About Sts. Peter and Paul [Ruthenian] · Duquesne, Pennsylvania
Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic parish in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, part of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. It traces its roots to the first Byzantine Catholic congregation in Western Pennsylvania, founded in 1890, and received its own parish charter in 1909. Today the community worships at 701 Foster Avenue in a mid-century church dedicated in 1964 by Bishop Nicholas T. Elko, served by Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich and Deacon Sean Petrisko. It is one of the historic Rusin/Ruthenian parishes of the Mon Valley and continues to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine tradition.
- Established
- 1890 (St. Nicholas, predecessor congregation); chartered as SS. Peter and Paul on July 10, 1909
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (Apostles)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate of Pittsburgh, sui juris)
Why belong here
Sts. Peter and Paul offers a small, rooted Byzantine Catholic community in the heart of the Mon Valley, where the Divine Liturgy is celebrated each Sunday and the parish's patron feast is marked with a communal dinner. Adult faith formation, monthly Coffee & Donut Socials, the Men's Club (with its annual picnic and bowling tournament), and a parish hall give the faithful concrete ways to build friendships across generations. For Ruthenian Catholics of the region — or anyone drawn to the Byzantine liturgical tradition — it is a place to pray in continuity with the Rusin immigrants who established the first Byzantine Catholic parish in Western Pennsylvania in 1890.
Mass times at Sts. Peter and Paul [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment with the pastor
History of Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church
Sts. Peter and Paul traces its roots to 1890, when Rusin immigrants in the steel-town of Duquesne founded St. Nicholas — the first Byzantine Catholic church in Western Pennsylvania. By 1904 a group of those families began planning an independent parish, and on July 10, 1909 SS. Peter and Paul received its own charter. A first church edifice was built at First and Viola Streets and dedicated November 12, 1916, but it soon proved too small for the growing community. Plans for a larger building were stalled by the 1929 crash and the Great Depression until, in 1954, the present Foster Avenue site was purchased. Ground-breaking for the current church fell on the parish's patronal feast, June 29, 1958, and Bishop Nicholas T. Elko laid the cornerstone on November 29, 1959 before more than 1,000 faithful. After several years of interior work — altar, pews, windows, church hall, classrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen — Bishop Elko returned to bless the completed church on July 26, 1964. Within about two years, parishioners saw the church mortgage burned. A mosaic of Saints Peter and Paul adorns the interior of the present building.
- Predecessor: St. Nicholas Church, Duquesne (1890) — first Byzantine Catholic church in Western Pennsylvania
- Parish charter granted: July 10, 1909
- First SS. Peter and Paul church dedicated: November 12, 1916 (First and Viola Streets)
- Current site purchased: 1954
- Ground-breaking: June 29, 1958 (Feast of SS. Peter and Paul)
- Cornerstone blessed by Bishop Nicholas T. Elko: November 29, 1959
- Blessing of completed church by Bishop Elko: July 26, 1964
- Mortgage burned: within ~2 years of 1964 dedication
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently served by Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich, who is also listed in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh clergy directory under the title 'Protos' and serves on archeparchial boards. Assisting him is Deacon Sean Petrisko, ordained to the holy diaconate on October 9, 2011 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Munhall, PA, as part of the Archeparchy's Deacon Formation Program Class of 2011. The parish rectory can be reached at (412) 466-3578.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich
- Deacon: Deacon Sean Petrisko
- Rectory phone: (412) 466-3578
Holy Mysteries (Sacraments)
In keeping with Byzantine Catholic practice, the parish celebrates the full range of Holy Mysteries. Arrangements are made directly with the pastor.
- Baptism / Chrismation / Eucharist — contact pastor
- Marriage — contact pastor
- Anointing — contact pastor
- Confessions — by appointment
Parish Life and Activities
Beyond Sunday worship, the parish sustains an active social and educational life. Adult Education sessions run throughout the year (dates published in the parish bulletin), the Men's Club hosts an annual picnic and an annual bowling tournament with quarterly meetings on average, and Coffee & Donut Socials are held monthly to bring parishioners together between liturgies.
- Adult Education — year-round, see bulletin
- Men's Club — Annual Picnic, Annual Bowling Tournament; quarterly meetings
- Coffee & Donut Socials — monthly
- Parish Feast Day — June 29, celebrated with a dinner
Location and Contact
Saints Peter and Paul sits on Foster Avenue in Duquesne, a small Mon Valley borough just outside Pittsburgh. The parish is geographically within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Pittsburgh while belonging canonically to the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
- Address: 701 Foster Avenue, Duquesne, PA 15110
- Rectory: (412) 466-3578
- Diocese: Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian)
- Geographic location: within the territory of the Roman Diocese of Pittsburgh
Byzantine Catholic Tradition
As a parish of the Ruthenian Metropolitanate of Pittsburgh (sui juris), Sts. Peter and Paul belongs to the Eastern Catholic tradition in communion with Rome that traces its roots to the Carpatho-Rusin faithful of Eastern Europe. The parish continues to worship in the tradition of those founders, preserving the Byzantine liturgical, spiritual, and iconographic heritage that the 1890 pioneers first brought to Duquesne.
Interior and Sacred Art
Among the parish's most distinctive features is an interior mosaic of Saints Peter and Paul, the patrons, which the Archeparchy highlights on its parish page.
- Mosaic of the patron saints Peter and Paul in the church interior
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Alexander Wroblicky
Appointed pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, Duquesne per Archeparchy announcement.
- Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich
Served as temporary administrator of the parish (announcement dated July 15, 2019); later returned as pastor. Also listed as 'Protos' in the Archeparchy clergy directory and serves on archeparchial boards.