Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Palos Park (Illinois)

Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Palos Park, Illinois, is one of the most venerable and historically significant Ukrainian religious communities in the American Midwest. Founded in 1909 on Chicago’s South Side, the parish stands as the second-oldest Ukrainian congregation in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Nestled today upon a scenic, wooded campus at 8410 West 131st Street in southwest suburban Palos Park, the parish is an exceptionally vibrant spiritual home within the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople).

Pioneering Roots: The Industrial Immigrants of Burnside (1909–1976)

The genesis of Sts. Peter and Paul parish originated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as the first waves of Ukrainian immigrants arrived on the South Side of Chicago. Drawn to the heavy industries, locomotive assembly shops, and freight yards of the Pullman and Burnside neighborhoods, these pioneers carried with them a profound Christian faith and a fierce love for their ancestral Eastern Orthodox traditions. Initially, families attended neighboring Slavic and Greek parishes, but they yearned for a spiritual home where the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the beloved Ukrainian tradition.

In 1907, the community established a local branch of the Ukrainian National Association (UNA), which served as the organizational nucleus for church founding. In the autumn of 1909, Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church was formally organized, and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Reverend Valentine Balog. Soon after, Reverend Volodymyr Petrovsky was assigned as the first permanent pastor. Under Father Petrovsky’s guidance, the community constructed its first timber church building in 1911 in the Burnside district.

On the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in 1913, tragedy struck when an overheated heating furnace ignited a catastrophic fire that razed the wooden church to the ground. Displaying heroic resolve, the parishioners refused to yield to despair. Within months, through sacrificial collections and mutual labor, they erected a stately, fireproof brick church building at 9201 South Avalon Avenue in the fall of 1913. That historic structure served as the fortress of South Side Ukrainian Orthodoxy for over six decades.

Relocation to Palos Park and Suburban Campus Expansion

By the early 1970s, demographic evolutions and industrial restructuring on Chicago’s South Side led Ukrainian families to migrate southwest toward the suburban communities of Cook County. Recognizing that the future vitality of the parish required following its flock, the parish assembly resolved to relocate.

In 1976, after an exhaustive search, the parish acquired a magnificent multi-acre parcel of wooded land in Palos Park, Illinois. On March 20, 1976, Reverend Serge Holovko celebrated the final Divine Liturgy in the Burnside church. For the next three years, while design and construction proceeded, the congregation held services in a rented local school auditorium. On October 7, 1979, the new church complex was solemnly consecrated before a joyful assembly of hierarchs, clergy, and faithful. The expansive parish property comprises a beautiful brick church temple, an adjoining fellowship banquet hall, a parish rectory, landscaped picnic grounds, and outdoor memorial spaces.

Sacred Interior, Hand-Carved Iconostasis, and the Golden Cupola

The interior of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Palos Park exemplifies the harmonious warmth of traditional Ukrainian village sacred spaces combined with canonical Orthodox iconography:

• Hand-Carved Linden Iconostasis: The sanctuary is separated from the nave by a magnificent multi-tiered oak-and-linden iconostasis. Flanking the Royal Doors are icons of Christ the Savior and the Mother of God, as well as the patronal icon of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Every icon is draped in authentic Ukrainian hand-embroidered rushnyky (ritual towels).
• Altar Fresco of the Holy Eucharist: Behind the Holy Table in the apse, a monumental mural portrays Christ distributing the Holy Bread and Wine to the Apostles, establishing the eternal continuity of the Eucharistic mystery.
• The New Gilded Cupola: In 2021, the parish undertook a major architectural beautification project. Master Ukrainian church artisans Victor Burdun and Bohdan Hrynenko crafted a radiant new golden onion dome (banya) crowned by an ornate Ukrainian tri-bar cross. His Eminence Archbishop Daniel ascended via hydraulic lift to personally consecrate the newly installed cross and dome, transforming the church roofline into an unmistakable beacon of Orthodox faith.

Vibrant Parish Life, Youth Ministries, and Organizations

Under the devoted pastoral leadership of Very Reverend Vasyl Sendeha, Sts. Peter and Paul parish is celebrated as one of the most energetic, family-centered parishes in the Western Eparchy. The community thrives through a diverse network of parish organizations:

• Ukrainian Orthodox League (Senior and Junior UOL): Highly active chapters that foster religious education, leadership conventions, and charitable drives. The Junior UOL chapter actively engages high school and college youth in church life.
• Sisterhood of Saint Anne: The philanthropic backbone of the parish, coordinating hospitality, benevolent care for the elderly, church embellishment, and traditional food festivals.
• Sunday School & Catechesis: Nurturing youth in the Orthodox faith, Sacred Scripture, Ukrainian traditions, and liturgical singing.
• Parish Choir: Directed by Subdeacon George Cepynsky, the choir elevates every divine service with exquisite Ukrainian sacred polyphony.
• The Seraphim Group: A beloved senior citizens fellowship offering social outings, spiritual talks, and mutual support.

Humanitarian Solidarity: Wartime Relief for Ukraine

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Palos Park has mobilized an extraordinary humanitarian response. Establishing the dedicated Ukraine Relief Fund (“Christian Care Giving”), the parish has raised tens of thousands of dollars to purchase and dispatch tactical emergency medical kits, trauma bandages, surgical field packs, and essential supplies to combat zones and civilian clinics in Ukraine.

The parish actively supports displaced Ukrainian families arriving in the Chicago suburbs, providing clothing, household furnishings, transportation help, English language assistance, and compassionate pastoral counseling to help them heal from the traumas of war.

Chronological Milestones of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish

Parish Information & Contacts