7 thousand pilgrims took part in a pilgrimage to the village Bylychi

On Sunday, June 14, All Saints day, the annual all-eparchial pilgrimage took place in the village of Bylychi. Pilgrims from many different areas of the eparchy joined the procession. The Festive Liturgy was delivered by Bishop Yulian (Voronovskyj), Eparch of Sambir-Drohobych, and Bishop Yaroslav (Pryriz), auxiliary bishop, in the presence of about 50 other priests of the eparchy. "We came here today, as pilgrims, to thank the Mother of God and glorify the Lord for His providence, which serves as a constant reminder for each of us that in our own lives, the lives of our families, our communities, our villages and cities, our nation and all our state, the most important thing is to be with God," explained Bishop Yaroslav, in his sermon to the pilgrims in Bylychi. The Hierarch called on the faithful to follow the example of the life of the Mother of God by sacrificing to God through the pain, thirst and fatigue of the pilgrimage. “The example of Maria will help us: she is a new standard for humanity, a new Eva. The Mother of God lived in total unity with God, trusting His plans for her," the Bishop explained. Because the pilgrimage to the village Bylychi takes place on the All Saints holiday, Bishop Yaroslav paid particular attention to the theme of Christian holiness in his sermon. He further noted that, “attaining holiness is possible under any life circumstances or condition. Holiness is a permanent willingness to say ‘yes’ to God by accepting His will.” Many youths from different deaconates took part in this year’s pilgrimage. The Center of Ministering organized the pedestrian pilgrimage from Drohobych, which took place from June 12 to 13. Towards the end of the celebrations, the new abbot of the church, Fr. Volodymyr Nester for the village of Bylychi was presented while the out going abbot Fr. Taras Kohut was thanked for all his work for the community of the village Bylychi.

Fr. Oleh Chupa,
Press-secretary of the Eparchy