”Wherever the Ukrainian heart beats – there the Ukrainian soul lives on” – Cardinal Mykola Bychok
On September 4, 2025, at the invitation of Bishop Bryan Bayda, Cardinal Mykola Bychok, the youngest cardinal of the Catholic Church, arrived in Toronto for a pastoral visit.
On September 5 and 6, Divine Liturgies were celebrated at St. Nicholas Church with the participation of Cardinal Mykola Bychok, Bishop Bryan Bayda, and the parish clergy.
A particularly memorable event was the Moleben for the beginning of the school year, celebrated on September 6 at St. Nicholas Heritage School, held at the Patriarch Josyf Slipyj School. The service was led by Cardinal Mykola Bychok, together with Bishop Bryan Bayda, pastor Fr. Roman Lobay, and Deacon Bohdan Lechman. The moleben gathered students, their parents, and the teachers of the Heritage school.
In his address, Cardinal Mykola Bychok emphasized the Christian vocation to be living witnesses of faith:
“We, as people of faith, are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ… not only in the church, but also in our daily lives,” he said.
He also underlined the importance of Ukrainian school and the responsibility of parents:
“This is your victory, dear parents, when you bring your children to Ukrainian school every Saturday. If you do not do this—the enemy wins.”
Turning directly to the children, the Cardinal encouraged them to love learning and their culture:
“If your parents are tired, you should say: ‘Mom, Dad, we want to go to school! We want to learn the Ukrainian language and discover the richness of our culture.’”
Finally, the Cardinal invited everyone to pray for Ukraine and wished God’s blessing for the new academic year, stressing the importance of preserving the Ukrainian language:
“Language has great meaning… It expresses not only our national identity but also our spiritual richness. Let us pray that the Lord will grant Ukraine a just peace.”
