Saint John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church,

Lansford, PA

Our History

Saint John the Baptist Church was founded in 1892 by Slavic immigrants who emigrated from the Carpathian Mountain region of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire before the outbreak of WWI.  They arrived in the Panther Valley area to labor in the Anthracite mines and other industries. Later in 1910 Saint Mary Church was formed as a mission of Saint’s John’s in Lansford.  These people founded these churches to preserve their unique spiritual, liturgical, and cultural heritage.  Today, Saint John’s is a parish of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of Passaic, New Jersey. The Byzantine Catholic Church in America is a sui juris (self-governing) Eastern Catholic Church in Communion with the Roman Catholic Church.  It is one of twenty-two self-governing churches that comprise the Catholic Church throughout the world in communion with Pope Francis.