Vatican City, Dec 6, 2007 / 10:22 am
Today the Vatican announced the appointment of two Ruthenian bishops in the United States: Bishop William Skurla and Msgr. Gerald Dino.
Ruthenian Catholics, under the Byzantine Eastern Rite, come from region of present-day Slovakia and Ukraine, and came into communion with Rome in 1646.
Bishop William C. Skurla of the eparchy of Van Nuys will shepherd the eparchy of Passaic. His new eparchy will consist of 21,808 Catholics and 81 priests. Eparchies are the rough equivalent of a diocese in the Roman rite.
Bishop Skurla was appointed as the third bishop of Van Nuys and will now succeed Bishop Andrew Pataki who recently resigned.