Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church is nestled in the Catskill Mountains beside the Ukrainian National Foundation resort, Soyuzivka. Designed by architect Radoslav Zuk, the church was created to harmonize with the natural landscape while accommodating the large seasonal congregation that gathered during the summer months.
Father Ivan was born in Szprotawa, Poland, on September 13, 1959. He and his family immigrated to the United States on November 17, 1963, settling in Yonkers, New York. His parents, Andrew and Teresa, along with his siblings Lydia, George, and Lesia, attended St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Father Ivan attended St. Basil Prep School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Basil College in Stamford, Connecticut. He completed his Master’s degree at Oblate College in Washington, D.C., and received his Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1997. In 2005, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Fordham University in New York City.
On May 4, 1985, he was ordained as a priest in the Stamford Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy. Over the years, he has served various parishes in New York, including Troy, Spring Valley, Syracuse, Hempstead, and Rochester. Additionally, he has ministered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Fall River, Massachusetts; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and in Kerhonkson and Hunter, New York.
On May 1, 2010, he retired from the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps, concluding twenty-one years of service in the Reserves. Since 1988, he has served as a chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and is currently the National Chaplain for PLAST (Ukrainian Scouting).
Currently, Father Ivan serves as the pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Kerhonkson, New York, and Saint John the Baptist Church in Hunter, New York. He has authored several books and articles on the history of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The church design combines contemporary architecture with traditional Ukrainian spiritual symbolism. Its layout is based on interconnected geometric forms, including spirals, triangles, and hexagons, all centered around the sanctuary — the spiritual focal point of the building. The soaring towers and pyramidal roofs draw the eye upward, toward the infinite presence of God and the Holy Trinity.
A distinctive feature of the design is the open cloister and courtyard, which allow worshippers to participate in services outdoors during major feast days and summer gatherings — continuing the long-standing tradition of outdoor worship at Soyuzivka.
The sloping site inspired the inclusion of a lower level that serves as a community and educational space for parish gatherings and Sunday School programs. This multi-purpose approach allowed the church to function not only as a place of worship, but also as a center for parish life and Ukrainian cultural heritage.
Although innovative in structure, the church recalls the vernacular wooden churches of the Ukrainian mountains through its use of cedar shingles, exposed wood beams, natural materials, and human-scaled proportions. The building’s textured exterior and clustered towers blend naturally into the surrounding Catskill landscape.
Following its completion in 1976, Holy Trinity Church received widespread praise in leading architectural publications including The Architectural Review, Progressive Architecture, and the American Institute of Architects Journal. Critics praised the church for successfully combining Ukrainian architectural heritage with modern design principles.
Architectural reviewers noted how the church’s geometry, symbolism, and dramatic silhouette created a structure that was both deeply traditional and unmistakably contemporary.
Born in Western Ukraine and educated at McGill University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Radoslav Zuk became internationally recognized for his innovative interpretations of Ukrainian sacred architecture. Throughout his career, he designed numerous churches and taught architecture at leading universities in Canada and the United States.
Holy Trinity Church remains one of his most celebrated works — a landmark that continues to inspire parishioners, visitors, architects, and lovers of sacred art alike.
Today, Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church stands not only as a house of worship, but also as an architectural and cultural treasure — a lasting symbol of faith, heritage, and the enduring spirit of the Ukrainian community in the Catskills.
