Bishop Mykola Bychok participated in the annual blessing of fleet in Fremantle
On Sunday, October 27, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, and Fr. Ihor Holovko, Synkellos for Clergy of the Melbourne Eparchy, participated in the solemn ceremony of blessing fleet in Fremantle, Western Australia.
The Blessing of the Fleet in Fremantle has taken place for 76 years on the eve of the new fishing season, at the end of October. It is an annual event aimed at blessing the fishing fleet for a safe and successful season. This year’s celebrations were led by Bishop Guglielmo Giambanco, Bishop of Patti Sicily.
Bishop Mykola Bychok and Fr. Ihor Holovko attended the event, organised by the Catholic University of Notre Dame Australia at its Fremantle campus, during which Bishop Mykola had the honour of delivering a short speech. He expressed gratitude for the invitation and mentioned that he had recently met with the Chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia, The Hon. Christopher Ellison, at the ceremony of Conferral of the Degree of Doctor of Divinity “honoris causa” upon His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. The bishop noted that this meeting in Fremantle was a new opportunity for dialogue and interaction, and he expressed hope for further meetings and cooperation. In conclusion, the Chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia presented Bishop Mykola with a special gift—a wooden cross made of Australian hardwood jarrah. These crosses are placed in every lecture hall of the university.
Afterwards, the event participants joined a crowded procession that started from St. Patrick’s Basilica in Fremantle and moved through the city streets to the port, where the fleet was blessed.
Press office of the Melbourne Eparchy
