Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma

The Eparchy of Parma (Eparchia Parmensis Ruthenorum) 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.

It is a suffragan diocese of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh in the ecclesiastical province of Pittsburgh. The metropolis is dependent upon the Roman Congregation for the Oriental Churches). The eparchy is sometimes styled as the "Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma", referring to the title that the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church uses in the United States.

Statistics
, the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma pastorally served 9,020 Eastern Catholics in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio in 28 parishes and 5 missions with 36 priests (diocesan), 16 deacons, 6 lay religious (6 sisters), 2 seminarians. Ten parishes in the Youngstown, Ohio area are part of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.

History

 * The eparchy was erected on 21 February 1969 by Pope Paul VI as the Eparchy of Parma (of the Ruthenians) / Eparchia Parmen(sis) Ruthenorum (Latin), on US territory split off from its present Metropolitan, then the Eparchy (Diocese) of Pittsburgh).  On 22 March 1969, Father John Mihalik was appointed as its first ordinary. He was consecrated as its eparch by Archbishop Stephen Kocisko on 12 June 1969. On 30 May 1983, Father Andrew Pataki was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic and consecrated by Kocisko on 23 August 1983 with the title of Titular Bishop of Telmissus. When Mihalik died on 27 January 1984 Parma's see became sede vacante.  Pataki was appointed as the eparch on June 19, 1984 and was installed on August 16, 1985.
 * The eparchy lost ecclesiastical territory on 3 December 1981 when the Eparchy of Van Nuys was erected.

Episcopal Ordinaries
The following bishops have been appointed as ordinaries of Parma eparchy.


 * 1) Emil John Mihalik (1969-1984)
 * 2) Andrew Pataki (1984-1995), appointed Bishop of Passaic of the Ruthenians
 * 3) Basil Myron Schott, O.F.M., (1996-2002), appointed Archbishop of Pittsburgh of the Ruthenians
 * 4) John Michael Kudrick (2002-2016)
 * 5) Milan Lach, S.J. (2018–2023)
 * 6) Kurt Burnette (Apostolic Administrator, 2023)
 * 7) Robert Mark Pipta (2023-present)

Churches

 * St. Basil the Great Byzantine Catholic Church Sterling Heights, MI
 * Sacred Heart Byzantine Catholic Church Livonia, MI
 * St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church Toledo
 * St. Louis Byzantine Catholic Mission St. Louis, Missouri
 * Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist Parma, Ohio
 * St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church Minneapolis, Minnesota
 * St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church Marblehead, Ohio

Sources and external links

 * Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma Official Site
 * The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
 * Metropolia of Pittsburgh
 * GCatholic, with Google map -data for all sections
 * Eparchy of Parma (Ruthenian) at Catholic-Hierarchy.org