In North Melbourne Cathedral on Sunday 10th August 2014 Bishop Peter Stasiuk give ordination to Deacon Michael Zylan.
Bishop Peter Stasiuk ordained Deacon Michael and intoned the beautiful proclamation “Axios”. There was joy in the body of the Cathedral which was full of family and friends of the newest Deacon in the Eparchy. Fr. Peter Struk was the archdeacon for the ceremony. He was assisted by Fr. Alex Kenez. Deacons Edward Kostraby and Justin McDonnell also concelebrated and welcomed the Eparchy’s sixth Deacon.
The Cathedral choir, under the leadership of Professor Holovko, sang the Divine Liturgy. Their music made the liturgical atmosphere very prayerful and peaceful.
Deacon Michael is a computer programmer by profession. He has a long history of pastoral work in the Eparchy. His latest work involves organizing and gathering Eparchial statistics. He has created a data base program to help clergy with addresses and the analysis of births, deaths, and marriages from the beginning of our Eparchy’s history.
This work has been noticed by our Patriarch and the Synod of Ukrainian Bishops, in particular the Vibrant Parish (Vision 2020) committee.
Michael is connected with Fielden Enterprises which has an office in Ukraine. Through this office, Fielden has created a data base which will analyse all the statistics of the whole Greek Catholic Church as it has been asked to do by the Vision 2020 committee.
Bishop Peter, in his homily, reminded the faithful that “Deacon Michael will receive the grace to keep his eyes focused on Christ and to help others to do so as well. It is a big blessing and a big responsibility”. He added, “This ordination is an assurance that God is with us, God will give us the strength to weather the storms of life”.
In his speech at the packed parish hall, Deacon Michael thanked all who helped him in his spiritual journey. He thanked his wife, Nadia, and his mother, Stefania. In addressing his mother and the Ukrainian community he said “I would like to acknowledge the love and support of my parents who raised me in the comforting and warm surrounds of the church, our community, and parish. They instilled in me the need for participation, co-operation, team work, and a strong work ethic.”
