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WASHINGTON (May 2, 2002) – Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Basil M. Schott, OFM, of the Byzantine Eparchy of Parma to be Metropolitan Archbishop of Pittsburgh of the Byzantines. He succeeds Archbishop Justin M. Procyk who died April 24, 2001.
The Pope named Very Reverend Archpriest John M. Kudrick as Bishop of Parma. Father Kudrick has been serving as Diocesan Administrator of the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.
Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, announced the appointments.
Basil Schott was born July 21, 1939 in Freeland, Pennsylvania. Ordained a priest August 5, 1965, he was appointed Bishop of the Byzantine Eparchy of Parma on May 2, 1996.
John Kudrick was born in Lloydell, Pennsylvania, December 23. 1947. He entered the Third Order Regular of St. Francis in 1967 and was ordained on May 3, 1975. He was granted bi-ritual faculties for service in the Byzantine Rite in 1978.
The Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, Byzantine has a Catholic population of about 65,000. It serves Byzantine Ruthenian Rite Catholics in parts of Pennsylvania and in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
The Byzantine Eparchy of Parma has a Catholic population of 12,572. It embraces all Byzantine Ruthenian Rite Catholics in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota ,Wisconsin, and Ohio, excluding certain counties.