About Sts. Peter and Paul [Ruthenian] · Jerome, Pennsylvania
Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church is a Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic mission parish in Jerome, Pennsylvania, founded on July 4, 1913 by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants who came to the Somerset County coal patches in search of work. It is one of several small Byzantine communities established in the early 20th century from St. Mary Church in Windber, which continues to serve Jerome and other missions across the county. Today the parish is administered from St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Windber, with Divine Liturgy celebrated on the second Sunday of each month. The mission belongs to the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh (the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), while sitting geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul
- Rector
- Father Ivan Rusyn (Administrator; appointed August 20, 2018, also serves St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Windber)
- Diocese
- Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh); located geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Why belong here
Saints Peter and Paul is a small but living Ruthenian Catholic community that has kept the Byzantine liturgical tradition alive in the Somerset County coal country for more than a century. Worshipers come for the icon screen and Byzantine decor installed in 1985, the quiet parish cemetery that keeps the faithful departed close by, and the Carpatho-Rusyn heritage brought by their great-grandparents from the villages of the old country. As a mission served from St. Mary in Windber, it offers a warmly personal, multigenerational parish family rather than a large institutional congregation — the kind of place where the priest, the cantor, and the lay faithful still know one another by name.
Mass times at Sts. Peter and Paul [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Saints Peter and Paul, Jerome
The mission parish was founded on July 4, 1913 by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants who had come to the Somerset County coal patches in the early 1900s. Its growth is tied to St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Windber, from which it has always been served.
- Founded July 4, 1913 under Father Stephen Polyansky of St. Mary, Windber
- Jerome developed as a coal mining community in the early 1900s
- Founder settlers came from Carpatho-Rusyn villages: Paryzivci, Zvala, Smulnyk, Rus'ka Volova, Hrabova Rostoka, Terepča, Ustjanova, Lodyna, Dzvinjač Dolišni & Hirni
- Also drew Rusyn faithful from nearby coal patches: Baker-Whitely, Hiyasota, Blough, Maple Ridge, and Hollsopple
The 1935 Fire and Rebuilding
On January 1, 1935 a fire destroyed the church and all parish records. The Byzantine congregation was welcomed at nearby Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church while the new church was raised on the same site — completed within a year through parishioner fundraising and volunteer labor, with help from other area Christian denominations. All parish records since have been kept at St. Mary, Windber.
- Fire: January 1, 1935
- Temporary worship offered at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church
- Rebuilt on the original site by 1936
- Cross-denominational financial and volunteer support aided the rebuild
Modern Renovations
Two twentieth-century renovations restored a fuller Byzantine character to the worship space.
- 1985 — icon screen and other Byzantine decor installed
- 1996 — new square altar installed
Clergy and Administration
Today the parish is administered jointly with St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Windber. The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh maintains the official clergy directory.
- Father Ivan Rusyn — Administrator (effective August 20, 2018)
- Father Ivan Rusyn also serves St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Windber
- Father Robert F. Oravetz previously served as temporary administrator of both parishes
Parish Cemetery
The Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Cemetery sits close to the church and remains a well-maintained resting place for the parish's faithful departed, including the generations of Carpatho-Rusyn families who built the community.
- Located adjacent to the church on Phillips Street, Jerome, PA 15937
- Documented on Find a Grave as 'Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Cemetery'
Jurisdiction and Wider Context
Saints Peter and Paul belongs to the Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris of Pittsburgh (commonly called the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), the Byzantine Catholic jurisdiction that unites Ruthenian faithful across the United States. Although canonically Ruthenian, Jerome sits geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown.
- Jurisdiction: Archeparchy of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Metropolitanate sui juris)
- Geographic territory: Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
- Sister mission parish: St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Windber (803 Somerset Avenue, Windber, PA 15963)
Visiting Saints Peter and Paul
Visitors and pilgrims are warmly welcomed. The mission is small, so anyone planning to attend is encouraged to call the rectory ahead of time to confirm the schedule, especially around feasts, Pascha, or severe winter weather in the Alleghenies.
- Rectory phone (shared with St. Mary, Windber): 814-467-7309
- Drive from Windber: roughly 11 miles southwest, under 15 minutes today
- Driving from Portage: 24 miles northeast; from Beaverdale: 20 miles northeast
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Stephen Polyansky1910–established Jerome mission July 4, 1913
Pastor of St. Mary, Windber; founded Saints Peter and Paul mission in Jerome.
- Father Hilarion Dzubay1925 (and earlier)
Served the Jerome mission while resident in Jenners.
- Father Michael KrivonakFebruary 1928 – June 1929
The only resident pastor in the parish's history.
- Father Robert F. OravetzPrior to August 20, 2018
Temporary administrator of both St. Mary, Windber and Sts. Peter and Paul, Jerome.
- Father Ivan RusynEffective August 20, 2018–present
Appointed administrator of St. Mary, Windber, and Sts. Peter and Paul, Jerome.