Bishop Soter Stephen Ortynsky: The First Eastern Catholic Bishop in the Western Hemisphere

Bishop Soter Stephen Ortynsky (1866–1916) served as the first hierarch of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the United States. As the first Eastern Catholic bishop in the Western Hemisphere, he significantly influenced the U.S. Catholic Church, theoretically and structurally. The lack of episcopal oversight at the inception of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the U.S. led to the fracturing of its membership among diverse churches and much misunderstanding and misrepresentation. Ortynsky, in spite of his best efforts, became a target and scapegoat for much of the dissention within his church and the lack of understanding from without. For many fellow Catholics, Ortynsky stood in direct opposition to the Latin rite Catholic Church’s unity of jurisdiction and uniformity of discipline. Various churches sought the conversion of Ruthenian Catholics, encompassing Rusins, Ukrainians and other ethnicities, to alternative confessions; nevertheless, Ortynsky persevered, asserting his church’s rightful autonomy and evangelical mission.