“No one is born a saint, but they become saints through a righteous life with God.” Bishop Mykola during a Relics Tour in Auckland
On Sunday, April 28, Bishop Mykola Bychok led the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in Auckland, New Zealand, during which the faithful of the Melbourne Eparchy prayed before the relics of 11 saints of the Catholic Church.
From April 26 to May 5, a Relics Tour 2024 of the Saints of the Catholic Church takes place in Auckland. Representatives of the Roman Catholic and 5 Eastern Catholic Churches: Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, and Syro-Malabar, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, take part in this tour. Each of the churches provided the relics of their saints for the tour, which will travel to various churches in Auckland during this pilgrimage. As the organisers emphasise, the participation of representatives of the Western and Eastern Catholic Churches in this pilgrimage symbolises a deep connection with the spiritual heritage of both religious traditions.
The Melbourne Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul UCC is represented at this event by Bishop Mykola Bychok and Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk, who brought to Auckland the relics of Blessed Martyr Volodymyr Pryima and the Blessed Martyrs of Pratulin.
On Sunday, April 28, the relics arrived at the Church of Mother of Perpetual Help, where they were met by the Ukrainian community, and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated, presided over by Bishop Mykola Bychok.
“Such is our life that most of the saints of the Eastern Catholic Churches were persecuted and martyred. Today is happening the same. So, we remember in a special way people in Ukraine, in Holy Land, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq,” noted Bishop Mykola in his homily. He also spoke about the fact that the ancient Church of Christ mainly performed the Eucharist on the graves of martyrs, and the graves themselves served as an altar. When the persecution subsided, Christians hurried to build a Church over the martyr’s grave. Many churches around the world were built in this way.
Bishop Mykola urged those present not only to read about the lives of the saints but, above all, to imitate them. “They lead us to God and holiness with their teachings, virtues, deeds, example, and whole life. Each of them can tell us in the words of St. Apostle Paul: ‘I beg you: ‘Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ’ (1 Cor. 4:16). Saints, after Christ Jesus, are our best examples of how we should love God and our neighbours with all our heart and soul. Their lives are no different from ours. Like us, they had the same troubles, ailments, obstacles, difficulties, temptations, struggles, and persecutions, but they were always faithful to God in everything. They always persistently followed the path of God’s commandments, because this is the best path to holiness and heaven.’
After the Divine Liturgy, everyone had the opportunity to approach the relics, as well as to thank God for the gift of the earthly life of the saints and for the gift of their presence in our lives now in the form of relics.
Press office of the Melbourne Eparchy, Australia
