A Pilgrimage of Thanksgiving: Celebrating the Byzantine Catholic Heritage at the Basilica of the Nat

His action pose is captured in bronze for the ages in the Iwo Jima Monument placed before the entrance gate of Arlington National Cemetery on the ceremonial road linking this hallowed burial ground of the nation’s presidents and heroes with the national capital, Washington, DC, spread out on the other side of the Memorial Bridge crossing of the Potomac River. 

Marine Corps Sergeant Michael Strank commanded the squad that raised Old Glory on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima. The first flag raised on the volcanic summit on the morning of February 23, 1945, was too small for Marines fighting on the island to see so Lt. Colonel Chandler Johnson ordered Strank to take a detachment of his squad that afternoon to raise a larger flag. Sergeant Strank would give his life- “the last, full measure of devotion”-on March 1, 1945, just days after lifting the flagpole flying the Stars and Stripes. He is buried here in Arlington National, a hero interred alongside thousands of heroes.

In the Marine Corps, Sgt. Strank was known as “a Marine’s Marine”, but back in Franklin Borough, Pennsylvania, this Marine was known as a Byzantine Catholic, a Greek Catholic they called them in his time. He was born in Jarabina, Czechoslovakia, but in 1922, his father, Vasyl Strank, who had come to work in the United States after World War I, earned enough money to bring three-year-old Michael and his mother Martha to the United States of America. 

Two years later, on August 13, 1924, the Strank family and the estimated 300,000 Greek Catholic Rusyns, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Croatians in the United States received a bishop, the Most Reverend Basil Takach, and subsequently the Greek Catholic Exarchate—a mission eparchy—was located in Munhall, a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. These groups had begun arriving in the United States after the American Civil War (1861-1865) had depleted the work-force population just as the United States had geared up for industrialization. They brought with them a strong work ethic, a fervent dedication to family, and a powerful love of their particular Church. With hard work and at great sacrifice, they built churches and rectories, sent petitions to bishops back in Europe for priests and paid for the clergy travel expenses with their families to the US, and yes, endured misunderstanding and resistance in their new adopted country. All the while they were advocating for their own bishop.

Now, one hundred years after the arrival of their first bishop and the establishment of their exarchate, Byzantine Catholic pilgrims from a dozen US states representing the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and the Eparchies of Passaic, Parma, and Phoenix, traveled to Washington, DC and assembled at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with their archbishop and bishops on a pilgrimage of thanksgiving October 12 and 13, 2024. The greatest travel distance logged was Archbishop Skurla himself who was attending the Synod of Bishops in Rome and caught a flight to Dulles International to preside over the anniversary events.

The pilgrimage also commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the dedication and blessing of the Byzantine Ruthenian Chapel at the Basilica of the National Shrine which took place October 6, 1974, and was timed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of Bishop Takach and the establishment of the Exarchate. Iconographer Christina Dochwat, who was responsible for the design of the chapel as well as the mosaics, had traced the number 50 in gold tesserae with Bishop Takach’s episcopal coat of arms in the lower left corner of one of the chapel’s mosaics.

Thanks to the financial sponsorship of Bishop Kurt Burnette and the Eparchy of Passaic, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving was broadcast on EWTN and also live-streamed by the Basilica of the National Shrine, while the Moleben to the Mother of God was live streamed on the Basilica site, thus reaching an audience across the nation and around the world.

The Thanksgiving Divine Liturgy was offered in the Crypt Church of the Basilica by Metropolitan Archbishop William Skurla, Bishop Kurt Burnette, and Bishop Robert Pipta. Concelebrating priests were representatives of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, the Eparchies of Passaic, Parma, and Phoenix, and the religious priests who had served in the United States, while the two deacons were from the Byzantine Catholic Seminary and from the Eparchy of Passaic, respectively. Seminarians from Ss. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA, served at the Divine Liturgy; Sister Susan Sisko, OSBM, provincial superior of the Sisters of St. Basil the Great—Our Lady of Perpetual Help Province—chanted the apostolic reading; and local cantors from Epiphany of our Lord Church, Annandale, VA, led the congregational singing of the prostopinije, the traditional Carpathian plainchant. The homilist was Bishop Robert Pipta, bishop of the Eparchy of Parma.

