Metropolitan Basil Schott, the head of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, who devoted his life to bringing people of faith closer to God -- and each other -- was laid to rest Friday.
Hundreds of people packed the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Munhall for the divine liturgy to honor a man who exuded warmth and caring.
"Archbishop Schott will be truly missed in Pittsburgh," said Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Bishop David Zubik in a statement after Schott's death. "A Franciscan, he reflected the deep faith and true Christian charity of St. Francis.
"We will all miss his kindness and support. But at the same time we cannot help but recall and celebrate a life of goodness, gentleness and faithful dedication."
Schott, the head of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh since 2002, died of cancer on June 10. He was 70.
The archeparchy, which is the eastern church's equivalent of a Roman Catholic archdiocese, is made up of about 58,500 members in 79 parishes across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Eastern, or Byzantine Rite, Catholic churches are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church but retain their own liturgical practices and traditions.
The archbishop had recently been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to serve as a member of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. He served as the president of the Eastern Christian Associates, whose membership is composed of all of the Eastern Catholic bishops in the United States, and he was influential in the organization for the eastern bishops into the new Region XV of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Locally, Schott was an active member of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, an ecumenical group composed of the heads of the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches.
Schott was born in Freeland in Luzerne County, where he attended St. Mary Byzantine Catholic School. He graduated from St. Gabriel High School in Hazleton. He entered the Byzantine Franciscans Order in 1958 and made a profession of his religious vows a year later. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1965.
Schott earned bachelor's degrees in philosophy and theology from Immaculate Conception College in Troy, N.Y., and master's degrees in theology and pastoral counseling from St. Mary Seminary in Norwalk, Conn.
He was ordained a bishop in July 1996 and appointed head of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma (Ohio). In May 2002, he was appointed metropolitan archbishop of Pittsburgh by Pope John Paul II.
After the liturgy, Schott was interred in Mt. Macrina Cemetery in Uniontown.
