Michael Dudick
Encyclopedia
Michael Joseph Dudick was an American
priest
and bishop
of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
, the U.S. branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church
.
He was born to Rusyn
immigrant parents in St. Clair, Pennsylvania
and was educated in the public schools there. He attended Illinois Benedictine College
and St. Procopius Seminary, both in Lisle, Illinois
, then was ordained to the priesthood on November 13, 1945 by Bishop Basil Takach at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral
in Munhall, Pennsylvania
. His many parish appointments include churches in Ohio
, Pittsburgh
, and throughout Western Pennsylvania
.
When the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic was established in 1963, Dudick was appointed its first chancellor. Pope Paul VI
conferred upon him the rank of Right Reverend Monsignor
on October 25, 1963. He was ordained a bishop and enthroned on October 24, 1968 as the second bishop of Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic
in St. Michael Cathedral there. Thirty-two new parishes and missions were created during his tenure and two monasteries were established: the Basilian Fathers of Mariapoch in Matawan, New Jersey
and the Byzantine Discalced Carmelites
in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. He also constructed a new Eparchial Center in Paterson, New Jersey
and a spiritual and recreational Center, Carpathian Village, in northeastern Pennsylvania. He established the Heritage Institute Museum and Library in 1972, which houses a collection of religious and secular paintings, ecclesiastical art, vestments, national dress, embroideries, folk art and other memorabilia. The Institute's library features a collection of rare Slavonic books and manuscripts..
Dudick also served as a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
and as a member of the Committee for the Revision of Eastern Canon Law. He chaired the Eastern Catholic Bishops Association as well as a member on the Inter-Rite Committee and the Ecumenical Committee, both of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
. He also served on the Board of Overseers for Harvard University
and on the Board of Regents of Seton Hall University
.
Dudick retired as bishop in 1995. He died at age 91 in 2007. He is buried in the cemetery of Mount Saint Macrina Monastery
in Uniontown, Pennsylvania
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
The Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of Pittsburgh is an autonomous Byzantine Rite particular church of the Catholic Church, originally serving members of the Ruthenian Catholic Church and their descendants in the United States...
, the U.S. branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church
Ruthenian Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Catholic Church is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church , which uses the Divine Liturgy of the Constantinopolitan Byzantine Eastern Rite. Its roots are among the Rusyns who lived in the region called Carpathian Ruthenia, in and around the Carpathian Mountains...
.
He was born to Rusyn
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
immigrant parents in St. Clair, Pennsylvania
St. Clair, Pennsylvania
St. Clair is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania two miles north of Pottsville or the southern Coal Region. Extensive deposits of hard coal are present...
and was educated in the public schools there. He attended Illinois Benedictine College
Benedictine University
Benedictine University is a private Catholic university located in Lisle, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The institution has retained close relations with the Benedictine Order. Originally named St. Procopius College and located in the Pilsen community of Chicago, the school was founded in 1887 by...
and St. Procopius Seminary, both in Lisle, Illinois
Lisle, Illinois
Lisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,930 at the 2011 census, and estimated to be 23,135 as of 2008. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor...
, then was ordained to the priesthood on November 13, 1945 by Bishop Basil Takach at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral (Pittsburgh)
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral is the mother church of Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church...
in Munhall, Pennsylvania
Munhall, Pennsylvania
Munhall is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the west bank of the Monongahela River, south of the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers where the Ohio River begins. It abuts the borough of Homestead. A large part of the Homestead Works of the Carnegie Steel Company...
. His many parish appointments include churches in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, and throughout Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
.
When the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic was established in 1963, Dudick was appointed its first chancellor. Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
conferred upon him the rank of Right Reverend Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
on October 25, 1963. He was ordained a bishop and enthroned on October 24, 1968 as the second bishop of Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic
Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic
The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic is the Catholic eparchy governing most Byzantine Catholics in the eastern United States. Its headquarters are at 445 Lackawanna Avenue, Woodland Park . The current bishop is the Most Reverend William C. Skurla.The Eparchy was erected July 6, 1963 and its...
in St. Michael Cathedral there. Thirty-two new parishes and missions were created during his tenure and two monasteries were established: the Basilian Fathers of Mariapoch in Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,810. The name "Matawan" comes from a Native American Lenape word....
and the Byzantine Discalced Carmelites
Byzantine Discalced Carmelites
The Byzantine Discalced Carmelites are a community of cloistered nuns of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church living committed to a life of prayer, according to the eremitic tradition and lifestyle of the Discalced Carmelites....
in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. He also constructed a new Eparchial Center in Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
and a spiritual and recreational Center, Carpathian Village, in northeastern Pennsylvania. He established the Heritage Institute Museum and Library in 1972, which houses a collection of religious and secular paintings, ecclesiastical art, vestments, national dress, embroideries, folk art and other memorabilia. The Institute's library features a collection of rare Slavonic books and manuscripts..
Dudick also served as a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical,...
and as a member of the Committee for the Revision of Eastern Canon Law. He chaired the Eastern Catholic Bishops Association as well as a member on the Inter-Rite Committee and the Ecumenical Committee, both of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
. He also served on the Board of Overseers for Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and on the Board of Regents of Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.
Dudick retired as bishop in 1995. He died at age 91 in 2007. He is buried in the cemetery of Mount Saint Macrina Monastery
Mount Saint Macrina
Mount Saint Macrina is the site of the largest pilgrimage among Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics in North America. It is also home to the monastery of Byzantine Catholic Order of Sisters of St...
in Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
.