As an indication of the significance of the anniversary and the importance of the occasion to the history of the Catholic Church in the United States, Msgr. Walter Rossi, Rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine, and Msgr. Vito Buonanno, Director of Pilgrimages at the Basilica, concelebrated the Divine Liturgy.

There were tangible signs of a personal connection with Bishop Takach: Bishop Takach’s antimension was on the main altar—called the Mary Altar—in the Crypt Church, folded under the Holy Gospel and unfolded when the chalices and discoi were placed upon them as the Archbishop and Bishops offered the Sacrifice of the Divine Liturgy; the crosses from Bishop Takach’s chapel in his episcopal residence were placed—one on the Mary Altar and one on the Table of Preparation. Finally, the crosier, the episcopal staff of Bishop Takach, was used by Archbishop William for the Divine Liturgy.

The worship booklets for the Divine Liturgy as well as for the Moleben and the Panachida were provided by the generosity of The Greek Catholic Union, the fraternal insurance company whose own 132 year history was intertwined with the history of the arrival of Rusyn, Slovak, Hungarian and Croatian immigrants who formed the initial parishes in the United States, and their advocacy for a bishop.

Joining the hundreds of Faithful were sisters representing the Sisters of St. Basil the Great, Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, and Byzantine Carmelite Sisters.

Following the Divine Liturgy, lunch was served at the Basilica cafeteria, and after lunch pilgrims were able to browse the Basilica Gift Shop and the Basilica Bookstore, and visit over eighty chapels and oratories, each offered by different Churches, nations, peoples, religious orders, and even by individuals, such as Our Lady of Hope chapel offered by Bob and Delores Hope.

The people assembled again, this time in Memorial Hall, just outside the Byzantine Ruthenian Chapel where Bishop Kurt Burnette celebrated the Moleben to the Mother of God and preached the homily.

At 3:00 PM—the hour of our Lord’s sacrificial death on the cross—Bishop Robert Pipta prayed a Panachida for our departed bishops, priests, deacons, religious and Christ’s Faithful, and with that memorial service, the pilgrimage time at the Basilica concluded, with the thought of the labors and of the many and varied sacrifices the clergy, religious, and Christ’s Faithful made in the one hundred forty year history of our Church in the United States.

A festive banquet was held that evening at Epiphany of our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church parish center hall in Annandale, Virginia. At the banquet, a television documentary, “Treasury of Blessings”, produced by Diane and Bob Grip, was premiered. The historical documentary had been under production for more than a year and featured archival films, still pictures and videos gathered from the Archeparchial archives, private collections and on-site locations from all four eparchies. Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla, D.D., is the Executive Producer. The historical production was introduced by Bob Grip and was very well received by all in attendance. The Eternal Word Television Network, EWTN, had scheduled broadcast of the documentary for this same weekend.

On Sunday, October 13th, the Sunday of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was offered at Epiphany of our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church, Annandale, VA. Bishop Kurt Burnette was principal celebrant and homilist, while Archbishop William Skurla and Bishop Robert Pipta concelebrated along with priests and deacons of the Archeparchy and Eparchies of Passaic, Parma, and Phoenix. Seminarians from the Byzantine Catholic Seminary were servers for the Liturgy. Epiphany parish cantors led the people in the responses, and Sister Susan Sisko, O.S.B.M. read the epistles.

After the Divine Liturgy, a luncheon was held in the parish center. After the luncheon, pilgrims—Christ’s Faithful with their bishops, priests, sisters, and seminarians, spent time talking to old friends or new acquaintances, and seemed reticent to leave and see the celebration conclude. 

Some left Epiphany church to visit Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial, and the public monuments and government buildings in Washington, DC before returning to their homes.

All, however, left reflecting on the events of the past two days: how Bishop Takach, Mother Macrina and the sisters, the pioneering priests, and especially Christ’s Faithful faced obstacles and challenges, and persevered, knowing that Jesus Christ had given them their Church through the Apostle Andrew, and that the Lord was taking the lead as He accompanied them in this new land and fed them. Now, rededicated by the anniversary commemoration, it is our turn to return to the great work of sharing the Gospel of Salvation in the Second Century of our history without fearing the obstacles and challenges we face in our time.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us- and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).