Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic church in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is located in the city's North Side
neighborhood at 1437 Superior Avenue. Today it is best known as the church from which the funeral services of artist
Andy Warhol
were held in 1987.
, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church
, Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church was founded by Rusyn
immigrants on Pentecost Sunday, May 18, 1902. The Rev. John Korotnoki, who came to the United States from the Eparchy of Presov, Austria-Hungary
(now in eastern Slovakia
) was its first pastor.
Originally located on Doer Street in Woods Run, new property was acquired in 1921 for relocation. However, in 1925 the interior of that church was damaged by fire, prompting the current church to be built on Superior Avenue in 1927. It was dedicated in 1928. A Social Center/Educational building was built nearby in 1971.
In 1975 Holy Ghost became the mother church of St. Andrew the Apostle Byzantine Catholic Church in the north suburb of Gibsonia.
and burial service for Andy at Holy Ghost, with interment in the family plot at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery
in Bethel Park, a south suburb of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in the city's North Side
North Shore (Pittsburgh)
The North Shore is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has a zip code of 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 1 and 6...
neighborhood at 1437 Superior Avenue. Today it is best known as the church from which the funeral services of artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
were held in 1987.
History
A parish of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of PittsburghByzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
The Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh is an autonomous Byzantine Rite particular church of the Catholic Church, originally serving members of the Ruthenian Catholic Church and their descendants in the United States...
, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church
Ruthenian Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Catholic Church is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church , which uses the Divine Liturgy of the Constantinopolitan Byzantine Eastern Rite. Its roots are among the Rusyns who lived in the region called Carpathian Ruthenia, in and around the Carpathian Mountains...
, Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church was founded by Rusyn
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
immigrants on Pentecost Sunday, May 18, 1902. The Rev. John Korotnoki, who came to the United States from the Eparchy of Presov, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now in eastern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) was its first pastor.
Originally located on Doer Street in Woods Run, new property was acquired in 1921 for relocation. However, in 1925 the interior of that church was damaged by fire, prompting the current church to be built on Superior Avenue in 1927. It was dedicated in 1928. A Social Center/Educational building was built nearby in 1971.
In 1975 Holy Ghost became the mother church of St. Andrew the Apostle Byzantine Catholic Church in the north suburb of Gibsonia.
Andy Warhol
The family of Andy Warhol's brothers worshiped here at the time of Andy's death. The brothers decided to have the funeral's Divine LiturgyDivine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
and burial service for Andy at Holy Ghost, with interment in the family plot at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery is an Eastern Catholic cemetery in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb approximately south of downtown Pittsburgh. It is situated on a hillside in the southwest corner of the intersection of Connor Road and Pennsylvania State Route...
in Bethel Park, a south suburb of Pittsburgh.