Basil Myron Schott (September 21, 1939 – June 10, 2010) was the Archbishop of the

Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh The Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh ( la, Archieparchia Pittsburgensis Ritus Byzantini) is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or archeparchy of the Catholic Church that serves portions of the Eastern Unite ...

from 2002 until his death. The youngest son of Michael Schott and Mary Schott (née Krusko), Basil Schott was born in

Freeland, Pennsylvania Freeland is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally called Birbeckville, South Heberton, and Freehold. Freeland is south of Wilkes-Barre and northeast of Hazleton. It was incorporated as a borough on Septembe ...

, and attended St. Mary Byzantine Catholic School as a child. He graduated from St. Gabriel High School in

Hazleton Hazleton may refer to: Places * Hazleton, British Columbia, Canada * Hazleton, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire, England ** Hazleton long barrows, Neolithic burial mounds at Hazleton, Gloucestershire, England ** Hazleton Abbey, a medi ...

and entered the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

novitiate at Holy Dormition Monastery in Sybertsville on August 3, 1958. He was professed as a Franciscan

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

on August 4, 1959. He was ordained to the priesthood on August 29, 1965, by Bishop Stephen J. Kocisko at the Franciscan Monastery in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bound ...

. Schott earned bachelor's degrees in philosophy and theology from Immaculate Conception College in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

, master's degrees in theology and pastoral counseling from St. Mary Seminary in Norwalk, Connecticut, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from

New York Theological Seminary The New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) is a private non-denominational Christian seminary in New York City. It was founded in 1900 as the Bible Teacher's College. In 2019, Rev. LaKeesha Walrond was appointed as the first woman and the first Af ...

in 1969. As a Franciscan, his talks on spiritual renewal made him a popular retreat leader. On February 3, 1996, he was appointed bishop of the

Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma ( la, Eparchia Parmensis Ruthenorum) is a Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its episcopal seat is the Cathedral of St. John t ...

, and was ordained on July 11, 1996. On May 3, 2002, he was appointed as the fourth Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, and installed on July 9 of the same year. As his episcopal motto, he chose "In the name of the Lord." He was appointed by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

as a member of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

. Schott died at Passavant Hospital in the North Hills of Pittsburgh on June 10, 2010, at age 70, following a seven-month battle with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...

. His final pastoral initiative was the first national gathering of all Byzantine Catholic priests from throughout the United States, June 8–9, 2010, which Schott was unable to attend due to his hospitalization. A funeral liturgy was said on June 18, 2010, and Schott was buried in Mount St. Macrina Cemetery, Uniontown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schott, Basil Bishops of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church People from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 1939 births 2010 deaths Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania Deaths from lymphoma American Eastern Catholics American Eastern Catholic bishops American Friars Minor Franciscan bishops 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops 21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops Catholics from Pennsylvania