Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church Patton, PA

Contact Details

Address

Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church

516 Palmer Avenue

Patton, PA. 16668 Get Directions

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History

The first of the Greek Catholic faithful to come to the locale which later was known as Patton, Pa. arrived in 1893. Five years later, a sizeable group established themselves in this area. It was during this year in 1898 that Greek Catholic Union Lodge 93 was organized and served as the nucleus for the parish which later was established.
Prior to the establishment of a church of their own, Father Hilarion Dzubay of St. Mary Greek Catholic Church in Johnstown answered any request for special services by the faithful of Patton. Father Edwin, pastor of St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, allowed the use of his church to celebrate the Byzantine religious services.
In the spring of 1900, Father Cyril Gulovich of St. John the Baptist Greek Catholic Church in Barnesboro, Pa. assembled the faithful and encouraged them to build their own church in Patton. On Easter Sunday, 1900, Father Gulovich celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the Old Fedor Hall on South Fifth Street. This was the headquarters of the GCU Lodge 93. On October 23, 1900 the trustees of the parish purchased for the sum of $1600 the Methodist Episcopal Church on Sixth and Palmer Avenue, which is still used as the parish church.
Between 1902 and 1906 various additions were made. These included a bell tower, parish house and the parish cemetery. The installation of a choir loft, the enlargement of the sanctuary and the encasement of the church in brick were done between 1916-23.
Until 1961, all of the pastors of SS. Peter and Paul resided at St. John the Baptist Church in Barnesboro with the exception of Father Stephen Loya, who traveled to Patton from Portage. On October 13, 1961 Father Andrew Chura was appointed as Patton’s first resident pastor. The present parish house was built while Father Chura was the pastor.
In 1969, the church was repainted and completely carpeted, and the men of the parish built a garage. The ECF (Eastern Christian Formation) program was established for grades 1-12, using classrooms at St. Mary School. From 1967 to 1994 St. Anne Church in Clymer, Pa. was administered from Patton.
The church interior has been remodeled a number of times, most recently in 1988 when an iconostas (icon screen) was installed in accordance with Byzantine tradition.
Since August 1994, SS. Peter and Paul Church once again is being administered from St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church – currently located in Northern Cambria, a borough formed January 1, 2000 by the merger of the municipalities of Barnesboro and Spangler.