Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne

About

Melbourne Eparchy of Saints apostles Peter and Paul (Latin: Eparchia Sanctorum Petri et Pauli Melburnensis Ucranorum) is a diocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church based in Melbourne, Australia. The diocese was founded on June 24, 1982. The territory of the diocese covers the whole of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. Thus, the total area of the Diocese of Melbourne is 8,919,530 km², and the population is about 41,000,000 people.

Parishes:

Melbourne (Victoria) — cathedral;
Ardir (Victoria);
Geelong (Victoria);
Lidcombe, Sydney (New South Wales);
Newcastle (New South Wales);
Canberra (Australian Capital Territory);
Wayville (state of South Australia);
Woodville (South Australia);
Brisbane (Queensland);
Perth (state of Western Australia).

Pastoral missions:

Wodonga (Victoria);
Noble Park (Victoria);
Wollongong (New South Wales);
Queanbeyan (New South Wales);
Northam (state of Western Australia);
Darwin (Northern Territory)
Hobart (Tasmania);
Auckland (New Zealand);
Christchurch (New Zealand);
Wellington (New Zealand).

According to statistics for the year 2022, the Melbourne Eparchy of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul has 7,046 faithful who are united around 10 parish centers and 10 missions. In total, 19 priests and 4 deacons perform pastoral care for these faithful. In addition, there are consecrated persons in the eparchy: 11 nuns.

Coat of arms of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne The shield is half-expanded and half-beveled on both sides; in the right blue field — a gold 7-rayed star above three silver wavy beams; in the left silver — a red cross with the same borders; in the lower green — a cross-beveled golden key, beard up to the right, and a sword, hilt down.

The seven-pointed Commonwealth Star and wavy stripes indicate Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania; the red-bordered cross in the silver field are the figures of the coat of arms of Melbourne, and the key and sword are the attributes of Sts. Peter and Paul, symbolize the name of the cathedral of the eparchy. According to the established system, the shield is crowned with a golden mitra with a red lining and is placed on a crossed gold processional cross and a bishop’s staff, with a panagia below. The episcopal mitra, staff, processional cross, and panagia indicate that this is the coat of arms of a church territorial unit — an eparchy.

The eparchy is not geographical, but demographic: this means that it extends its jurisdiction where there are Greek-Catholic Ukrainians in Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Oceania. The eparchy includes 20 communities and 2 Ukrainian schools in Melbourne and Sydney.

Location

Materials

Bishop

The ruling bishop of the Melbourne eparchy of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul from July 12, 2021, is His Eminence Bishop Mykola Bychok.

The cathedral of the Melbourne Diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the city of Melbourne (Australia).

History

The diocese began its history on May 10, 1958, as well as the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians of the Byzantine Rite in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. The first Apostolic Exarch was His Eminence Bishop Ivan Prashko.

On June 24, 1982, the Exarchate was presented as a diocese with its seat in Melbourne (Australia) and His Eminence Bishop Ivan Prashko became the Eparch of Melbourne. As the archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church already existed in Melbourne at the time, and the existence of two bishops with the same name was not canonically accepted, the exarchate was renamed the “Melbourne Diocese of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.” Bishop Ivan Prashko served as a bishop until December 16, 1992, resigning from the government and reaching the age of emeritus. His successor on the same day was His Eminence Bishop Peter Stasiuk, who has been carrying out this ministry to this day.

It is also worth mentioning that in 1986 His Beatitude Myroslav-Ivan Lyubachivsky, the then Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, paid a pastoral visit to Australia.

Bishop Ivan Prashko became the spiritual father of thousands of Ukrainians in Australia and New Zealand scattered during World War II. Therefore, the Australian Greek Catholic community remembers its bishop with gratitude, but his figure remains almost unknown to the general public in Ukraine. And the fact that the hierarchy of the UGCC was also a cousin of the famous Klima Savur may be a revelation for many of our contemporaries.

Shrines

On September 25, 2014, during his pastoral visit to Australia and New Zealand, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, declared St. Volodymyr the Great Church in Canberra, Australia, a place of pilgrimage for Ukrainian Greek Catholics. In addition, His Beatitude Sviatoslav handed over the relics of the holy martyr Volodymyr Priyma to the Church of St. Prince Volodymyr, and in 2013 he was proclaimed the patron saint of the UGCC laity in Stradch.

Contacts

Address: 35 Canning St, North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia

Phone: +61 (3) 9320-25-66

Website: catholicukes.au