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Amherst, OH 44001
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Funeral Home & Crematory Service
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E-mail: GarlandMisencik@
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OBITUARY
JOHN S. KACHUBA, JR.

Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest John Stephen Kachuba, Jr. was born on January
24, 1948, in Windber, Pennsylvania to John Stephen and Eleanor (née Kingure)
Kachuba. Father John was baptized and chrismated on February 15, 1948, at
St. Mary’s in Windber, Pennsylvania. He attended Pacific Beach Elementary
in San Diego, California, from 1955-1963, Mission Bay High School in San
Diego, California, from 1964-1966, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, from 1966-1970, and the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss.
Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1966-1974.
Father John was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Emil Mihalik on April
15, 1973, and on May 12, 1974, was ordained a priest of the Eparchy of Parma
by Bishop Mihalik at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma, Ohio.
Father John’s first assignment was as Associate Pastor at St. Mary’s in
Whiting, Indiana (1974-1976). While serving at St. Mary’s, Father John
pursued his master’s degree in Religious Studies from Mundelein College,
obtaining his masters on July 29, 1976, from which time he became very
involved in forming the Department of Religious Education for the Eparchy of
Parma, ultimately serving as the Director of Religious Education for forty
years.
Father John’s other assignments within the Eparchy of Parma included:
Assistant Director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the
Eparchy of Parma (1975); Pastor of St. Nicholas Croatian, Cleveland, Ohio
(1976-1978); Defender of the Bond (1977); Pastor of St. Gregory, Lakewood,
Ohio (1978-1990); Protopresbyter of the former Ohio-West Protopresbyterate
(ending in 1988); Administrator (1990) and then Pastor (1991-2015) of St.
Stephen, Euclid, Ohio; Administrator of St. Nicholas Croatian, Cleveland,
Ohio (1998-2000); Appointed to Seminary Advisory Board for Ss. Cyril and
Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1998); Sub-Committee on
Catechesis of USCC (aka USCCB, 2000-2003); Protopresbyter of the former
Cleveland Protopresbyterate (2001-2006); Protosyncellus (2002-2018);
elevated to rank of Archpriest (2002); elevated to rank of Mitred Archpriest
(2004); Administrator of St. Nicholas Croatian, Cleveland, Ohio (2010-2011);
Administrator of St. Athanasius, Indianapolis, Indiana (2011-2013);
Administrator of St. Stephen, Allen Park, Michigan (2011-2018);
Administrator of St. Nicholas, Clinton Twp., Michigan (2012-2015);
Administrator of St. Andrew, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio, and St. Michael,
Fairport Harbor, Ohio (2013-2015); Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene, Fairview
Park, Ohio (2015-2020). At the request of Bishop Milan Lach, S.J., Father
John continued to serve as Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene for two years after
being granted retirement status in 2018; he officially retired from active
ministry on September 1, 2020. In his retirement, Father John served as the
chaplain for the GCU (Greek Catholic Union) from 2020 until his death.
Father John entered into eternal rest at the age of 75 on Sunday, February
12, 2023, at his home after having celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the
nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery in Burton, Ohio.
Father John is preceded in death by his father John (2009), his mother
Eleanor (2020), and his infant sister Karen Marie Kachuba. He is survived
by his cousins Sandy Kachuba, Bobby Jacobs, Greg Jacobs, Cindy Ksiazek,
David Kingure, Shawn Kingure, Bryan Kingure, Tim Kingure, Susan Kingure,
Shawn Kingure, Loretta Lux, Andrew Toth, Paul Toth, Gina Cococ, Rick Cococ,
and Scott Gill, as well as a host of lifelong friends.
Visitation will take place at St. Mary Magdalene Byzantine Catholic Church,
5390 W. 220th St., Fairview Park, on both Thursday and Friday from 4 p.m.
until the time of Parastas at 7:30 p.m., both evenings. The Funeral Liturgy
will be Saturday at 9 a.m. at the church. Fr. Kachuba will be interred with
his family in St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, Windber, Pennsylvania on
Monday, February 20, 2022.
In Fr. John's honor, memorials may be made to St. Mary Magdalene Byzantine
Catholic Church, 5390 W. 220 St., Fairview Park, OH 44126.
Garland-Misencik Funeral Home, Amherst, entrusted with arrangements.