Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

To the Glory of the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving and Undivided Trinity,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you.

DECREE

I, MYKOLA CARDINAL BYCHOK,

Bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne,

Hereby declare

That the following Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which took place in Rome, Italy on the 30 June-10 July, in the year of Our Lord 2025 are of special significance and as such should be understood and applied by the clergy, religious and faithful for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania.

I. At the church-wide level:

To entrust the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Family and Laity Affairs with:

1) developing a program to support priestly families, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Commission of the UGCC for Clergy Affairs;

2) continuing to conduct educational-practical seminars in eparchies and exarchates regarding the implementation of the UGCC Pro-Family Policy Strategy, taking into account accumulated experience;

3) holding a scholarly-practical national conference dedicated to pro-family and demographic policy issues in Ukraine;

4) developing a plan to disseminate the teaching of the Catholic Church on the family, in particular using modern means of communication;

5) systematizing and publishing on the official media platforms of the UGCC existing strategies, programs, and materials on family ministry.

II. At the eparchial level:

To ask the eparchial bishops to:

1) adapt the UGCC Pro-Family Policy Strategy to the needs and current challenges of local eparchies and exarchates;

2) in accordance with Resolution No. 10 of the 2014 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, develop — where this has not yet been done — an Eparchial Program-course for immediate preparation to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony, necessarily covering the following topics: kerygmatic proclamation on the value and beauty of Christian marriage; the theology of the Sacrament of Matrimony; psychology of marriage; bioethical aspects of marriage; the gift of fertility and responsible parenthood; canonical and civil law regarding marriage;

3) establish Family Centers, providing them with appropriate staffing and material resources;

4) in accordance with Resolution No. 10 of the 2014 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, conduct pro-family themed pilgrimages, retreats, and seminars to deepen the spiritual life of family members, as well as to foster and popularize family values in society;

5) establish and in every way support eparchial pro-family movements, organizations, and communities, ensuring their proper ecclesial formation, in particular, through the approval of Statutes by competent church authorities;

6) ensure the protection and promotion of family values in cooperation with public authorities at various levels;

7) provide spiritual accompaniment and humanitarian support to particularly vulnerable and struggling families, in particular, to those affected by the war and to families of fallen defenders, as well as to widows and orphans, the lonely, internally displaced persons, the elderly, etc.

8) in accordance with Resolution No. 26 of the 2016 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, provide proper spiritual accompaniment and support to priestly families, paying special attention to the wives of priests who have fallen asleep in the Lord and to their minor or in-need children;

9) in accordance with Resolution No. 5. XIII, paragraph 1 of the 2022 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, encourage and support initiatives aimed at caring for war orphans, as well as for the adoption of children who have lost their parents as a result of the war;

10) establish and develop cooperation with institutions that work for the benefit of the Ukrainian family both in Ukraine and abroad.

III. At the parish level:

To entrust parish clergy with:

1) 1) ensuring, in accordance with Resolution No. 10 of the 2014 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, and Resolution No. 5. XIII of the 2022 Synod of Bishops, the proper preparation of a bride and groom for the Sacrament of Marriage through appropriate courses, which are one of the mandatory prerequisites for its celebration, and providing spiritual accompaniment throughout this preparation;

2) establishing, in parishes, church-approved married couple communities and family movements dedicated to supporting married couples and families, and to promoting their more active participation in parish life;

3) in accordance with Resolution No. 5. XIII of the 2022 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, paying special attention to the spiritual accompaniment of married couples in the first years of married life, and also of families experiencing difficulties or crises;

4) in the light of the Gospel and the Magisterium of the Church, developing pastoral care for divorced persons living in new family relationships;

5) organizing summer camps for married couples and families, as well as retreat encounters dedicated to the spirituality of Christian marriage and the Christian family;

6) in accordance with Resolution No. 5. XIII, paragraph 2 of the 2022 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, showing special care and pastoral attention to the families of defenders, the deceased, those missing in action, prisoners and military veterans, as well as to widows and orphans, internally displaced persons, the elderly and people with special needs;

7) conducting pastoral visits at Christmas time, divine services on the occasion of anniversaries of the Sacrament of Marriage, anniversaries of married life, etc. — as an effective means of spiritual accompaniment of families;

8) seeking ways to involve mixed-couple marriages in more active church life;

9) introducing — where this has not yet been done — family catechization, in particular, catechization of parents and godparents within the framework of preparation for the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation of their children, as well as preparation of children for first Confession and solemn Holy Communion;

10) using various opportunities during the liturgical year to preach the teaching of the Gospel and the teaching of the Catholic Church on the Christian family as “an unquenchable hearth of life and health of the Church and the People” (Patriarch Josyf “Testament”);

11) conducting, on the occasion of family celebrations and anniversaries of married life, appropriate divine services and offering sermons-instruction on the beauty and value of Christian marriage;

12) organizing family pilgrimages to prominent spiritual centers of the UGCC in Ukraine and abroad.

† MYKOLA
Cardinal Bychok, CSsR
Eparch of Melbourne

Rev Deacon Michael Zylan
Chancellor

Given in Melbourne
at our Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
on the 1^st day of August, in the Year of Our Lord 2025,
the Procession of the Venerable Cross; the Holy Seven Maccabees, their Mother Solome,
and the elder Eleazar, Martyrs, and Saint Alphonsus Liguori