the Divine Liturgy on Saturday evenings (the location alternating weekly with St. Mary's in Beaverdale), receive the Holy Mysteries — Confession, Communion, Baptism, Marriage and Anointing — from a pastor who has served the community for years, and participate in a parish life that has celebrated more than a century of faith. Anyone seeking a Byzantine-rite Catholic parish in the Johnstown–Altoona region, or a family connection to the early-20th-century Rusyn mining communities of Cambria County, will find a welcoming home here.
Mass times at Sts. Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 pm (location alternates weekly between Beaverdale and Dunlo — see bulletin)
History of Saints Peter and Paul, Dunlo
Saints Peter and Paul is rooted in the Carpatho-Rusyn Catholic families who emigrated from the coal regions of eastern Europe and settled in and around Dunlo, a small mining village in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. Eager to worship in their own Byzantine Catholic tradition, the community decided to build a church. The cornerstone was laid in 1909 and the new church was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Because there were too few priests to serve every Byzantine community regularly in those years, parishioners made the nearly eight-mile walk north to St. Michael Church in South Fork for Sunday services and the Holy Mysteries.
- Founded 1909 with cornerstone laid
- Ethnic roots: Carpatho-Rusyn families from the Slovak/Carpathian homeland
- 100th anniversary celebrated in 2009 with Metropolitan Basil Schott presiding
Mission Status and Pastoral Care
SS. Peter and Paul remained a mission church until 1922. In 1924 Bishop Basil Takach placed it together with St. Mary Church of Beaverdale under the pastoral care of Father Igor Mackov, who served the two parishes jointly until his death in 1946. Today the parish continues as a Byzantine Catholic mission served from Saints Peter and Paul in Portage by Very Reverend James A. Spontak, with Deacon Daniel F. Perich assisting.
- Mission church: 1909–1922
- Jointly pastored with St. Mary, Beaverdale, from 1924
- Currently administered together with Saints Peter and Paul, Portage
Renovations of 1947–1964
Between 1947 and 1964 a series of pastors oversaw an interior renovation that gave the present church its character. Major upgrades included a new main altar, new side altars, hand-painted murals, new pews, and stained glass windows — improvements that the parish credits with shaping Saints Peter and Paul into the church it is today.
Worship and Schedule
Byzantine Catholic parishes celebrate the Divine Liturgy (the Eastern-rite counterpart of the Roman Mass) rather than the Latin-rite Mass. Saints Peter and Paul, Dunlo gathers for Saturday evening services that alternate weekly with its sister parish St. Mary's in Beaverdale. Confessions are heard before the liturgy at 3:30 pm. Because the schedule alternates between the two locations, the parish bulletin should be consulted each week.
- Saturday Divine Liturgy: 4:00 pm (alternates weekly with Beaverdale)
- Saturday Confessions: 3:30 pm (alternates with Beaverdale)
- Rite: Byzantine (Ruthenian)
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently served by Very Reverend James A. Spontak, presbyter, who also pastors Saints Peter and Paul in Portage and St. Mary in Beaverdale. Deacon Daniel F. Perich assists at the parishes. The parish rectory is reached through the Portage office.
- Very Reverend James A. Spontak — Pastor
- Deacon Daniel F. Perich — Deacon
- Rectory phone: (814) 736-9780
Contact Information
- Address: Roberts Street, Dunlo, PA 15930
- Phone: (814) 736-9780
- Email: [email protected]
- Archeparchy listing: https://archpitt.org/place/dunlopa-2/
Cemetery
Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Cemetery is located on State Route 160 about a quarter mile from the village of Dunlo in Adams Township, Cambria County. The cemetery sits next to the Corpus Christi Catholic Church Cemetery and the Dunlo United Methodist Church Cemetery, reflecting the small multi-denominational make-up of the surrounding mountain community.
Jurisdiction and Identity
Ecclesiastically the parish belongs to the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh), the Byzantine Catholic body in communion with Rome that serves Ruthenian Catholics in the United States. Although the church is a Byzantine-rite parish, its physical location in Cambria County falls within the territorial boundaries of the Latin-rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown.
- Archeparchy: Pittsburgh (Byzantine Catholic / Ruthenian)
- Geographic area: Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Igor Mackov1924–1946
First pastor assigned jointly over SS. Peter and Paul (Dunlo) and St. Mary (Beaverdale) by Bishop Basil Takach; cared for both parishes until his death.
- Various pastors1947–1964
Made the major interior improvements that gave the church its present appearance — new altars, murals, pews, and stained glass windows.
- Fr. Stephen Kolcun
Listed among priests who served the parish in more recent decades (per the 100th-anniversary memoir).
- Fr. Edward Pyo
Listed among priests who served the parish in more recent decades (per the 100th-anniversary memoir).
- Very Rev. James A. Spontak
Current pastor, also serving St. Mary (Beaverdale) and Saints Peter and Paul (Portage).