The Very Rev. Stephen Rusiniak, retired pastor of Holy Ghost Church here, died on Sunday July 28, 2002.
Ordained in 1943, Father Rusiniak served as pastor of Holy Ghost Church, Detroit, from 1944 to 1946, after which he was appointed rector of Saints Peter and Paul Church, Lakewood, OH. During his eleven year pastorate in Lakewood, he was responsible for building the parish’s new church.
In 1958, he returned to Holy Ghost Church as rector, a position he held until he suffered a stroke and entered retirement in 1986.
In the early 1990s, Father Rusiniak assisted at All Saints Church, Detroit, and later at Holy Trinity Church in the same city.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Father Rusiniak was active in various ministries in the Diocese of the Midwest. He also served as Dean of the Michigan Deanery.
Father Rusiniak was preceded in death by his wife, Luba. He is survived by one daughter, Yvonne; one sister, Barbara Franchak; and several nieces and nephews.
Father Rusiniak will lie in state on Wednesday, July 31 at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, 3810 Gilbert Street, Detroit, from noon until 7:00 p.m., at which time the Rite of Burial for a Priest will be celebrated. On Thursday, August 1, His Grace, Bishop Job of Chicago and the Midwest, will preside at the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Burial will take place at Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, PA on Friday, August 2.
The family asks that memorials in Father Rusiniak’s honor be made to the Michigan Deanery, 3710 Alida Avenue, Rochester Hills, MI 48309.
May Father Rusiniak’s memory be eternal!