“Saint Anne marks the beginning of the history of the Mother of God’s presence among us,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav in Canberra
On December 9, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Anne, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, together with Archbishop Charles Balvo, Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Cardinal of the Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul in Melbourne, the bishops of the Permanent Synod of the UGCC, and the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church prayed at St. Volodymyr’s Church in Canberra, Australia.
At the beginning, His Beatitude noted that St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral is a gem of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church—its architecture, and a symbol of unity.
“I feel at home here in Kyiv. This church is named after St. Volodymyr, who baptized Kyivan Rus. However, this church is also a symbol of the unity of the mother Church in Ukraine and the Ukrainian community here in Australia. Because this church was consecrated by two bishops: the confessor of the faith, Bishop Pavlo Vasylyk, who was bishop of the underground persecuted Church in the Soviet Union, and the first Ukrainian Catholic bishop in Australia, the late Bishop Ivan Prashko.”
In his sermon, the Primate of the UGCC emphasized that St. Anne marked the beginning of the history of the Mother of God’s presence among us: “We have a guide on this path—the Blessed Virgin Mary.” He also noted that the mystery of human life begins with a series of relationships: “Dear children, I think that by studying biology and modern science, you know that human life begins at conception. And today, science, embryology, tells us that that tiny embryo immediately enters into relationships. First of all, it forms a relationship with the mother’s body. At the onset of human life, these relationships are formed at the biochemical and hormonal levels. With the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems, the child in the womb enters into personal relationships. A newborn child recognizes the mother’s voice and feels her heartbeat. That is why today, with this solemn service, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of our Mother, the Heavenly Virgin Mary. We honor Saint Anne, who marked the beginning of the history of the Mother of God’s presence among us.”
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Homily of His Beatitude Sviatoslav on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Anne in Canberra
However, as the preacher noted, the Christian faith reveals this mystery even more deeply. “The Virgin Mary entered into a special relationship not only with her mother, but also with the Holy Trinity,” emphasized His Beatitude. “According to our Byzantine tradition, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in a special way. We celebrate her unique relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”
According to the Head of the UGCC, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of relationships. “It is He who ‘heals’ our relationships when we get angry or drift apart. In these relationships, we become who we are called to be: people filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. And in this way, we prepare for Christmas, renewing our personal relationship with God through the grace of the Holy Spirit under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav said that the purpose of his visit to Australia with the Permanent Synod was to build relationships and show the faithful that their mother Church is close to them and cares for them.
“Today we have a unique opportunity to reach out to each of you, to embrace you. We have come to build relationships as people, but above all as believers. I urge all of you, so as not to get lost, not to dissolve in the great sea of your mother Church, to gather together. Among you today are bishops from the United States, Poland, Germany, and Ukraine. And we wish to tell you that all those who have alienated themselves from their Church are lost to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. And the global Ukrainian community—we have counted—includes more than 1,400 Ukrainian parishes outside Ukraine. This is a powerful force for preserving Ukrainians in the world, and also so that each of you, wherever you are, in whatever country you live, can fight for our freedom, our future, and Ukrainian statehood.”
In conclusion, the Patriarch called on those present to pray for Ukraine. “Prayer is a way to establish, live, nurture, and develop our relationship with God,” he emphasized. “So let us pray for Ukraine! Let us pray for those who are now defending it on the front lines. I am standing here before you because someone defended us at the beginning of this war. Four years ago, we should have been dead. But thanks to the sacrifice of our soldiers and our civilians every day, we are alive. And I assure you that Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays for the future of the world. But we must do this together. Then we will all have a future, according to God’s plan.”
The UGCC Department for Information
