St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral is a Ukrainian Catholic

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

located in

Parma, Ohio Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb south of Cleveland. The population was 81,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Parma is the List of municipalities in Ohio, seventh-most populous city in Ohio, ...

, in the United States. The cathedral grew out of a

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

which opened in 1951 and a parish erected in 1959. Construction on the cathedral began in 1982, and was completed in 1985. It was dedicated in 1988, the thousand-year anniversary of the arrival of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. The cathedral is the seat for the

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its episcopal see is Parma, Ohio. It was established in 1983 by Pope ...

, which was erected in 1983 during construction of the building.

Site: School and chapel

School growth

In 1947, Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, purchased of land in then-sparsely populated Parma, Ohio. The $32,000 ($ in dollars) school was dedicated on May 31, 1951, and opened the following November 15. The school was staffed by the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great. The school contained a chapel, named for St. Josaphat. which served as a mission church to Ukrainian Catholic families in the area. The chapel was renovated in 1959, at which time the name of the school was changed to St. Josaphat School. A second, $100,000 ($ in dollars) school building on the site was completed in 1953 and blessed on May 9, 1954. A convent building for the Sisters of St. Basil was blessed on the site on May 9, 1954, as well. A five-classroom addition to the St. Josaphat School was built in 1965.

Construction of the "Astrodome"

In the summer of 1961, St. Josaphat Parish began construction of a high school on its property. Parishioner Nicholas Baiko, an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

with the Arthur G. McKee & Co. industrial engineering firm, did the preliminary drawings. Parishioner Michael Stefanyk, an architect and engineer, completed the plans. The dome of the school was designed by Roof Structures, Inc. of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, while the architectural firm of T.A. Badowski & Associates consulted. Designed for 500 students, the structure was circular and features 16 one-story classrooms clustered around a central dome. The classroom ring contained administrative offices, classrooms, a library, and laboratories. The central dome was a combination auditorium, gymnasium, and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

. The wall supporting the dome was high, and the dome rose another above the wall. The dome itself was in diameter, while the classroom ring was in diameter. The foundation consisted of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

footers standing on bedrock. The structure had an extensive basement. Initially designed to act as a

fallout shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. Durin ...

capable of serving 2,000 people, it was redesigned so that half the space was occupied by

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC ) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. H ...

machinery while the other half contained seven classrooms and a

cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

. The outer wall of the classroom ring was built of brick with stone trim, while the higher inner wall was concrete block and glass brick. A hallway around the inner wall gave students access to all classrooms and the dome. Roughly halfway up the inner wall, a balcony projected into the dome. A ring of poured reinforced concrete lay atop the balcony, anchoring it to this wall. Another ring of poured reinforced concrete lay atop the wall. The base of the dome itself was made of steel plate. Each plate was high and thick, and they were both bolted and welded where they joined one another. The dome was supported by wooden ribs, each in size. Manufactured in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, they were curved on the top to match the arc of the dome. Thirty-two ribs were jointed with steel angle plates to the dome rim. Halfway to the dome apex, the 32 ribs were spliced into one another (again using steel angle plates) to create 16 ribs. These 16 ribs were bolted to a steel ring at the apex of the dome. Secondary wooden beams were used between the ribs to enhance the dome's stability.

Tongue and groove Tongue and groove is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood, in flooring, parquetry, panelling, and similar constructions. A strong joint, it allows two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to mak ...

planks, each thick, were spiked to the ribs from the outside. These in turn were covered with thick composite insulation board. Liquid hot

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

was mopped onto the insulation board, building up the roof. A layer of white marble chips was impregnated into the asphalt to complete the roof. The auditorium and balcony could accommodate 1,500 people. The structure was estimated to cost $1 million ($ in dollars), with another $700,000 ($ in dollars) in labor donated free from parishioners. When construction began in May 1961, parish officials believed the high school would be complete in September 1962. Construction delays were numerous, however, and by June 1964 officials thought that five classrooms might open in September 1965. The building was finally completed in early 1969, and blessed by Archbishop

Ambrose Senyshyn Ambrose Senyshyn, O.S.B.M (February 23, 1903 – September 11, 1976) was a Ukrainian Catholic prelate who served, beginning in 1958, as Eparch of Stamford. On August 14, 1961, he was appointed Archeparch of Philadelphia. Notes External link ...

of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia on April 20, 1969. For various reasons, the school never opened. It was repurposed into an event center, public auditorium, public theatre, and sports venue. It was first known as St. Josaphat Auditorium, but by 1975 had been nicknamed the "St. Josaphat Astrodome" for its resemblance to the

Houston Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...

