Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Farewell to Stefan Romaniw in Melbourne
July 13, 2024
On Friday, July 12, in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Melbourne, a farewell ceremony was held for a prominent representative of the Ukrainian community in Australia, a parishioner of the Cathedral and a long-time head of the parish council, Mr. Stefan Romaniw.
Already in the evening of Thursday, June 11, in the Cathedral, everyone had the opportunity to say goodbye to Mr. Stefan remembering his bright memory. Therefore, on Friday, a state funeral was held, which was also an expression of great respect for the person and activities of the deceased from the government of Victoria.
Representatives of the government, numerous clergy of the Melbourne Eparchy, family, friends, acquaintances, parishioners, and members of the Ukrainian community took part in the services. The funeral ceremony was led by the Very Rev. Archpriest Simon Ckuj, Protosynkellos of the Melbourne Eparchy.
Bishop Mykola Bychok, who is in Ukraine, was unable to attend but joined the services thanks to the online broadcast and expressed his condolences to the family in an official letter. He emphasised that in his life, Mr. Stefan always tried to be an excellent example of Christian virtue for his family.
“Today I would like to note his incredible efforts and support for the Cathedral Church, which he loved so much until his last breath — he was faithful to God and Ukraine. It is for this that I thank the Lord today. In a human way, it is sad for us to lose relatives and people close to our hearts. However, we as Christians believe that our life does not end with death; it continues in eternity with God!” wrote Bishop Mykola.
A touching gesture from the family of Stefan Romaniw was that the relatives asked instead of flowers to make donations for the Preservation Project, which was managed by the deceased. Thus, a cause important to Mr. Stefan will continue even after he is gone into eternity.
