www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization New Byzantine Ruthenian Parish in State College,PA

Fr. Robert Oravetz, the pastor of the Byzantine "cluster" in Hawk Run (St.
John the Baptist), Clarence (The Dormition of Mary), and the Penn State
Byzantine Catholic Community, has been charged by Archbishop Basil
to start formal action in this regard this summer.

Traditionally, the first Byzantine Catholic Church founded in a
particular city is named after the current Archbishop. So the new
Church in State College will be Saint Basil.

Please forward this to anyone that you know who might have an interest
in the beautiful Traditional Eastern Divine Liturgy.


antonius

I rejoice that a new parish has begun. I wonder how many other new parishes could be started in areas outside of Pa.?

Dan L

Well it's about time! I was a student back in the late 1980's and was a member of the Byzantine Catholic Campus Ministry. After I had graduated, I use to return to visit and attend the Bzantine Catholic liturgy which was in the old chapel then. By 1990, the students sent a letter to Archbishop Thomas Dolinay about the possiblity of starting a mission parish in State College. There were many Byzantine Catholics attending Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic parish and many people who had been members of the Byzantine Catholic parishes in both Clarence and Hawk Run. Added with the students from Penn State, there were more than enough people to start the mission. There even was a small Protestant church up for sale and they were waiting to see if the Ruthenian Metropolia was interested in buying the property. Needless to say, Archbishop Thomas had no interest what so ever, killing the chances back then of starting a Byzantine mission parish. The Archeparchy would have gotten the property at very affordable price. I can't imagine what real estate prices are in State College now, but it can't be as cheap as it was back in 1990. State College, Pa. is probably the only place in PA where the Byzantine Ruthenian Archeparchy could ever open a "new" mission parish. IT'S ABOUT TIME!!


Ungcsertezs

Yes, indeed. The property prices are ASTRONOMICAL
in the State College area, and are proving to be
a possible "roadblock".

I thought Joe Paterno was the bishop of State College, PA.

just kidding

Michael Cerularius

It ought to be possible to get a list of BC PSU alums and solicit financial help from them. They proabbly all feel that it's about time, and many, especially those who visit there from time to time, are likely to help.

Yes, we must pray for the success of the new Byzantine Catholic Church in State College. If there was ever a community needing a Christian witness, given the direct promotion of policies directly antithetical to the Faith by the current Penn State leadership, it is State College Pennsylvania.

Saint Basil the Great, pray for us!

yeah, I wonder about that myself, Danny Boy (oh, my middle name is Daniel). glad to see there is a mission parish in Tennessee, but we could upgrade the interest group in Nashville to a mission, and form an interest group in Chattanooga. the fields are white and ready to harvest,in othere words, there is a world outside of the Keystone State.
Much Love,
Jonn

And outside of Cleveland, but few people know it.

Dan L

State College is different though. It's all new. Homes go up daily, people MOVE in to the area. Most of the PA towns had their hey-days in my grandparents day.
State College was just a farming town with a University in it back then.
Today it is in it's heyday. With a new hi-way built to connect it to i-80, I-99 being four laned into State College. This connects it with the PA turnpike and I-80 with all 4 lane hi-ways.
A totally different town compared to many towns just a hour or less away from it.

Should someone post a website that will allow financial or prayer support I would, in whatever way I could, like to contribute.

Sounds good to me.

Let us pray that many more churches will choose to merge and many more new parishes will spring up all over this land.

Dan L

If this becomes a trend I would hope that planners, designers and architects keep in mind that the worshippers need S-P-A-C-E in order to do their bows and prostrations properly.

Usually the pews are placed much too close together. The aisles should be wide along the walls and down the center too.

Perhaps they can design pews with lower backs or simply as benches.

The fact that new parishes are being established anywhere is truly marvelous, may God bless them and help them in this.

Michael

There are four areas in Pennsylvania where parishes could be established fairly easily (due to population growth which includes relocating Byzantine Catholics):

1. State College, which is growing and already has a decent number of known Byzantine Catholics who would be interested.

2. Cranberry Township, sort of a suburb of Pittsburgh.

3. Pike / Monroe Counties at the northeastern edge of the commonwealth, which is rapidly becoming within commuting distance of New York City and northern New Jersey. There is St. Nicholas of Myra parish in Mt. Pocono (Monroe County) (which could really benefit with a full time pastor instead of being Sunday & holy day mission from Old Forge). But the area growing even faster is north and northeast of there, say Milford (Pike County) along the growing I-84 corridor.

4. The area roughly between Carlise (along I-81) and Dillsburg (along US-15)

It would be great if the local eparchies could purchase land in each of these areas. It might be premature to actually build church buildings (the community must do this) but the land would be an excellent investment even if the parishes never actually develop).

Other areas that could support parishes (and have interested Byzantine Catholics) include the Del-Mar-Va peninsula (probably Ocean City, MD or Bethany Beach, MD) (not the beach places but the whole area is a growing retirement area), Charlotte, NC and Myrtle Beach & Charleston, SC.

There is a persistent rumor that the mission parish in Jerome PA is going to be closed due to decreasing members and the priest shortage in the diocese.

As a result, the church structure itself in Jerome may be physically transported to State College once property is obtained for the new parish there.

A priest in the diocese reportedly has family in the business of moving/relocating such structures, and this is being considered a valid option.