Father Vasile was born in the Ukrainian village of Remeti in the Maramures region of Romania. He is married to Maria Liusea Colopelnic and they have two children, Taras and Bohdana.
In 1990 he felt a calling to the priesthood and went to Lviv, Ukraine to begin his studies. In 1991 he arrived in Rome, Italy where he would spend the next several years in seminary at the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St. Josaphat. Father Vasile studied Philosophy at the Pontifical Urbaniana University from 1991-1993, Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1993-1996, and Patristics at the Augustinian Patristic Institute from 1996-1997. He pursued a Master's Degree in Religious Education at Fordham University from 2002-2005.
Father Vasile was ordained to the diaconate in 2001. In 2004, he was ordained to the priesthood by the late Bishop Basil Losten. From 2002-2008, Father was the Assistant Director of the Department of Religious Education for our Eparchy (Diocese) of Stamford and has been director of the department since 2017. Father Vasile has faithfully served the following parishes: Epiphany Ukrainian Catholic Church in Rochester, NY (2004-2008), St. Peter and Paul UCC in Spring Valley, NY and St. Paul UCC in Ramsey, NJ (2008-2012), and our own St. Peter and Paul UCC in Auburn, NY (2012- present). Father Vasile is currently the Dean of the Syracuse Deanery of our Eparchy.
