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

Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh () is an archeparchy (or archdiocese) of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church that is located in the southern part of the United States of America. It is part of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh (Ruthenian Greek Catholic ...

from 2002 until his death. The youngest son of Michael Schott and Mary Schott (née Krusko), Basil Schott was born in Freeland, Pennsylvania, and attended St. Mary Byzantine Catholic School as a child. He graduated from St. Gabriel High School in Hazleton and entered the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

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 in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

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. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

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

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

, master's degrees in theology and pastoral counseling from St. Mary Seminary in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from

New York Theological Seminary The New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) was an American private non-denominational Christian seminary in New York City. It was founded in 1900 as the Bible Teacher's College. It ceased operating as an independent seminary on July 1, 2024. Throu ...

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, 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 BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

as a member of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...

. 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). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

. 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.

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{{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