Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Bishop Mykola’s pastoral visit to New Zealand
May 2, 2024
From April 11 to 29, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, was on a pastoral visit to New Zealand, where he took part in a number of important events.
Bishop Mykola started his journey in Christchurch, which is on the South Island of New Zealand. On Sunday, April 14, a Divine Liturgy was held in St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, during which five bishops of the Catholic Church prayed for peace in Ukraine together with Bishop Mykola.
On April 18, Bishop Mykola was invited to an ANZAC dinner at the Canterbury Officers’ Club. At this event, which was attended by many military personnel, Bishop Mykola had the honour of leading an opening prayer, in which he prayed in particular for a just peace in Ukraine.
On Saturday, April 20, at St. Patrick’s Church, at the invitation of Fr. Brian Fennessy, Military Chaplain of the Christchurch Diocese, Bishop Mykola took part in the Rite of Baptism and Confirmation of two members of the New Zealand Defence Force, Jacob and Nathaniel. The next day, on Sunday, April 21, in the church of Sts. Peter and Paul, he met with Ukrainians living in Christchurch and prayed the Divine Liturgy with them.
After that, Bishop Mykola left for Auckland, where on April 26, the Relics Tour 2024 of the Saints of the Catholic Church began, which was attended by representatives of the Roman Catholic and 5 Eastern Catholic Churches: Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, and Syro-Malabar, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Each of the churches provided the relics of their saints for the tour, which travelled to various churches in Auckland during this pilgrimage. At this event, Bishop Mykola was also joined by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk. On Sunday, April 28, the relics arrived at the Church of Mother of Perpetual Help, where they were met by the Ukrainian community, and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated.
This pastoral visit to New Zealand was rich in various meetings and became another opportunity to remind people about the war in Ukraine and to pray a lot for peace in our Motherland. Bishop Mykola met with clergy and lay people who are interested in what is happening in Ukraine and expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people. This support and solidarity are perfectly illustrated by the words of Bishop Stephen Lowe, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland, who, during the pilgrimage with the relics in the Cathedral Church of St. Patrick, began his homily with the following words: “Dear Bishop Mykola! We weep with you about the war in Ukraine and all the fallen heroes. We join you in our prayers for peace in Ukraine. Remember that you are not alone.”
