Since its inception in 1924 as the "Apostolic Exarchate of United States of America, Faithful of the Oriental Rite (Ruthenian)", the organizational status of the Church was merely that of a missionary territory with limited self-governing authority, the homeland being Europe-albeit under Communist persecution since 1946.
On July 6, 1963 the Vatican upgraded the status of the church from Exarchate to Eparchy, or diocese according to the Latin-Rite terminology.