Eparchy of the Holy Protection of Mary of Phoenix Eparchia Sanctae Mariae a Patrocinio in urbe Phoenicensi | |
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Location | |
Country | United States |
Territory | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington |
Ecclesiastical province | Pittsburgh |
Metropolitan | William C. Skurla |
Statistics | |
Population - Catholics | (as of 2019) 2,261 |
Parishes | 19 |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
Sui iuris church | Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church |
Rite | Byzantine Rite (Ruthenian and Russian recensions) |
Established | December 3, 1981 (43 years ago) |
Cathedral | St. Stephen Cathedral |
Co-cathedral | Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary |
Patron saint | Holy Protection of Mary |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Eparch | Artur Bubnevych |
Vicar General | Diodoro Mendoza |
Bishops emeritus | John Stephen Pazak |
Map | |
Website | |
www.ephx.org |
The Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, commonly known as the Eparchy of Phoenix and formerly known as the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys, (Latin : Eparchia Vannaisensis) is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church territory jurisdiction or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the western United States. Its episcopal see is Phoenix, Arizona. The eparch-elect as of 8 November 2024 is Artur Bubnevych.
The Eparchy of Phoenix's territorial jurisdiction consists of thirteen western states. Churches are presently located in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. It is a suffragan eparchy in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. As of 2019 [update] , Holy Protection Eparchy of Phoenix has 19 parishes and 2 missions under its canonical jurisdiction. Most parishes follow the Ruthenian recension, although the eparchy includes one parish of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church [1] and one of the Russian Greek Catholic Church. [2]
The creation of a new eparchy for the western United States was proposed by the metropolitan Council of Hierarchs in 1981. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches, a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the Holy See, recommended the erection of a new eparchy, and it was approved by Pope John Paul II.[ citation needed ]
The Eparchy of Van Nuys was canonically inaugurated on March 9, 1982, when Archbishop Stephen Kocisko, Metropolitan of the Metropolia of Pittsburgh enthroned Thomas Dolinay as the first bishop of the eparchy. Archbishop Pio Laghi, Apostolic Delegate to the United States, represented the Roman Pontiff and read the Papal Bulla creating the eparchy and appointing Dolinay. Cardinal Timothy Manning, Archbishop of Los Angeles delivered the homily. The Church of St. Mary in Sherman Oaks, California, was designated as the cathedral. [3]
In 1990, with the retirement of Archbishop Kocisko of Pittsburgh approaching, Pope John Paul II relieved Dolinay of his duties as Bishop of Van Nuys and appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh on February 19, 1990. [4] The Pope appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of Passaic, George M. Kuzma, to succeed Bishop Dolinay.[ citation needed ]
After the Northridge earthquake of 1994 damaged the Cathedral of St. Mary, the eparchial offices, and the bishop's residence, Bishop Kuzma moved his office and residence to Phoenix, Arizona.[ citation needed ] On February 10, 2010, the seat of the diocese was officially changed to Phoenix. Accordingly, the former pro-cathedral of St. Stephen was given the title of Cathedral, and the Cathedral of St. Mary received the title of Proto-Cathedral. [5]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(November 2023) |
The eparchal headquarters are at 8105 North 16th Street, Phoenix, Arizona.
† = deceased
The eparchy has 19 parishes, two missions, 2,261 faithful, 35 priests, 12 deacons and 1 religious. [8]
The Metropolis of Pittsburgh is a sui juris metropolitan see of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church that is located in the United States of America and Canada. The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church is one of 23 sui juris Eastern Catholic particular churches in the Catholic Church that is in full communion with the Holy See. The metropolis uses the Byzantine Rite in its liturgies. It was erected as a metropolis (archdiocese) by Pope Paul VI in 1969. The metropolis has jurisdiction over those communities that originated from the regions of Carpathian Ruthenia, Slovakia, Hungary and the former Yugoslavia. Worshipers come from several Byzantine Catholic groups: Rusyn Americans, Slovak Americans, Hungarian Americans, and Croatian Americans. In 2022, governance of the Exarchate of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto in Canada passed to the metropolis of Pittsburgh from the Slovak Greek Catholic Church.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or archeparchy of the Catholic Church in the Eastern United States. Its episcopal see is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Archeparchy of Philadelphia is a metropolitan see with three suffragan eparchies in its ecclesiastical province. The Archeparchy of Philadelphia's territorial jurisdiction includes the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and the eastern and central portions of Pennsylvania.
