During the middle of the twentieth century, the city of Washington, D.C. experienced tremendous population growth, principally from the expansion of the Federal Government. This brought many people to the area, including many sons and daughters of Eastern European immigrants who came to America early in the 1900’s. Along with this migration of Slavic people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other locations came their desire to worship in their own distinct Byzantine Catholic tradition. In 1956 this community established St. Gregory of Nyssa Byzantine Catholic Church in downtown Washington.
At that time half of the parishioners of St. Gregory’s lived in the nearby suburban areas of Maryland and Virginia. Although, St. Gregory’s downtown location was central to the parishioners living in the greater Washington area, as the parish grew, new parishioners settled further out in the suburbs and it soon became increasingly difficult for families of the Byzantine Rite moving into the nation’s capital area to travel into the city.
In 1966 a number of St. Gregory’s suburban parishioners expressed the desire for a place of worship, which would be more convenient for them and their families. Later, in the spring of 1968, a group of parishioners met with the pastor, Father John Danilak, to discuss the feasibility of and possible support for starting regularly scheduled services in Northern Virginia. Given the parishioner’s strong interest, Father Danilak decided to conduct a feasibility study of the possibility of establishing a church in the suburbs, which would encompass the Byzantine population in the suburban areas of Maryland and Northern Virginia.
The feasibility study was done in two parts. One part was a study of land and buildings in the Baltimore and immediate surrounding Maryland and Virginia areas. The purpose of this study was to determine the availability, accessibility, and cost of property and land suitable for establishing parishes in the surrounding suburban areas. In addition to this effort, a survey of the parishioners was conducted by means of a questionnaire to solicit their views concerning future plans for the Byzantine Rite in the metropolitan Washington area.
The results of both the property/land study and the parish survey revealed that the time was right to start a mission church in Northern Virginia, at least on a temporary basis. The results of these two projects were presented to the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Passaic, and the establishment of a mission parish in Northern Virginia, which would provide liturgical services, and religious education was approved. A further study of the schools available for temporary use was conducted. The Luther Jackson Middle School at Route 50 and Gallows Road in Falls Church, Virginia (in Fairfax County) was determined to be the best location and was easily accessible for the majority of the Virginia parishioners. The proximity of Luther Jackson to the interstate Beltway also made it a desirable choice.
A Byzantine Catholic mission was opened at the Luther Jackson Middle School on October 6, 1968, with the Divine Liturgy, followed by School of Religion classes. A large auditorium and stage were used for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, and classrooms were available for religious instruction. This mission parish was open to all the members of St. Gregory’s who wished to attend, but it was provided especially for the convenience of the Virginia parishioners. The latter still had the option of attending St. Gregory’s if they chose to do so. Some Maryland parishioners also found the Virginia church was more convenient than St. Gregory’s and chose to attend the mission parish.
With the initiation of the Virginia Mission, those who found it difficult to attend St. Gregory’s would now be able to attend the Divine Liturgy more regularly. It was further hoped that this new Byzantine nucleus would take root and grow so that plans could be developed in the near future for a permanent location in Virginia. With God’s help and the dedicated support of the Northern Virginia Byzantines, the Church of Epiphany was erected on February 22, 1970.
Shortly thereafter, on June 10, 1970, the Byzantine Rite Catholics in Northern Virginia saw the results of their ongoing efforts with the purchase of a 4.78-acre plot of land in Annandale, Virginia. The acquisition of the property provided the parishioners with a building, which ultimately would serve as the rectory, and temporarily would serve as a chapel until a church could be constructed. The building on the property was in desperate need of repair and a team of parish workers prepared it for use. On June 29, 1970, the first Divine Liturgy was held to bless and dedicate the chapel.
The property and farm house were now going to care for the souls of Byzantine Catholics in Northern Virginia, much like they had done during the Civil War when the house served as a hospital for the battles of Manassas, only 15 miles away.
Ground-breaking ceremonies for the new church were held on December 5, 1971. During the following months, plans were developed to prepare for construction of the church, which began in early June 1972. The construction was an accomplishment that epitomized the heritage of our ancestors—a commitment to a goal with a spirit of cooperation, hard work, and a sincere respect for each other. November 21, 1972, the day of the first Divine Liturgy in the new church, was an occasion of significance to many parishioners. Bishop Michael Dudick of the Diocese of Passaic celebrated the formal dedication and blessing of Epiphany of Our Lord Church on April 29, 1973.
In June of that same year, Father Danilak saw the need for a religious education facility. To meet this need, a modular type building was constructed and moved onto the church property. This building, although temporary in nature, provided the children with classrooms where they could continue with their religious formation.
