-
Eternal Memory!Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest John Stephen Kachuba, Jr. was born on January 24, 1948, in Windber, Pennsylvania to John Stephen and Eleanor (née Kingure) Kachuba. Father John was baptized and chrismated on February 15, 1948, at St. Mary’s in Windber, Pennsylvania. He attended Pacific Beach Elementary in San Diego, California, from 1955-1963, Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California, from 1964-1966, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1966-1970, and the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1966-1974.
Father John was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Emil Mihalik on April 15, 1973, and on May 12, 1974, was ordained a priest of the Eparchy of Parma by Bishop Mihalik at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma, Ohio. Father John’s first assignment was as Associate Pastor at St. Mary’s in Whiting, Indiana (1974-1976). While serving at St. Mary’s, Father John pursued his master’s degree in Religious Studies from Mundelein College, obtaining his masters on July 29, 1976, from which time he became very involved in forming the Department of Religious Education for the Eparchy of Parma, ultimately serving as the Director of Religious Education for forty years.
Father John’s other assignments within the Eparchy of Parma included: Assistant Director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the Eparchy of Parma (1975); Pastor of St. Nicholas Croatian, Cleveland, Ohio (1976-1978); Defender of the Bond (1977); Pastor of St. Gregory, Lakewood, Ohio (1978-1990); Protopresbyter of the former Ohio-West Protopresbyterate (ending in 1988); Administrator (1990) and then Pastor (1991-2015) of St. Stephen, Euclid, Ohio; Administrator of St. Nicholas Croatian, Cleveland, Ohio (1998-2000); Appointed to Seminary Advisory Board for Ss. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1998); Sub-Committee on Catechesis of USCC (aka USCCB, 2000-2003); Protopresbyter of the former Cleveland Protopresbyterate (2001-2006); Protosyncellus (2002-2018); elevated to rank of Archpriest (2002); elevated to rank of Mitred Archpriest (2004); Administrator of St. Nicholas Croatian, Cleveland, Ohio (2010-2011); Administrator of St. Athanasius, Indianapolis, Indiana (2011-2013); Administrator of St. Stephen, Allen Park, Michigan (2011-2018); Administrator of St. Nicholas, Clinton Twp., Michigan (2012-2015); Administrator of St. Andrew, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio, and St. Michael, Fairport Harbor, Ohio (2013-2015); Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene, Fairview Park, Ohio (2015-2020). At the request of Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., Father John continued to serve as Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene for two years after being granted retirement status in 2018; he officially retired from active ministry on September 1, 2020. In his retirement, Father John served as the chaplain for the GCU (Greek Catholic Union) from 2020 until his death.
Father John entered into eternal rest at the age of 75 on Sunday, February 12, 2023, at his home after having celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery in Burton, Ohio. Father John is preceded in death by his father John (2009), his mother Eleanor (2020), and his sister Karen Marie Kachuba.
Click here for the Cleveland Plain Dealer's obituary.
-
Funeral Services of Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest John Kachuba
The funeral services for Father John Kachuba included two nights of Parastas for a priest, which were celebrated by Bishop Kurt Burnette on Thursday, February 16, and Friday, February 17, and the Funeral Divine Liturgy which was celebrated at 9am on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Fairview Park, Ohio, Father John’s last pastoral assignment.
-
BackForwardPauseCaption
