Name of Church Nativity of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church

Address 704 Aspen Street, Springfield, Oregon 97477

Phone number (541) 726-7309

Website https://nativityukr.org/index.html

Divine liturgy Sundays, 10 a.m. Nativity of the Mother of God is an Eastern Catholic parish which celebrates the Byzantine liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. While it is essentially the same Eucharistic celebration with which Latin rite Catholics are familiar, its outward expression differs. The liturgy is sung; most prayers are in English but some are in Slavonic and Ukrainian. There is a significant use of icons and gestures and a different emphasis on the practice of spirituality. See the website for a more information.

Confessions Before and after services.

Names of priests Fr. Richard Janowicz, pastor. Fr. Janowicz is unmarried, and was originally from the Latin rite, having attended the Pontifical College Josephinum in his home state of Ohio in the 1970s. He’s a solid priest, a good homilist and confessor and good shepherd to his flock. He’s currently administrating the Eparchy (diocese) of St. Nicholas, of which he is a part, as its bishop died recently. Read his homilies on the parish website: https://nativityukr.org/fr_richard/richard.html.

Special parish activities Bible studies and special parish events.

Fellow parishioners Although the founding members of the congregation were mostly Ukrainian, today it is unique from many Eastern parishes in that it serves people of a variety of non-Ukrainian ethnicities. It is a vibrant community with many large families.

Parking Ample parking in the church lot.

Additional observations Nativity parish is one of three Eastern Catholic churches in Western Washington. It was established in 1979; Fr. Janowicz has served as pastor since 1981. It is under the authority of the Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of Chicago, who is under the authority of the Bishop of Rome. The current church building was completed in 1990.