“The time of pilgrimage is the time of God’s incredible grace,” Bishop Mykola Bychok during the pilgrimage in Canberra

June 8, 2024

On Saturday, June 8, the Ukrainian Catholic National Pilgrimage of the clergy and faithful of the Melbourne Eparchy began in Canberra under the slogan ‘O Most Holy Theotokos, save us’. For two days, pilgrims from all over Australia will unite in joint prayer.

For the second year in a row, after a long break (the first pilgrimage took place more than 30 years ago), the Eparchial Pilgrimage is taking place at St. Volodymyr’s Church in Canberra, with the participation of the clergy and faithful of the Melbourne Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The pilgrimage began with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy led by Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, in concelebration with priests and deacons from Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong, Ardeer, and Brisbane.

During the homily, Bishop Mykola spoke about the spiritual treasures kept in St. Volodymyr’s Church: the relics of Blessed Volodymyr Priyma, patron of the laity of the Ukrainian Catholic Church; the relics of the blessed 13 Pratulin Martyrs; and a copy of the miraculous icon of the Pochaiv Mother of God. As Bishop noted, “Since ancient times, the icon of the Mother of God of Pochaiv has been addressed for healing from blindness and incurable diseases, for the liberation of captives, as well as for all other purposes. Today we also turn to the Mother of God of Pochaiv in all our requests with which we came to this pilgrimage, as well as for peace in Ukraine and in the whole world, protection against enemy invasion, the liberation of captives, the healing of the wounded, the recovery of the sick, the comfort of the lonely, and the conversion of sinners.”

After the Divine Liturgy, the participants had a joint lunch, after which they gathered in groups according to their age, where they had the opportunity to get to know each other better and talk about topics of spiritual life, prayer, and faith.

As Bishop Mykola said during the morning liturgy, “Pilgrimage is a time of special communication with God in the community of the faithful, who join together in prayer for growth in the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. This is a time to reflect on your life, not be afraid to see your mistakes, and, as a result, try to change something for the better. This is the time to realise that we are not alone on the way to eternity; we are heading together in the community of the faithful, which is called the Church of Christ. That is why the time of pilgrimage is the time of God’s incredible grace.” So the second part of the day was full of prayer. The participants prayed the rosary, the Great Vespers, and the TAIZE prayers together.

The first day of the pilgrimage ended with a vatra and a prayer of thanksgiving for this incredible time together.