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PITTSBURGH - The Very Rev. Archimandrite Monsignor George William Appleyard passed away on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at The Willows Presbyterian Senior Care.
He was born on Jan. 17, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, to William H. and Violet Fela Appleyard.
He attended Sacred Heart Elementary School in Brooklyn, and graduated from Rice High School in Manhattan, in 1959. After high school, he attended Immaculate Conception Prep Seminary in Brooklyn, and then joined Holy Protection Monastery in New Canaan, Connecticut. While living at the monastery, he graduated from the State University of New York with a bachelor’s degree in theology and subsequently was ordained to the priesthood at Holy Protection Monastery on April 10, 1968, by the late Archbishop Stephen J. Kocisko, Metropolitan of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, Pa.
He was elected Hegumen (Abbot) of the newly formed Monastery of Our Savior in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1970. Under his administration, the monastery opened a print shop and a home for delinquent boys. Monsignor Appleyard served as an officer in the Ohio Association of Group Homes and later worked under a government grant to aid in the development of such facilities throughout the state.
In 1979, he took a sabbatical leave from his duties as superior of the monastery and moved to Pittsburgh. For a time, he worked as a printer for Pittsburgh Blue and also became involved with parish ministry. At the end of his sabbatical, he resigned his position as abbot of the monastery to remain as a parish priest at St. Demetrius Ukrainian Catholic (U C.) Church in Jeannette, Pa. Subsequently, he added the care of St. John the Baptist U.C. Parish in McKees Rocks, Pa.
When the new Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josephat in Parma, Ohio, was created in 1984, which serves Ukrainian Catholics from Lake Erie to Key West, he was enrolled among the clergy of the new diocese. He was then appointed pastor of St. George’s U.C. Church in Brighton Heights, Pittsburgh, by Bishop Robert M. Moskal, while retaining his post at St. John the Baptist in McKees Rocks, Pa. Besides his parochial ministry, Monsignor Appleyard was well known for education and retreat ministry. He published many articles explaining the Byzantine spiritual legacy, and during his years at St. George’s, Monsignor Appleyard directed the construction of Sheptytsky Arms, a senior citizen five-story apartment complex behind the church. It was dedicated in 1986.
He was also involved in the catechetical program of the parish and conducted a Teen Talk program for the young people of the parish. Being very much involved in the ecumenical dialogue and activity of churches, through him St. George’s became a member of the Northside Common Ministries.
In recognition of his priestly ministry and through the initiative of parishioners, Monsignor George Appleyard was awarded the 1995 Good Shepherd Award by the Serra Club of Pittsburgh. He initiated a second housing project for the elderly, St. George’s Close. These eighteen apartments were dedicated on April 21, 2002.
Monsignor Appleyard was active in preaching at retreats and lecturing on the Byzantine tradition at several institutions of higher learning, including Fordham, Yale, Notre Dame of Cleveland, and the College of Santa Fe. He became pastor of St. Anne’s U.C. Church in Austintown, Ohio, where he was principal of the parish elementary school. He served as Vicar of Religious, Ecumenical Officer, Director of Dean Formation Program, an Eparchial Consultor, and a member of the Liturgical and Catechetical Commission for the Diocese of St. Josephat. Monsignor Appleyard became parish priest of Holy Trinity U.C. Church in Carnegie, Pa., and participated in an ecumenical committee involving various denominations in that community.
He traveled to Ukraine several times and helped to sponsor a number of Ukrainians as they emigrated to the United States. He also served as the National Chaplain of the Order of the Knights of St. Lazarus, an international order that supports hospitals that treat leprosy. As an officer of the Order, he visited the leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Monsignor Appleyard was the host of the religious segment of the “The Ukrainian Hour” on a local Pittsburgh radio station. He published two books: “Light of the East: A Guide to Eastern Catholicism” and “You are Gods!: An Introduction to the Concept of Deification in the Byzantine Tradition.”
After retirement, he enjoyed living in rural Venango County, Pa., and traveling to such destinations as England, Scotland, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Norway, Iceland, Israel, the Caribbean and many places in the United States, especially the national parks. Monsignor George Appleyard was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Robert, Denis (Donna), and Ronald (Joann); and two sisters, Arlene (Dr. Gregory) Chiaramonte and Audrey Appleyard.
He is survived by eight nieces and two nephews.
Visitation for Archimandrite Monsignor George William Appleyard will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at Saint George Ukrainian Catholic Church, 3455 California Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Priestly Parastas Service Part 1 begins at 7 p.m. Priestly Parastas Part 2 Funeral will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Arrangements are by Thomas P. Kunsak Funeral Home Inc., 3552 California Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212, www.kunsakfh.com.
(special notice)