St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral (Parma, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral |
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St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Parma, Ohio, U.S.
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| 41°24′24″N 81°42′40″W / 41.40667°N 81.71111°W | |
| Location | 5720 State Road Parma, Ohio |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | McWilliams-Martyniuk-Schidlowski |
| Style | Byzantine Revival |
| Groundbreaking | June 24, 1982 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 500 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Saint Josaphat in Parma |
St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral is a special church in Parma, Ohio, USA. It's a Ukrainian Catholic cathedral, which means it's the main church for a large area.
This cathedral started from a school that opened in 1951. Later, in 1959, a church community (called a parish) was formed. Building the cathedral began in 1982 and finished in 1985. It was officially opened in 1988, which was 1000 years after Christianity came to Ukraine. This cathedral is the main church for the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, a special church district created in 1983 while the building was still being built.
Contents
How the Church Started: School and Chapel
Early School Days
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In 1947, another Ukrainian Catholic church in Cleveland, Ohio, bought 10 acres of land in Parma. At that time, Parma was a quiet area. A school was built for $32,000 and opened on November 15, 1951.
The school was run by the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great. It had a small chapel inside, named after St. Josaphat. This chapel served as a church for Ukrainian Catholic families living nearby. In 1959, the chapel was updated, and the school's name was changed to St. Josaphat School.
A second school building, costing $100,000, was finished in 1953. It was blessed on May 9, 1954. A building for the Sisters of St. Basil (a convent) was also blessed on the same day. In 1965, five more classrooms were added to St. Josaphat School.
Building the "Astrodome"
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In 1961, the St. Josaphat church community started building a high school on their land. Nicholas Baiko, an engineer from the church, made the first drawings. Another church member, Michael Stefanyk, who was an architect and engineer, finished the plans.
This building was round and had 16 classrooms around a big central dome. It was designed for 500 students. The classrooms held offices, a library, and labs. The central dome was a large space that could be used as an auditorium, a gymnasium, or a theater. The wall supporting the dome was 25 feet high, and the dome itself rose another 48 feet above that. The dome was 140 feet across.
The building also had a large basement. It was first planned as a fallout shelter for 2,000 people. But it was changed, so half the space was for heating and cooling systems. The other half had seven classrooms and a cafeteria.
The dome was made of wooden ribs from Oregon. These ribs were covered with thick planks and insulation. Then, hot asphalt and white marble chips were added to make the roof. The auditorium and balcony inside could hold 1,500 people. The building was expected to cost $1 million, but church members donated another $700,000 worth of free labor.
Building the high school took a long time. It was finally finished in early 1969. The Archbishop officially blessed it on April 20, 1969. However, the school never opened for classes. Instead, it became a place for events, shows, and sports. It was first called St. Josaphat Auditorium. By 1975, people started calling it the "St. Josaphat Astrodome" because it looked like the Houston Astrodome.
The Church Community and Chapel
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In August 1959, Archbishop Constantine Bohachevsky officially created St. Josaphat Parish. Father Andrew Ulicky became the first pastor. The new parish was formed because many Ukrainian Catholic families (about 450 of them) were moving into the area.
The St. Josaphat Chapel was redecorated after the parish was created. An artist named Theodore Katomay created 24 murals (large paintings) for the chapel. Seventeen of these were placed in the sanctuary, the most sacred part of the church. The new murals were ready for Christmas in 1961.
On April 11, 1973, a fire started in the chapel during evening mass. It began in the sacristy (a room where priests prepare). Forty people quickly left the building. The fire caused $100,000 in damage, destroying the sacristy and the main altar. Some pews (church benches) were also burned.
The Cathedral Building
Building the Cathedral
Father Ulicky wanted to build a new church right after the parish was formed. But church leaders decided the high school should be built first. After Father Ulicky left in 1973, Father Yaroslaw Sirko continued to plan for a new church. Sadly, he passed away in 1979.
Then, Father Michael Fedorowich took over in December 1979. He started organizing groups to plan the new church building. The church was designed by an architecture firm called McWilliams Martyniuk Schidlowski. Chopko Construction was the main builder.
The new church was designed to hold 500 people. It had traditional features like onion domes on the roof and an altar facing east. It also included modern designs to celebrate the upcoming 1000-year anniversary of Christianity in Ukraine.
Construction for the cathedral began on June 24, 1982. The first cost estimate was $2.3 million. On August 30, 1983, the large 12-ton main aluminum onion dome was placed on top of the church. This is called "topping out."
While the church was being built, the Eparchy of Saint Josaphat was created in December 1983. Robert Mikhail Moskal became the first eparch (bishop) of this new church district. He was officially installed at the unfinished cathedral on February 29, 1984. A special cornerstone was laid and blessed on November 11, 1984. This day was also the 25th anniversary of the church community.
St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral held its first services on June 24, 1985. Bishop Robert Moskal led a procession from the old chapel to the new cathedral. He carried the Blessed Sacrament and special items (relics) of St. Josaphat. Then, he led a special church service. The cathedral was blessed at this time.
The official consecration (making a building sacred) of St. Josaphat Cathedral happened later, on May 1, 1988. This was the year Ukrainians celebrated 1000 years of Christianity in Ukraine. This delay also allowed time to finish all the iconostasis (a wall of icons) and other decorations inside.
Many important church leaders attended the consecration. Cardinal Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, the worldwide head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, led the ceremony. Other archbishops and bishops also helped.
On May 1, the walls of the cathedral were consecrated. A procession of church leaders circled the building before going inside. Cardinal Lubachivsky anointed the wall behind the main altar with holy chrism (special oil). Other archbishops anointed the other walls. The walls were also sprinkled with holy water. After this, a special high mass was held.
Cathedral History and Changes
The cathedral is the main church for the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat.
Over time, the cathedral's aluminum domes changed color to a light green because of the weather. In the 1990s, they were painted gold.
A special shrine to Our Lady of Pochaiv was built on the cathedral grounds. It was dedicated on May 23, 2010. A group of women from the church worked for seven years to design and raise money for it. The shrine is made of brick and holds a mosaic (a picture made of small pieces) that looks like a famous Ukrainian icon. A bishop blessed the shrine.
The domes on top of the cathedral were replaced in 2015. Church members started raising money around 2010 because the old domes were getting worn out. New domes were designed by architect Christ J. Kamages. They are made of stainless steel and covered with titanium nitride, a shiny gold material.
Building the new domes began in spring 2015. Bishop Bohdan Danylo blessed them on October 5. The installation was finished in November. These new domes cost $550,000 and are expected to last for 50 to 200 years.
See also
Images for kids
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1953 school building
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"Astrodome"
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Rectory
