Born on March 30, 1908, in Yasinia, Máramaros, Austria-Hungary, he emigrated at the age of eight to the United States and settled in Cleveland, Ohio, with his widowed mother.

Monsignor George Michaylo and Father Stephen Gulovich were perceived to be leading candidates, but the Vatican announced the appointment of Ivancho, a dark horse.

In order to accommodate the crowds, the ceremony was held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh in the Oakland district.

Byzantine and Roman Catholic bishops and clergy attended, as did Empress Zita and other members of the Imperial Habsburg family of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In a pastoral letter dated June 14, 1950, he announced plans for the construction and operation of the first Eastern Catholic seminary in the United States.