Parish Feast in Melbourne
On Sunday, June 29, the Cathedral Parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Melbourne celebrated its parish feast. On this occasion, parishioners, clergy, and guests gathered for a joint prayer and festive celebrations.
The Divine Liturgy was led by Fr. Simon Ckuj, Protosynkellos of the Melbourne Eparchy, in concelebration with the clergy of the cathedral. During the Liturgy, prayers were offered for peace in Ukraine, for the unity of the Church, and for all parishioners who joined in the celebration.
In his homily, Fr. Simon Ckuj drew attention to the example of the apostles’ lives as evidence of God’s grace: “When we reflect on the holy apostles, when we look at their lives, what do we see? We see two ordinary people. Peter, whom Christ himself calls a rock in today’s Gospel and says that he will build his Church on this rock. But Peter is a fisherman; he is not a teacher or a scientist, and he displays all the human weaknesses that we have, even though he is the first among the apostles. We see the apostle Paul, an educated man who initially zealously persecuted the Holy Church. Saint Paul never saw Jesus Christ with his own eyes. But on the road to Damascus, he heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ and from that moment on, his life changed.
The preacher noted that these holy apostles lived by God’s grace and faith. They suffered oppression and persecution, which led them to patience, and that led to hope. But not ordinary hope, but the kind that, as the Apostle Paul says, “does not disappoint.” This hope enables us to do extraordinary things, overcome temptations, love our enemies, and see Christ.
“Let us pray today for the Church, for our parish, for the Holy Father, for our Patriarch, for our God-loving bishop, and for our clergy. Let us pray that we may preserve the unity of faith, hope, and love. And let us always be certain that God’s love is with us,” urged Fr. Simon.
After the Liturgy, those present gathered for a festive dinner in the parish hall of Patriarch Josyf. During the communal meal, the community congratulated the Basilian sisters Zenovia and Lukia on their anniversaries—90 and 80 years.
catholicukes.au
