Our Clergy
Rev. Paul R. Varchola West, MFA, M.Div.
A lifelong Byzantine Catholic, Fr. Paul was baptized at the tender age of two weeks old at St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Cathedral in Passaic, NJ, where he spent his formative years and where his family still calls home. In May of 2020, Fr. Paul received his Master of Divinity degree from the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, PA. He was ordained by His Grace, the Most Rev. Kurt R. Burnett, Bishop of Passaic, on July 18th, 2020 at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Hillsborough, NJ - his second parish home after he moved out of his childhood home. Subsequently, Fr. Paul was named Administrator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Levittown, PA, on July 27, 2020 as his first parochial assignment.
Prior to entering seminary, Fr. Paul enjoyed a vibrant music career, performing throughout North America and even earning a 2013 Grammy Award Nomination. Holding a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory (Montclair State University, 2007) and a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition (CalArts, 2010), Fr. Paul’s compositions have been premiered in both the United States and the Czech Republic. His theoretical writings have been published with Oxford University Press, University of Rochester Press, and the Easter Christian Journal, among others. A limited pressing of his M.Div. thesis “Cheating the Interval: A Philosophical and Harmonic Investigation of Prostopinije and its Speculative Function within Divine Worship” is forthcoming. An active and engaging speaker, Fr. Paul has been invited to give presentations on the national level at prestigious institutions such as the University of Washington - Seattle and the California Institute of the Arts (Los Angeles) as well as events including the East/West Litrugical Symposium and the National Byzantine Catholic Youth Rally in addition to being invited by Met. Wiliam Skurla to be a guest homlist at the Archeparchial Cathedral in Munhall, PA.
In August of 2022, Fr. Paul was named Parochial Administrator of Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church (Philadelphia) in addition to his current responsibility at OLPH. A true blessing, Fr. Paul is overjoyed to expand his ministry and to serve TWO vibrant communities in the Philly Metro area.
Fr. Paul enjoys spending time with his wife, Pan’i Alissa, and their two children, fishing, laughing, playing games, making music, and engaging in general hilarity and good-natured mischief.