Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Solemn opening of the Jubilee Year in Melbourne
January 5, 2025
On Sunday, January 5, at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Melbourne, the Jubilee Year was solemnly inaugurated by opening the doors of the Cathedral Church, which will be a place where the faithful can receive the grace of a plenary indulgence throughout the year.
The Jubilee Year has been celebrated in the Catholic Church since 1300. Such a year is proclaimed every 25 years and is intended to encourage Christians to renew themselves spiritually.
The celebrations began with a prayer in front of the entrance to the Cathedral, after which the church was officially declared a pilgrimage place for 2025. Then Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, led the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in concelebration with Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk, Fr. Peter Struk, Fr. Vasyl Motrichenko, Protodeacon Edward Kostraby, and Deacon Michael Zylan.
In his homily, Bishop Mykola emphasised the importance of repentance in the life of every Christian, stressing that without repentance there is no salvation. He noted: “The Holy Fathers have said more than once that falling into sin is inherent in humans, but remaining in sin is already diabolical. Only the person who finds the strength to recognise his or her sins first of all before himself or herself, and only then before God, in the Holy Sacrament of Penance, has the door to the Kingdom of Heaven open.”
The bishop also drew a parallel between the opening of the doors of the Cathedral and the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, when the doors of the church are opened, symbolising the opening of the doors of salvation through the Resurrection of Christ. He emphasised that the Jubilee Year is “a great time of God’s grace” when the Church bestows special favours and graces on all the faithful.
The joint prayer was accompanied by the singing of the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Mr. Volodymyr Holovko. The importance of the event was emphasised by the participation of representatives of PLAST and CYM in uniform.
In the Melbourne Eparchy, according to the decree of Bishop Mykola of December 19, 2024, the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Melbourne and the Church of St. Volodymyr in Canberra will be special places of pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year. We sincerely invite and encourage our faithful to take advantage of the great grace that the Holy Church has given us for this year.
