New chancellor serves church of youth

New chancellor serves church of youth
By Laura Ieraci
 
PARMA, Ohio — Father Gary Yanus, vicar general and judicial vicar of the Diocese of Cleveland, was appointed chancellor of the Eparchy of Parma in January, succeeding Father Dennis Hrubiak, who retired from active ministry.

Parma is familiar to Father Yanus, who was born in Cleveland March 18, 1948, to Byzantine Catholics Al and Ann Yanus.

“I attended St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish and grade school, of which I have very fond memories of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate and Monsignor (Joseph) Bodnar,” he said.

After graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College and teaching for seven years, he entered St. Mary Seminary for the Cleveland diocese in 1977, asking for a change of rite “since I had been involved since high school in the Latin parish I had attended at the time.”

He was ordained June 13, 1981, and went to the Dominican Republic and then to Puerto Rico to study Spanish. Upon his return, he was assigned to St. Malachi Parish.

In 1984, he was assigned to the tribunal as defender of the bond. Two years later, he was sent to Rome, where he earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1990. Returning to Cleveland, he was appointed adjunct judicial vicar. In 2002, he became judicial vicar and then vicar general. He also teaches canon law at St. Mary Seminary and served as administrator of several Cleveland-area parishes.

“I am very pleased that Bishop Lach invited me to serve the eparchy,” said Father Yanus, who is at the eparchial offices one day a week. “I assist the bishop in canonical affairs and help him with his correspondence. He is a wonderful person with whom to work.”
 
Caption: Father Gary Yanus is the new chancellor for the Eparchy of Parma.
 
As published in Horizons, April 15, 2018.
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