Retreat for the Clergy of the Melbourne Eparchy Held in Galong
From June 1 to 5, the St. Clement’s Retreat and Conference Centre in Galong, New South Wales, hosted a spiritual renewal retreat for the clergy of the Melbourne Eparchy. For five days, priests and deacons from all over Australia had the opportunity to pray, socialise, and grow spiritually together.
This year’s retreat was led by Bishop Volodymyr Viytyshyn, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ivano-Frankivsk, and Fr. Vitaliy Tokar, Judicial Vicar of the Ivano-Frankivsk Archeparchy. The theme of the retreat was the Gospel account of the healing of the Gadarene demoniac (Luke 8:26–39).
During the retreat, among other spiritual reflections, Bishop Volodymyr shared his experience of ministry during the years when the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was forced underground, as well as his memories of the period of its spiritual revival. “Even after the Church emerged from the underground, people would ask me, ‘Tell us, what is the difference between the faithful then, during the underground period, and now?’ I would answer that, from my perspective, I see this difference: during the underground years, we saw the quality of the Church. These were people who truly believed in God. Not only the laity, but even more so the priests, and even more so the bishops. They were people who gave an example of service and love. Neither prison nor chains nor persecution could stop them. The Holy Eucharist had to be celebrated even in a private home that became an underground church. People knew that they could be punished for this, that they could lose their jobs, that their children could be persecuted. Yet they did not close their doors to Christ.”
The Metropolitan emphasized that during the underground period, the clergy sought to celebrate the Divine Liturgy every day and that the Holy Eucharist, which is the foundation of spiritual life, helped both clergy and faithful persevere through years of persecution and hardship.
In his conferences, Fr. Vitaliy focused on the themes of prayer and a personal encounter with Christ, which has the power to completely transform a person. He placed particular emphasis on the importance of total trust in God. “Christ addresses each one of us: ‘Follow Me…’ Leave behind all your worries, leave everything, turn away from all that makes you a slave to corruption, a slave to the earth, all that prevents you from being truly free, and follow Me. First, look into the depths of your own life, your spirit, your heart, and your mind, where alone you can encounter Christ the Savior and the Living God. By entering into His life, set out on the heroic path of apostleship and, ultimately, grow into the measure in which you become an icon, an image, a word, a presence of Christ.”
Fr. Vitaliy Tokar also conducted a canonical and pastoral conference, during which he familiarized the clergy with the ongoing work on the new Particular Law of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The Melbourne Eparchy expresses its sincere gratitude to Metropolitan Archbishop Volodymyr Viytyshyn and Fr. Vitaliy Tokar for their ministry, spiritual teachings, and witness of faith. We believe that this retreat provided a valuable opportunity for our clergy to renew their spiritual strength, deepen their personal relationship with God, and experience fraternal support so that, upon returning to their parishes, our priests and deacons may continue to serve our faithful with dedication and with love for God and neighbour.
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