| His Eminence Mykola Bychok CSsR | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne | |
 | |
| Church | Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Appointed | 15 January 2020 |
| Predecessor | Peter Stasiuk |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Sofia a Via Boccea (2024–) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 3 May 2005 by Ihor Vozniak |
| Consecration | 7 June 2020 by Sviatoslav Shevchuk |
| Created cardinal | 7 December 2024 by Pope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mykola Petrovych Bychok (1980-02-13) 13 February 1980 (age 44) Ternopil, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Motto | Пресвятая Богородице, спаси нас (Most Holy Mother of God, save us) |
| Coat of arms | .svg) |
Mykola Bychok CSsR (Ukrainian: Микола Бичок; born 13 February 1980) is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate who has served as Eparch of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne since 2020. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 7 December 2024, making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He is a member of the Redemptorists.
Biography
Bychok was born in Ternopil in western Ukraine in 1980. He joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, popularly known as the Redemptorists, in July 1997. His religious training took place in Ukraine and Poland, where he obtained a licentiate in pastoral theology. On 17 August 2003, Bychok took his religious vows, and on 3 May 2005 he was ordained a priest in the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv.
Following his ordination, Bychok spent time as a missionary at the Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Prokopyevsk, Russia. He latter served as the superior of Saint Joseph's Redemptorists Monastery and pastor of the Mother Parish of Perpetual Help in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. From 2015 to 2020 Bychok served as the vicar of the Ukrainian Catholic parish of Saint John the Baptist in Newark, New Jersey, part of the Archieparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians.
On 15 January 2020, he was appointed by Pope Francis as the eparchial bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, succeeding Peter Stasiuk. The eparchy's jurisdiction comprises Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania.
On 7 June 2020, the feast of Pentecost in the Julian calendar used by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at the time, he was consecrated as bishop by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk and other hierarchs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in St. George's Cathedral, Lviv.
On 6 October 2024, Pope Francis announced that he planned to make him a cardinal on 8 December 2024, a date that was later changed to 7 December. He became the youngest member of the College of Cardinals.
On 7 December 2024, Pope Francis made him a cardinal, assigning him as a member of the order of cardinal priests the title of Santa Sofia a Via Boccea. In place of the red biretta given to the new cardinals of the Latin rite, Francis placed a black koukoulion with a red trim, a headdress typical of the Ukrainian monastic tradition consisting of a hood with two long lappets, on Bychok's head.
Notes
- The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church "shares the full communion with Rome, although it adheres to the Byzantine rite, with a liturgy more similar to that of Orthodox Christians and a married clergy."
- His predecessor as youngest member is Cardinal Giorgio Marengo who is more than five and a half years older.
See also
References
- "The coat of arms of Bishop Mykola Bychok". Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Pope Francis Chooses Ukrainian Catholic Bishop to Become Cardinal". Kyiv Post. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Resignation of bishop of the eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians, Australia, and appointment of successor" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Axios! His Beatitude Sviatoslav ordained Mykola Bychok a newbishop". Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- Castellano Lubov, Deborah (6 October 2024). "Pope Francis announces Consistory for creation of new Cardinals - Vatican News". Vatican News. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- Brockhaus, Hannah (12 October 2024). "Vatican Shares Pope Francis' Schedule for December Consistory to Create Cardinals". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Tresca, Malo (7 October 2024). "Who are the 21 new cardinals chosen by Pope Francis?". La Croix International. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- "Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico: Assegnazione dei Titoli e delle Diaconie ai nuovi Cardinali, 07.12.2024" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- "Pope calls 21 new cardinals, including Melbourne's Cardinal Mykola Bychok, to build church unity". Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. 9 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
External links
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded byLubomyr Husar | Cardinal Priest of Santa Sofia a Via Boccea 7 December 2024 – present |
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| Current archbishops and bishops of the Catholic dioceses of Australia | |||||
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| Province of Sydney |
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| Province of Melbourne |
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| Apostolic Nunciature to Australia | |||||
- 1980 births
- Living people
- People from Ternopil
- Redemptorist cardinals
- Ukrainian Eastern Catholics
- Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
- Eastern Catholic bishops in Oceania
- Ukrainian emigrants to Australia
- Ukrainian emigrants to the United States
- Cardinals created by Pope Francis
- Australian cardinals
- Ukrainian cardinals