Congregation and chapel

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Constantine Bohachevsky Constantine Bohachevsky (June 17, 1884January 6, 1961), born in Manaiv, Ukraine, was an archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. He was the first Ukrainian Catholic metropolitan in the United States. Among his friends was the Ukrainian Catho ...

erected St. Josaphat Parish in August 1959, appointing Rev. Andrew Ulicky (an assistant pastor at SS. Peter and Paul Church) as the pastor. Brookpark Road was named the dividing line between the mother parish and the new St. Josaphat, whose boundary extended south to

Medina, Ohio Medina ( ) is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,094 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies about south of Cleveland and west of Akron, Ohio, Akron within the Cleveland met ...

. The erection of the new parish came about due to the significant growth among Ukrainian Catholics in the area (now numbering some 450 families). St. Josaphat Chapel was redecorated after the elevation to parish status. Artist Theodore Katomay of

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created 24 murals for the renovation, 17 of which were placed in the sanctuary. The new murals were in place in time for the Christmas celebration on January 7, 1961, and blessed on January 22 by

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

Dmytro Gresko of SS. Peter and Paul and Rev. Ulicky. A fire broke out in St. Josaphat Chapel during the evening

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

on April 11, 1973. It began in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

, and 40 worshippers fled the blaze. The fire did $100,000 ($ in dollars) in damage, destroying the sacristy and main altar and scorching some pews.

Cathedral

Construction

Rev. Ulicky originally sought to build a church immediately after erection of the parish. Church leaders, however, believed construction of the high school should come first. In 1973, Father Ulicky was appointed pastor at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

. His successor, the

Very Reverend The Very Reverend (abbreviated as The Very Revd or The Very Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. The definite article "t ...

Yaroslaw Sirko, continued to plan for construction of a church, but died in October 1979 after a two-year battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated as The Rt Revd or The Rt Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian ministers and members of clergy. It is a variant of the more common st ...

Michael Fedorowich, assigned to St. Josaphat in December 1979, began the process of organizing committees to plan the new church. The structure was designed by the firm of McWilliams Martyniuk Schidlowski of

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...

, and built under the auspices of

general contractor A contractor (North American English) or builder (British English), is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the c ...

Chopko Construction. The 500-seat building incorporated traditional features such as

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate (drum) upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. They taper smoothly upwards to a point. It is a typical ...

s on the roof and an altar set in the east wall. It also included contemporary and "futuristic" architectural details in order to reflect the then-upcoming thousand-year anniversary of Christianity's introduction in

. Ground for the cathedral was broken on June 24, 1982. The initial cost was estimated at $2.3 million ($ in dollars).

Topping out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed at the top of a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is ofte ...

of the church occurred on August 30, 1983, when the main

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

onion dome was set atop the church. During construction, the Eparchy of Saint Josaphat was erected in December 1983.

Robert Mikhail Moskal Robert Mikhail Moskal (October 24, 1937 – August 7, 2022) was a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the first eparch (bishop) of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma from 198 ...

was installed as the first

eparch Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...

(bishop) of the diocese at the unfinished cathedral on February 29, 1984. A ceremonial cornerstone was laid and blessed on November 11, 1984, which happened to be the 25th anniversary of the congregation's establishment as well. St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral held its first services on June 24, 1985. Eparch Robert Moskal led a procession from the chapel to the cathedral carrying the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

and relics of St. Josaphat, then celebrated a pontifical divine liturgy at the new church. The cathedral was blessed once. The consecration of St. Josaphat Cathedral was delayed until May 1, 1988, the year in which Ukrainians observed the thousand-year anniversary of Christianity in Ukraine. This also allowed for completion of all

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

and other interior decorations.

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky (; 24 June 1914 – 14 December 2000), cardinal, was bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia in the United States and from 1984 major archbishop of Lviv and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic C ...

