Bishop Mykola Bychok presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in Aversa (Italy)
On Sunday, July 6, the feast of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help, Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, visited the UGCC community in Aversa, Italy.
At the entrance to the Church of St. Augustine, where Ukrainians of Aversa gather for prayer, Bishop Mykola was greeted by representatives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aversa—Bishop Angelo Spinillo and Father Carmine Schiavone, Director of Caritas—as well as Father Ihor Horishnyy, pastor of the local Ukrainian community; Father Marian Lemchuk; and Father Volodymyr Kramar, accompanied by children and youth dressed in embroidered shirts.
After sincere words of greeting, everyone entered the church together, where the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy began.
During his homily, the bishop, reflecting on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, drew the attention of those present to the extraordinary power of God’s word: “The Lord’s word heals, the Lord’s word heals, the Lord’s word alone does a lot in our lives. And the Lord left us not just one word, but the entire Holy Scriptures, in particular the New Testament, which describes the entire life of Jesus Christ and all his missionary activities.”
The bishop noted that just as the centurion’s servant suffered greatly from his illness, so our nation is now suffering through a brutal war. But each of us also suffers from our own weaknesses: aggression, injustice, and envy. We all have our own mental and bodily ailments, with which we come to the Mother of God of Perpetual Help, who is always ready to intercede for us before her Son.
Bishop Mykola urged not to stop praying for a just peace, for the release of prisoners, for the healing of the wounded, for the return from russia of forcibly taken children, and for the healing of all wounds caused by the war.
“After the Divine Liturgy in Aversa, I had the opportunity to talk to two Ukrainian mothers whose sons died in the war,” said Bishop Mykola. “I had already met them before, during the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the UGCC’s Jubilee in Rome. I appreciate that I could personally thank them for joint prayer and for their sons.”
At the end of the service, the water was blessed, with which Bishop Mykola generously sprinkled the faithful, and in the end, the bishop gave everyone a blessing.
After the liturgy, the clergy and the faithful had the opportunity to chat in an informal atmosphere and take photos together to commemorate this solemn event.
catholicukes.au
