Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Parish Feast in Geelong
October 7, 2024
On Sunday, 6 October, the parish of the Protection of the Mother of God in Geelong celebrated its parish feast day. Numerous guests from Melbourne, Ardeer, Noble Park, Bendigo, and other cities attended the celebration.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk, the administrator of the Cathedral Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Melbourne, in concelebration with Fr. Yuriy Tychenok, the administrator of the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Geelong, and Deacon Vasyl Motrichenko. Among the many guests present were the Sisters of St. Basil the Great from Melbourne.
Deacon Vasyl Motrichenko preached the homily, speaking about the history of the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God and its significance for our nation and the Church. He emphasised: “Mary, who responded with her humble voice to the Lord’s call and the call of the Archangel, became not only the Mother of God but also our Heavenly Mother and intercessor, as evidenced by the statement of Jesus Christ on the Cross to His disciple: ‘Behold your mother.’”
At the end of the homily, Deacon Vasyl drew attention to what all people, and especially we, can say to the Lord God today: “We thank You, Lord, for You have created everything in wisdom. We thank You for our heavenly patroness, the Most Holy Mother of God, who always intercedes for us.”
After the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Yuriy thanked all the parishioners and guests for their joint prayer. A blessing of water was performed, and the participants were sprinkled with holy water. Afterwards, everyone was invited to a festive lunch at the Ukrainian sports club ‘Kyiv.’
The festive hall was crowded with guests who sang, ate, talked, and had a great time. Many greetings and well wishes were extended to the parish in Geelong, and in the end, everyone thanked the hosts for the delicious meal and sang the traditional ‘Many Years.’
