Western Ukrainians began
immigrating to Baltimore (Fells Point) in the 1880's. At first, services
were held in homes. In the 1890's, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by
Ukrainian Catholic priests traveling from Pennsylvania. St. Stanislaus
Roman Catholic Church (700 S. Ann St.) offered their facilities for use
to their Byzantine Rite brethren. Also, Fr. Josaphat Bok, then pastor of
St. Casimir's Church helped the Ukrainian Catholic Community to worship
in the Byzantine Rite.
In 1910, Fr. Zachary Orun was assigned by Soter
Ortynsky, Bishop of Ukrainian Catholics in America, to minister to the
faithful in Baltimore. In 1912, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church
purchased two lots on 520 and 522 South Wolf St. for the purpose of building
a church. In August, 1913 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the
newly constructed church.
The parish continued growing. In 1981, the parish
purchased the present site on Eastern Avenue from the city of Baltimore
which contained an abandoned city school and warehouse. The school and
warehouse were torn down in 1983. On Sunday, April 29, 1984, the plot for
the new church was blessed. At the end of September, 1988 the parish center
was completed. The last Divine Liturgy was held at the church on Wolfe
St. on September 25. The church building was complete in May, 1991 and
the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated on May 19, 1991 by Archbishop Sterniuk
of Lviv, Ukraine. On November 22, 1992, Metropolitan Stephen Sulyk of the
Ukrainian Catholic Church and Archbishop Keeler, the Latin Rite Archbishop
of Baltimore consecrated the new St. Michael's. On June 25, 1995, the iconostas
was blessed and the mortgage on the church was burned.
Since the blessing of the iconostas, the entire
interior of the church has been decorated with icons, the domes of the
church have been resufaced, and the exterior of the church has been repainted.
The painting of the interior of the church has been completed and was blessed
by Metropolitan Stephen Sulyk on November 2nd, 1997.