During this time, Father Danilak served as pastor of St. Gregory’s in Washington, Patronage of the Mother of God in Baltimore, and Epiphany in Annandale. In June 1974, Father John D. Lazarek was appointed Assistant Pastor of St. Gregory’s, with residence at the Washington rectory, but he primarily served the needs of the Epiphany parishioners. In October of 1974, the renovation of the Annandale rectory was completed and Father Lazarek established his permanent residence there.
After serving as Assistant Pastor for two years, Father Lazarek was appointed Pastor of Epiphany of Our Lord on October 1, 1976. Having its own pastor, Epiphany was no longer a mission church under the guidance of St. Gregory’s. Epiphany assumed all the responsibilities of a canonically established parish. As the enthusiasm of the parishioners grew many parish organizations were formed. These organizations included the Ladies Guild, Choir, School of Religion, Byzantine Catholic Youth, Ushers, Cantors, Altar boys, and beginning in September of 1982, the Epiphany Men’s Club.
During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Epiphany reaped blessings as on-going liturgical services were celebrated and various social events were held throughout each year. These events included: the parish feast day celebration of Epiphany (January 6); Lenten services and dinners during the Great Fast; Holy Week and Pascha services; the Annual Picnic the Annual Fall Dinner/Dance; New Year’s Eve Dinner/Dance; feast of Saint Nicholas with children’s program and parish dinner; and the celebration of Christmas.
Epiphany was also blessed with the vocations of Father Philip Scott, now pastor of Epiphany Church in Atlanta, Georgia, an Father Elias O’Brien, now a Carmelite priest in Aylesford, England.
During the early 1980’s, Father Lazarek was assisted by two bi-ritual priests, Rev. Msgr. George Dobes, who has now retired from the U.S. Navy and is sill affiliated with Epiphany, and Rev. Salvatore Pignato, who is now pastor of St. Nichols Byzantine Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida. Also during this time, Father Lazarek began celebrating the Divine Liturgy at two mission churches—Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1982, and Southeastern Virginia, in 1984.
Parish life at Epiphany was in “full swing.” During the 1980’s, a building program was undertaken which included a long-needed rectory and a combination school and social hall. Additional parcels of land adjacent to the church property were acquired and donated to the parish by several generous parishioners, to provide for future growth. Also, a new iconostasis was designed and built in the church. The rectory was completed in February 1986 and the parish center in July 1986. On June 14, 1987, Bishops Michael Dudick and George Kuzma of the Diocese of Passaic dedicated and blessed the new rectory, parish center, and iconostasis.
These new buildings required total parish support to meet the resulting financial obligation. In addition to the pledges of the individual parishioners, representatives of the parish organizations successfully developed fund-raising programs including catering, hall rental, bingo, annual picnics, dances, candy sales, Lenten dinners, and other special events. The classrooms in the parish center serve the children of Epiphany o Sundays. They are leased on a long-term basis for weekdays to a day-care center, which provides both income to the parish and meets a critical community need.
During the late 1980’s, Father Lazarek continued to support the mission church in Southeastern Virginia, which is now two full-fledged parishes named Ascension of Our Lord, which is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Father Lazarek also answered the call from people of the Byzantine tradition to start a mission in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is now the Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in Cary, North Carolina. During this period, Father Jim Carroll, OFM, moved to the Washington area and started to assist at Epiphany.
Also in the late 1980’s, an active member of the parish, Gerald McDonnell, was called to serve the parish more completely. After several years of training and spiritual formation, he was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on June 11, 1989. A few years later, two other men also answered the call to serve. On June 13, 1993, Bishop Michael Dudick ordained Vincent Obsitnik and Richard Kanar to the Permanent Diaconate at a combined celebration at Epiphany. After another year of study, Deacon Richard was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael on July 17, 1974.
On December 1, 1992, Rev. John G. Basarab was named the new pastor of Epiphany Church. As Epiphany’s third “Father John” he continues to lead the parish in spiritual growth, liturgical services, and ongoing social events.
When Epiphany started in 1970, there were approximately 50 families who founded the parish. Today, there are over 350 families who call Epiphany home. From 1970 until 1995 there were 408 baptisms, 223 first solemn communions, 139 weddings and 84 funerals.
In the true Christian spirit of spreading the Gospel to all nations, the founders and early members of Epiphany have made the parish open and welcome to other of all ethnic backgrounds and Christian traditions. As a result, Epiphany is now and will be a parish family worshipping the Holy Trinity in the Byzantine tradition of the Catholic Church.
Both parish spirituality and activity continue to grow as Epiphany looks forward to many years of God’s blessings.
