Parish Feast Day and 25th Anniversary of the Ardeer Parish
On Sunday, 23 August, parishioners and guests of the Dormition of the Mother of God Church in Ardeer gathered in prayer to celebrate the parish feast day and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the parish.
The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was presided over by Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne. Concelebrating with him were Fr Ruslan Babii, Administrator of the Ardeer Parish, and Deacons Michael Zylan and Vitalii Leheta.
In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel parable of the vineyard, Bishop Mykola spoke about the gifts we receive from God and our responsibility for the fruit they bear. He emphasised that one of the great gifts Ukrainians have here in Australia is the opportunity to live in peace and safety, to work, to plan for the future, and to come freely to church. “When everything is going well, it is very easy to live as though we do not need God. We have work. We have a home. We have security. We have many things to do and many plans. And amid all of this, there is less and less room for God. Perhaps this is why today we especially need to learn to be grateful. To thank God not only when we receive what we have asked for, but also for those simple things that we often do not even notice,” Cardinal Mykola said.
Bishop Mykola connected these words with his recent time in Ukraine. Only the day before, he had returned to Melbourne from Ukraine. During this visit, he travelled to the Odesa Exarchate, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson and other places that are under constant russian attack. “When you are there, the war ceases to be something you only see on the news or read about online. You see people who live with this reality every day. You see damaged buildings. You hear air-raid sirens and even missiles flying overhead. You speak with people who have lost their loved ones or have been forced to leave their homes and do not know what the next day will bring. And then it is as though you yourself begin to touch the wounds that our people carry today. Yet amid all this pain and suffering, our people continue to pray. Despite the danger, they continue to come to church and, despite their losses, they continue to trust in God and remain with Him,” Bishop Mykola shared.
Addressing the parish community in Ardeer directly, Cardinal Mykola recalled that this year marks 25 years since the establishment of the Parish of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Behind these years, he emphasised, are real people — those who founded the parish, prayed, worked, and generously gave their time and resources so that Ukrainians living far from their homeland could have their own church community and a place to gather in prayer. “We should not only look back with gratitude to those who came before us, but also ask ourselves what we will leave to those who come after us. Will we leave them only a church building and fond memories of the past, or a living parish community? Will our children and grandchildren still be praying here twenty-five years from now? A parish is alive when its church is filled with prayer, when families come together here, when children see their parents at the Divine Liturgy, when young people grow in faith, and when that faith is passed from one generation to the next,” the Bishop emphasised.
At the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Mykola called for prayer for Ukraine — for its defenders, the wounded, prisoners of war and those who are missing, the families of the fallen, those who continue to live under bombardment, and all those who have been forced to leave their homes — asking the Lord to grant the Ukrainian people the gift of a just peace.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Fr Ruslan Babii thanked Cardinal Mykola, the clergy, parishioners and guests for joining together in prayer, as well as all those who, through their work and generosity, care for the church and the parish community.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the blessing of water took place in the church grounds.
The celebration then continued at the Ukrainian Community Centre in Sunshine with a festive lunch. Parishioners and guests had the opportunity to spend time together and share in the joy of the parish feast, while words of congratulations were offered to the parish community on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its establishment.
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