Welcome to Saint Marys Byzantine Catholic Church! May grace and peace from God
our Father, and Christ Jesus our Savior, be with you. Titus 1:4
We are at 624 Park Road, Ambridge, PA 15003-2419. Telephone: 724
266-2030. Fax: 724 266-0799. Hall: 724 266-8642.
Our parish family feast day is the Patronage of the Mother of God, celebrated on
October 1st. The first liturgical services were celebrated on November 3, 1940, in a small
wooden church that formerly belonged to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
During the reign of Constantine VII (913-959), the Saracens began their final
assault on the city of Constantinople. The residents, fearing the worst, fled to their
churches to pray for the intercession of the Mother of God. In the church at Blachernae,
near the city, the Mother of God appeared with outstretched hands and joined the people
in prayer. When the prayers ended, she removed the veil from her head and held it over
the people as a sign of her protection. The Saracens failed to capture the city.
These are the first words to the hymn proper to this feast of the Patronage:
We hasten to your patronage, O Maiden full of grace.
We seek your help in every need, our Queen and Advocate.
And keep us free from sinful deeds, O Virgin most beloved.
We ask you to forsake us not; give mercy from above.
The motto for our church is from Pauls Letter to the Romans, Each should
please his neighbor so as to do him good by building up his spirit. 15:2.
Msgr. Edward V. Rosack, O.E.S.B., is our spiritual shepherd.
We have been served through the years by these spiritual shepherds: Gregory
Moneta, Roland Maruschak, O.F.M., John Pipik, Basil Pekar, John Kallok, Louis Sismis
and Joseph Borodach.
Our new church with hall beneath, the rectory and detached bell tower were
constructed during the pastorate of Joseph Borodach and were dedicated by Bishop
Nicholas T. Elko on August 25, 1963.