Theophany Pastoral Visit to Darwin

The central event of the visit was the celebration of the Feast of Theophany. On Sunday, 11 January, the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water were celebrated at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. The service was concelebrated with Fr. Dean Taberdo and was attended by more than 30 members of the Ukrainian community.

In his homily, Fr. Ihor Holovko drew attention to the spiritual meaning of the Jordan as a call to personal renewal through repentance, forgiveness of sins, and deeper participation in the life of the Church, leading to fuller communion with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Following the service, the faithful gathered for a shared Christmas supper and shared the traditional Ukrainian kutia.

During the following days of the mission, pastoral visits to the faithful took place, including the blessing of homes with Jordan water.

Summing up the visit, Fr. Ihor Holovko noted: “At the conclusion of each mission to Darwin, there remains a sense of gratitude to God and to all through whom this work of salvation continues, as well as an expectation of future meetings.”

See also

October 21 Pastoral visit to the Parish of Saint Volodymyr in Canberra September 1 Divine Liturgy became spiritual focus of first Plast camp in Western Australia August 11 Bishop Mykola in Northam, “This church is not holy simply because it is beautiful or historic. It is holy because what happens here changes lives”