LYNDORA — The Rev. Robert Oravetz spends his days steeped in tradition at St. John's Byzantine Catholic Church, although he started his career in an unconventional way.

The priesthood is a second career for Oravetz, 68, whose first career was in education.

With a doctorate in business education, Oravetz worked as a professor and business consultant for more than 30 years before entering seminary.

"I think it was probably always in me," said Oravetz, who was ordained in 1997 and transferred Feb. 12 to the church on Kohler Avenue. "I looked at the priesthood as an extension of teaching."

Oravetz grew up in a small steel mill community in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood and said he always looked up to members of the clergy.

"We always had a lot of very well-respected clergy at the churches in my hometown," Oravetz said. "I grew up hearing a lot of favorable comments about them, no matter what the denomination."

Oravetz went on to receive three degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, including a bachelor's degree in economics at the age of 18. He also earned his master's degree and doctorate there.

He taught high school in Pittsburgh for about three years before joining the faculty at Shippensburg University, where he led classes from 1963 to 1993.

In the 1960s, the administration asked him to lead groups of students and business travelers on tours through Asian countries, mainly China.

He made more than 90 trips to the country while on faculty at Shippensburg and had the opportunity to witness social, economic and cultural change.

"That was unusual to see, a country that was totally rural, insular and under tight control and become what it is today," he said.

His educational background and Russian language skills were helpful, especially at a time when diplomatic ties between China and Russia made the language pervasive.

Oravetz took a sabbatical from Shippensburg and in 1993 entered Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He retired from the university a year later and focused on his studies, eventually earning Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees.

He joked his seminary class was the "37-37" group, with 37 members and an average age of about 37 years.

Many classmates also were embarking on a second career path, leaving behind jobs such as airline pilot, urologist and teacher, Oravetz said.

"It was just typical of the people who are going into the ministry. It's not always a 21-year-old college graduate," he said.

After his ordination, Oravetz was pastor at three country parishes in central Pennsylvania, a new parish in State College as well as the campus ministry at Penn State University. He also took over a Ukrainian church in Altoona for a short time.

Oravetz replaces the Rev. Leo Schlosser, abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jefferson Township, who served at St. John's for 20 months before leaving to focus on his responsibilities there.

Oravetz's goals include conducting a thorough census of the parish to identify those who have not been attending regularly and bring them back to the church.

"It's the most important group to reach," he said. "They've not been attending not because they don't believe in the creator or doctrine, it's because no one has reached out to them."

Within the next few years, he also hopes to update the church building in honor of its 100th anniversary and oversee a yearlong celebration in 2012 and 2013.

Oravetz has hit the ground running because he is simply grateful to be there, he said.

"It's one of the best parishes in the archdiocese," Oravetz said.

With more than 600 members of the congregation, the church is one of the largest of the 50 Byzantine Catholic churches in Pennsylvania.

The congregation has welcomed him with open arms, Oravetz said, adding one of the most common questions from parishioners is, "How can I help you?"

"In a church this large, there's no way the priest can take charge until the people join together," he said. "I'm confident that the people in the parish will lead me to get done what is God's will."

Oravetz is very people-oriented, said Bill Uram of Butler Township, who attends the church and serves on the parish council.

"He seems like he appeals to both young and old," Uram said.

Lifelong church member Uram said attendance has dropped somewhat in recent years, but Oravetz has already started to turn things around.

"In the short time he's been here, I've noticed an increase in attendance," Uram said. "Time goes by really quickly when you're in church; he's a great speaker."