, head of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

worldwide, led the April 29 rites consecrating the main altar, assisted by Archbishop Maxim Hermaniuk of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, Archbishop

Stephen Sulyk Stephen Sulyk (; October 2, 1924 – April 6, 2020) was a Ukrainian-American hierarch who was an archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He died from complications brought on by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Biography Sul ...

of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia,

Exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

Michel Hrynchyshyn The Rt Revd Michel Hrynchyshyn C.Ss.R. (18 February 1929 – 12 November 2012) was the apostolic exarch of the Apostolic Exarchate in France, Benelux and Switzerland for the Ukrainians from when he was consecrated bishop on 30 January 1983 until ...

of the Apostolic Exarchate of France, Benelux and Switzerland, Eparch

Andrew Pataki Andrew Pataki (August 30, 1927 – December 8, 2011) was an Eastern Catholic hierarch, the second bishop of Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma, and the third bishop of the Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Passaic. Early life and education Pataki wa ...

of the

Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Parma The Eparchy of Parma () 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 ...

, and others. Consecration of the walls occurred on May 1. A procession led by Cardinal Lubachivsky, Archbishop and Papal

Pro-Nuncio The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as st ...

Pio Laghi Pio Laghi (21 May 1922 – 10 January 2009) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. His service was primarily in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and the Roman Curia. He served as Apostolic nuncio to several countries and as the ...

, Bishop Anthony Pilla of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. , the bishop is Edward Malesic. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, located in Clevelan ...

, Bishop James William Malone of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown The Diocese of Youngstown () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cin ...

, and Bishop Emeritus

William Michael Cosgrove William Michael Cosgrove (November 26, 1916 – December 11, 1992) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville, Diocese of Belleville in Illinois from 1976 to 1981. He ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville The Diocese of Belleville () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Southern Illinois region of the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdioc ...

circled the building before entering. Cardinal Lubachivsky anointed the wall behind the main altar with holy chrism, Archbishop Laghi the north wall, and Archbishops Hermaniuk and Sulyk the south and west walls. The walls were sprinkled with

holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

, concluding the consecration rite. A

Pontifical High Mass A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn Mass, Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word ''pontifical'' is al ...

followed.

Cathedral history

The cathedral is the seat of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat. St. Josaphat's aluminum domes gradually faded to a

celadon Celadon () is a term for pottery denoting both wares ceramic glaze, glazed in the jade green Shades of green#Celadon, celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, ...

color due to weathering. They were painted gold in the 1990s. A shrine to Our Lady of Pochaiv was dedicated on the cathedral grounds on May 23, 2010. The shrine was the result of a seven-year design and fundraising effort by the St. Josaphat Apostleship of Prayer, a group of women congregants. The shrine was designed by a Cleveland firm, Kulchytsky Architects. The brick shrine holds a mosaic in the likeness of the painted Ukrainian icon, which was designed by Eikona Studios of Cleveland and created in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The shrine was blessed by Bishop

John Bura John Bura (; June 12, 1944 – January 17, 2023) was a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia from 2006 to 2019. From 2009 to 2014 ...

, then

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat. The domes atop the cathedral were replaced in 2015. Parishioners of St. Josaphat began raising funds about 2010 to replace the cathedral's five domes, which had deteriorated over time. Architect Christ J. Kamages was hired to design the replacements, and Unique Services & Applications installed them. The new domes are made of

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

and covered with

titanium nitride Titanium nitride (TiN; sometimes known as tinite) is an extremely hard ceramic material, often used as a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbide, and aluminium components to improve the substrate's surface prop ...

, a

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

material with a brilliant gold sheen. Construction of the domes began in the spring of 2015, and were blessed by Eparch

Bohdan Danylo Bohdan John Danylo (born May 22, 1971) is a Polish-born prelate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the United States. He has served as Eparch of Saint Josaphat in Parma since 2014. Biography Bohdan John Danylo was born in Giżycko, Pol ...

on October 5. Installation was completed in November. The $550,000 ($ in dollars) domes are expected to last from 50 to 200 years.

References

;Notes ;Citations

External links

{{commonscat-inline, St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral (Parma, Ohio)
Official Cathedral site

Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma official site
Ukrainian-American culture in Ohio Eastern Catholic churches in Ohio Ukrainian Catholic cathedrals in the United States Churches in Cuyahoga County, Ohio Parma, Ohio Byzantine Revival architecture in Ohio Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Ohio Churches completed in 1985 1951 establishments in Ohio