Basil Takach was the first bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church.
Nicholas Thomas Elko was an American Ruthenian Greek Catholic and the third bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh. At the age of 46 he became the first American-born bishop of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. He later served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, a Latin Church archdiocese.
Stephen John Kocisko was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
Thomas Victor Dolinay was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church.
The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh is an archeparchy of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church that is located in the southern part of the United States of America. It is part of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh. The geographical remit of the archeparchy includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. The incumbent archeparch is the Most Reverend William C. Skurla. The episcopal seat is situated in the city of Pittsburgh.
The Eparchy of Passaic is an eparchy (diocese) of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church on the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. Its episcopal seat is the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Passaic, New Jersey. As an Eastern Catholic church, it uses the Byzantine Rite in its services. The Eparchy was erected July 6, 1963.
The Eparchy of Parma is an eparchy (diocese) of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the midwestern part of the United States. Its episcopal seat is the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma, Ohio. The eparchy's liturgies utilize the Byzantine Rite.
The Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary or Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church is a parish church and proto-cathedral of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, serving the Ruthenian Eastern Catholic population of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was the first Byzantine church in California. It is located on Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. It is the only Byzantine Ruthenian Church in the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Saint Anne Byzantine Catholic Church is a Catholic Christian parish of the Byzantine Ruthenian Tradition located in the City of San Luis Obispo, California. It was founded in 1986. It is a parish of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix.
Emil John Mihalik was the first Eparch of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, Ohio. His appointment occurred simultaneously with the erection of the see. At that time, his jurisdiction encompassed central and western Ohio, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii.
William Charles Skurla is the Archeparch of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh in the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. He is also, ex officio, the metropolitan bishop of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh whose geographic remit includes the entire United States and Canada. He succeeded Archbishop Basil Myron Schott. Skurla was appointed as metropolitan on 19 January 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI and enthroned at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Munhall, Pennsylvania, on April 18, 2012.
John Michael Kudrick is an Eastern Catholic prelate and, since the acceptance of his resignation by Pope Francis on Saturday, May 7, 2016, the Bishop Emeritus of Parma for the Byzantines.
Kurt Richard Burnette is an American Catholic prelate who serves as the Eparch of Passaic in the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. He succeeded Bishop William C. Skurla. Burnette was appointed on October 29, 2013, by Pope Francis, and enthroned in a Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Passaic, New Jersey on December 4.
The St. Stephen Cathedral is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic cathedral located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is the cathedral for the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix.
John Michael Bilock was a bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh from 1973 to 1994.
The Exarchate of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto is a ecclesiastical territory or exarchate that serves the Slovak Greek Catholic Church — a sui juris or self governing Eastern Catholic Church. Its geographical remit includes the whole territory of Canada. In 2022, Pope Francis transferred the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the exarchate from the Slovak Greek Catholic Church to the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. It became part of the ecclesiastical Metropolis of Pittsburgh. This changed the territory's status from an eparchy to an exarchate at the same time.
John Stephen Pazak, C.Ss.R. is an American-born member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists, who served as an eparch of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. He served as the Eparch of the Eparchy of Phoenix, which is based in Phoenix, Arizona from July 2016 until his retirement in 2021.
Robert Mark Pipta is an American Ruthenian Catholic prelate who serves as Eparch of Parma. He was previously rector of Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.