Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Priesthood ordination of Deacon Sviatoslav Pastushchak
June 27, 2026
On Thursday, 25 June, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Zhyrovychi and the Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Rome. The Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok. During the celebration, Deacon Sviatoslav Pastushchak was ordained to the holy priesthood. Following his ordination, Fr Sviatoslav will continue his priestly ministry in the Melbourne Eparchy.
The celebration brought together numerous clergy; the family and friends of Deacon Sviatoslav; as well as many faithful who gathered in the Cathedral to witness his ordination and accompany him with their prayers.
Deacon Sviatoslav Pastushchak was born on 10 April 1998 in the city of Brody, Lviv region, to Ihor and Tetiana Pastushchak. After completing secondary school, he entered the Ivano-Frankivsk Theological Seminary of the Holy Martyr Josaphat and later studied at the Ivano-Frankivsk Academy of St John Chrysostom. In 2024, he completed his Licentiate in the Social Doctrine of the Church at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Together with his wife, Sofiia, he is raising their daughter, Mariia Magdalyna.
In his homily, Cardinal Mykola addressed Deacon Sviatoslav: “Remember that it is not your own wisdom that will convert hearts, but Christ, who has called you and will work through your imperfect hands. In today’s world, where many are baptised in name yet remain far from God, you will often encounter this spiritual emptiness. The Lord is calling you to serve on the other side of the world, in Australia, so that His Word may be proclaimed to the very ends of the earth. Your mission is not simply to maintain existing structures but to rekindle faith where it has grown cold and to bring Christ where His name has become little more than an empty sound. May your zeal be such that, like the Apostle Paul, we may truly say that we have proclaimed the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The Cardinal also thanked Deacon Sviatoslav’s parents for raising their son in the faith and supporting him on his journey to the priesthood. He then offered him these words: “May Our Lady of Zhyrovychi, in whose church we are gathered today and who is also the Mother of all priests, keep you under her protection, guide you and the People of God along the path of holiness, and lead you to an ever deeper personal encounter with Christ.”
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the newly ordained Fr Sviatoslav thanked all those present for their prayers and support and imparted his first priestly blessing.
