About the Mission
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Byzantine Catholic Mission is a community of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, under the guidance of Bishop Kurt Burnette. We are a community of believers dedicated to the spiritual and liturgical life of the Byzantine Rite. Our mission is to provide a place of worship and spiritual growth for those seeking the ancient traditions of the Eastern Church in Sarasota and the surrounding areas.
Our Saturday 2pm Divine Liturgy is approved by the Bishop to fill the Sunday obligation for all Catholics. Immediately after Liturgy, we gather in an adjacent room for coffee, snacks, and fellowship.
Clergy and Leaders
Pope Leo XIV
The visible sign of communion among Churches is the universal Pontiff, the Pope of Rome, whose primacy in love and in teaching ministry belongs to the heritage of faith of all Christianity.
Metropolitan Archbishop William Skurla
Bishop Kurt Burnette
Leader of the Metropolitan Church in the USA, he heads the Council of Hierarchs, comprised of the bishops of the Byzantine Catholic eparchies of Passaic, Parma, and Phoenix, along with the Archeparchy of Pittsburg.
Bishop Kurt is the fifth Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic, serving the Byzantine faithful on the East Coast of the United States, from Maine to Florida.
Fr. Yurii Mikhalko
Ordained in Uzhorod, Ukraine, Fr. Yurii came to the United States in 2023 along with his wife and 2 young daughters. He is the Administrator of All Saints Byzantine Catholic Church in North Fort Myers, FL.