Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

To the Glory of the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving and Undivided Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.

DECREE

I, MYKOLA CARDINAL BYCHOK,

Bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne,

Hereby declare

That the following Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which took place in Zarvanytsia, Ukraine on the 1^st to 10^th July, in the year of Our Lord 2026 are of special significance and as such should be understood and applied by the clergy, religious and faithful for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania.

I. At the church-wide level to:

1) Express gratitude to parents and family members, who have recognised in their children the gift of a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life, and supported them in this choice;

2) Ask parents whose children express a desire to dedicate themselves to priestly ministry or consecrated life:

a) to be open to the gift of vocation, to support their children in the process of discerning God’s will and not to discourage them from this choice;

b) to pray that this choice may serve the glory of God, the spiritual good of the child and the good of the Church and the people;

3) introduce a Week of Prayer for Vocations to Priestly Ministry and Consecrated Life, beginning with the Feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 21);

4) mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy Affairs and the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism, in cooperation with the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to develop a program of initiatives for the Week of Prayer for Vocations to Priestly Ministry and Consecrated Life;

5) introduce a Church-wide annual celebration of the Day of the Teenager on the day of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Charity and their mother Sophia (September 17);

6) mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Youth, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission, the Patriarchal Commission for Family and Laity Affairs and the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to develop a concept for the Day of the Teenager;

7) instruct seminary rectors to undertake a more profound analysis of the spiritual and psychological state of contemporary youth and seminarians, taking into account the challenges caused by the war, family crisis, and the virtualisation of interpersonal relationships, and accordingly improve the content and methods of the formation process;

8) instruct the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy and the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism in cooperation with the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission and the Patriarchal Commission for Youth in cooperation with the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, taking into account the documents “Directives for Fostering Spiritual Vocations in the UGCC” (2012) and “A Program for Vocations Ministry to the Consecrated Life in the UGCC” (2019), to develop common directives for effective vocations ministry, which will include:

a) fostering a culture of vocations in families and parishes;

b) spiritual accompaniment and formation of children, adolescents and youth;

c) discernment of vocations to consecrated life and priestly ministry;

d) forms of witnessing of seminarians, clergy and consecrated persons about their vocation during catechesis and in meetings of youth;

9) mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy and the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism, in cooperation with the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to develop programs for the formation of Vocations Directors;

10) mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism to organize conferences of consecrated persons dedicated to the current state of their lives and their mission in the Church and the modern world;

11) instruct the Ukrainian Catholic University, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy, the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism, and the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to establish a Formation Institute.

II. At the eparchial level:

To mandate eparchial bishops to:

1) develop and foster a culture of vocations in the eparchy;

2) to instruct the relevant commissions and structures to include in their work and activities the topic of vocations to priestly ministry and consecrated life;

3) appoint an eparchial Vocations Director, if this has not yet been done;

4) introduce systematic monitoring of vocations at the eparchy level;

5) instruct seminary rectors to ensure the active involvement of seminarians in vocations ministry, in particular, through service in parishes, participation in youth communities and camps, as well as through personal witnessing about the path of their vocation to discipleship in Christ;

6) instruct seminary rectors to prepare and publish information booklets and motivational video materials about studies and everyday life in seminaries.

III. At the parish level:

To mandate parish clergy to:

1) care for new vocations to priestly ministry and consecrated life through prayer and living witnessing about their own vocation;

2) recognize and nurture the “seeds” of these vocations;

3) reveal in sermons, catechesis and on other occasions the beauty of Christian discipleship, in particular, the vocation to priestly and consecrated life;

4) reveal the previous value of consecrated life in the UGCC by inviting consecrated persons to living witnessing of their vocation and by visiting their communities;

5) regularly hold thematic meetings, vocation days, retreats, days of spiritual renewal, as well as educational and recreational camps for different age groups;

6) support and accompany individuals, who have sensed a vocation in adulthood;

7) remember the clergy and consecrated persons whose vocation was “born” in the parish community, and to invite them to living witness in their “mother” parish;

8) distribute information booklets and motivational video materials in parishes on the program of study and everyday life in eparchial seminaries, as well as on communities of consecrated life.

IV. At the level of institutes of consecrated life:

A. To ask the major superiors of institutes of consecrated life to:

1) foster in their communities a culture of vocations to consecrated life and priestly ministry, praying persistently for this intention;

2) appoint, where this has not yet been done, a person responsible for Vocations Ministry;

3) create a favourable space for personal encounters between young people in consecrated communities;

4) ensure adequate personal accompaniment of those who are discerning their vocation;

5) organize regular formation meetings, retreats and days of spiritual renewal for young people.

B. To encourage consecrated persons to bear witness zealously and sacrificially to an authentic consecrated life, so that their ministry may become a living sign of God’s presence and an inspiration for the People of God.

† MYKOLA
Cardinal Bychok, CSsR
Eparch of Melbourne

Rev Deacon Edward Kostraby
Chancellor

Given in Melbourne
at our Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
on the 15^th day of September, in the Year of Our Lord 2026,
the Gmrt. Nicetas