By Eileen Connelly, OSU 

On Oct. 12, Br. Jerome Wolbert, OFM, served as a concelebrant at the Divine Liturgy held at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Byzantine Ruthenian Church in the United States and the 50th anniversary of the Byzantine Chapel at the Basilica.  

“I was asked to concelebrate in order to represent the many religious who have served the Byzantine Church,” explained Br. Jerome, a Byzantine Franciscan friar serving as OFS Animator for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe and at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington, DC. “The Franciscan friars had a significant impact on many of the Byzantine clergy; for some time, they hosted retreats for diocesan clergy preparing for ordination.”  

As a member of the legacy Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province, Br. Jerome was the last guardian at the Byzantine Franciscan friary in Sybertsville, Pennsylvania, and primarily served the Byzantine Church, while also celebrating some Roman Catholic Masses. Br. Jerome noted that Saints Cyril and Methodius went forth from Greek-speaking lands to serve among the Slavic people and pray with them in a language they understood.  

“This (prayer in the language of the people) is a hallmark of the Byzantine Ruthenian Church,” he said.  

Br. Jerome said the relationship between ABVM Province and the Byzantine friars was one of integration and support of their ministry. He noted that Metropolitan Archbishop Basil Schott, OFM, (Sept. 21, 1939, to June 10, 2010) the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, ordained him to the priesthood in 2008.  

Participating in the anniversary Mass was deeply meaningful for Br. Jerome, who recalls traveling from Michigan as a child to visit the Basilica.  

“This is my heritage, and I was fascinated by the mosaics and the icons,” he said. “The pastor from my home parish (St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church in Flushing, Michigan) was also there to celebrate and brought a whole van full of people, including some of my distant cousins. It was like a family reunion.” 

The liturgy was livestreamed on the Basilica’s website at Centenary of the Byzantine Catholic Church and broadcast on EWTN.