Bishop Mykola in Lviv: “Without the Mother of God, there is no true Christian life”
On Sunday, July 7, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, led the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help in Lviv.
According to the Decree of the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, dated December 11, 2017, on the first Sunday of July, we celebrate the churchwide feast of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help. It was on this occasion that Bishop Mykola visited the Church of the same name in Lviv, where, in the co-celebration of Bishop Volodymyr Hrutsa, Assistant Bishop of the Lviv Archeparchy, and the numerous clergy present, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy.
During the homily, Bishop Mykola told the audience that on December 11, 1865, Pope Pius IX handed over the original icon of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help to the Redemptorist priests with one request: “Make it known throughout the world.” Today, millions of people around the world near this icon ask our Mother of God for intercession before her Son. “The Mother of God of Perpetual Help always gives us her helping hand. We know that without a mother, the world has no future, and without the Mother of God and her help, there is no true Christian life. It is she who shows us the way to Jesus as the only way of salvation. She teaches each of us the basics of human and Christian life, which gives us hope,” the bishop noted.
Bishop Mykola urged the faithful to continue praying for our army and peace in Ukraine. “Today, more than ever, in times of war, we need this saving hand of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help to help us pass through all the suffering caused by the terrible war. Let’s remember our soldiers, who protect us with their bodies. Let’s not forget about the wounded and prisoners. May our prayer be heard; may the Mother of God of Perpetual Help stop this war, stop the crying of our mothers and fathers, stop all the evil that is approaching us from our enemy, and grant us justice peace.”
At the end of the Liturgy, Fr. Roman Prokopets, Parish Priest of the Church of the Mother of God of Perpetual Help, as well as the Head of the Orphan Care Centre, thanked everyone who has been supporting orphans and the mission of the Orphan Chaplaincy of the Lviv Archeparchy of the UGCC for many years. “Not only where explosions from rockets and bombs are heard, but also here, far from the war, a great struggle is being waged — a struggle for the souls of even the smallest. Therefore, thank you for your care, and thank you all for being there. May the Lord create for all of us, under the great protection of the Mother of God, many good years,” wished Fr. Roman.
Afterwards, in the courtyard of the church, there was a consecration of water and a festive treat.
