Cardinal Mykola Bychok’s first Holy Mass
On Sunday, December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Mykola Bychok celebrated his first Holy Mass after his elevation to the cardinalate in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Prior to the mass, Cardinal Mykola Bychok prayed at the relics of St. Josaphat Kuntsevych, which rest in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The service was led by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in concelebration with the newly proclaimed cardinals, the College of Cardinals, and numerous clergy, including bishops and priests of the UGCC. Representatives from Ukraine, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Iceland, the United States, Australia, and other countries came to the celebration. The Mass was also attended by representatives of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference: Bishop Greg Bennett, Vice President of the ACBC; Archbishop Peter Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne; and Father Christopher de Souza, General Secretary of the ACBC.
The Melbourne Eparchy of the UGCC was represented by Father Simon Ckuj, Protosynkellos of the Eparchy, who accompanied Cardinal Mykola during his days in Rome, and Father Ihor Holovko, Synkellos for the Clergy.
In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the life and significance of the Virgin Mary for humanity: “Let us pause for a moment to contemplate Mary’s beauty in the light of the Word of God, focusing on three aspects of her life that remind us of her closeness to us. In one of these three aspects, Mary as a daughter, Mary as a bride, and Mary as a mother,” Pope Francis urged.
The Pontiff emphasised that the Lord chose Mary to fulfil His plan of salvation and stressed that there is no salvation without women, because the Church itself is a woman. “She responded, yes, by saying, Behold the handmaid of the Lord. She is a handmaid, not in the sense of being servile and humiliated, but in the sense that she was trusted and esteemed, as one to whom the Lord entrusted His dearest treasures and the most important missions. She is the model of a beauty and concrete project, the perfect example of our humanity. As we imitate her, may all of us, by God’s grace, help to change our world for the better. Sadly, if we look around us, we realise that the presumption that we can be like God, which led to the first sin, continues to wound our human family. Like the Virgin Mary, we are called to cultivate this beauty with filial, spousal, and maternal love. Like her, may we be grateful for what we have received and generous in what we give back. May we be men and women who are ready to say thank you and yes, not just with our words, but above all, by our actions.”
At the end of the homily, the Pope mentioned the newly proclaimed cardinals: “We are celebrating this Eucharist with the new Cardinals. I have asked them, my brothers, to help me in my service as pastor of the Universal Church. They have come from many parts of the world, bringing great wisdom in order to contribute to the growth and spread of the Kingdom of God. Let us now entrust them in a special way to the intercession of the Mother of our Saviour.”
The liturgy was attended by over a hundred cardinals, 400 priests, and five thousand faithful. It was certainly a majestic and unforgettable spiritual experience for all those present.
