Our Community
Bishop of the Eparchy of Phoenix
Most Reverend
Artur Bubnevych
Bishop Bubnevych was born in 1975 in Perechyn, Ukraine, and secretly baptized during the Soviet persecution of the Byzantine Catholic Church. He pursued theological studies in Ukraine and Austria, earning his Licentiate in Theology from the International Theological Institute.
After serving in various roles across Europe, including in Latvia and within the Eparchy of Mukachevo, he came to the United States in 2013 as a missionary. Ordained to the priesthood in 2014, he served as Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Albuquerque from 2015 until his episcopal ordination. Fluent in multiple languages, Bishop Bubnevych has also contributed to various intereparchial commissions. He enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and camping.
Administrator
Rev. Joel Barstad
Father Joel was ordained to the priesthood in 2018 by now-retired Bishop John Pazak. In 2019 he was assigned to the formation staff of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, after many years of teaching at St John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. In July 2022, he returned to Denver to continue his priestly ministry at Holy Protection parish along with the Fort Collins outreach, and Saints Cyril and Methodius Russian Greek Catholic Community. Father Joel and his wife Leslie have raised seven children and take delight in their grandchildren, whose number is steadily growing.
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Father Joel received his BA in Classics-History-Politics from Colorado College (1984); an MA in Early Christian Studies from the Catholic University of America (1987); and an MMS (1989) and PhD (1998) from the University of Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute, where studied the divergence of the Latin and Byzantine theological traditions in the post-Patristic, early medieval period.
frbarstad@ephx.org | Tel: (720) 910-3082
Cantor/Sacristan
David Bratnick
David Bratnick is a life-long Byzantine Catholic, originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He received his bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in Film Production and currently works as an Assistant Director/Video Editor for Ascension Press. Along with a background in film, he also studied the liberal arts at the International Theological Institute in Austria.
dbratnick@gmail.com | Tel: (216) 903-1893