Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church

I found this great picture of the Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church on Dick's Picks. Dick Bower, the photographer and webmaster, is based out of Johnson City (coincidentally, my hometown and the location of the Church); he's got some great shots of various buildings, natural sites, etc throughout Upstate New York.

The Church itself is one of the most beautiful and architectually distinctive buildings in the Triple Cities. I was fortunate enough to take a guided tour of the iconography last Spring during the annual Ukrainian Heritage Festival. The building, and all of its interiors, are made of hand-carved, beautifully polished hardwoods in a traditional fashion. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is a little-known sect-- they are Roman Catholics (thus they recognize the authority of Rome) but follow Eastern Rite (like the Orthodox Church). It all goes back to the politics after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, which I won't detail here (it was dry enough when the priest explained it to me at the Church), but suffice to say that the most striking feature of the Church is that the priests are considered to be Catholic and yet can be married-- as per Eastern tradition.

Raises a few questions about the mainline Catholic Church's statement that having priests marry would break down the foundations of the Church community, doesn't it?

Those interested in more about the distinguishing features of the Triple Cities and why it's a great place to live, check out Sara's Binghamton Page.

-Posted by Jesse