TORONTO (CCN) — Four months after electing Pope Leo XIV, the youngest cardinal in the Catholic Church came to Toronto for a series of public events, emphasizing the importance of the family and the need for pastoral ministry to be “more about listening than preaching.”
Cardinal Mykola Bychok, C.Ss.R., Ukrainian Greek Catholic exarch of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, participated in a public conversation on approaches to pastoral ministry at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute at the University of St. Michael’s College Sept. 9.
Father Alexander Laschuk, the institute’s director, led the conversation through a variety of topics, including the cardinal’s formation as a Redemptorist, his ministry to people around the globe, and the role of the Eastern Catholic churches in the life of the universal Church. The intimate gathering of Catholics from across the city allowed for candid conversation and reflection.
The 45-year-old cardinal defined the mission of pastoral ministry as the work of “attending to people, in all their sorrows and needs; it is often more about listening than preaching.”
He shared his understanding and experience of pastoral work as deeply personal and relational and described pastoral ministry as accompaniment.
Cardinal Byshok spoke of his experience as a priest in Russia, Ukraine and the United States, in settings marked by cultural diversity, social upheaval and pastoral need. These experiences, he said, taught him that the credibility of the Church rests not on structures or plans but on the presence of pastors who genuinely accompany their people.
While circumstances for ministry may change from place to place, he said, the essence of ministry remains constant: to be present with people where they are.
Cardinal Bychok emphasized that all Christian life and witness are fundamentally about personal encounter. He said a priest is not primarily an administrator but a companion, and effective preaching depends on prior listening. All Christians are meant to live so that no one feels isolated in their pain, he continued, which is especially important for priests to keep front of mind.
“People often need someone who will simply hear them, who will recognize their struggles and share in them,” he said.
Cardinal Bychok was born in Ternopil, Ukraine, in 1980. He entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1997 and was ordained a priest in 2005. He served in Russia, Ukraine and the United States, before being appointed the apostolic exarch for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania in 2020. In November 2024, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, becoming its youngest member, and participated in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
His elevation as cardinal was received by many as Pope Francis’ recognition of the Redemptorist’s pastoral gifts and the pope’s desire to highlight the vitality of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church within the universal Church.
During his weeklong visit to Toronto, Cardinal Bychok also presided at liturgical celebrations, met with clergy and lay leaders, and was the keynote speaker at the Sept. 11 fundraising dinner for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada. The dinner was held in Brampton, west of Toronto, at the Pearson Convention Center, in support of the eparchy’s pastoral ministry in the areas of family and education.
In his address, Cardinal Bychok urged all in attendance to remember the centrality of the family for the development of individuals, the health of the Church, and the stability of political life.
The gala was the first large-scale funding initiative for ministry in the eparchy. Cardinal Francis Leo, archbishop of Toronto, and Cardinal Thomas Collins, archbishop emeritus of Toronto, were among the 450 people gathered, along with representatives from the Canadian office of Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a significant supporter of the Church in Ukraine.
Quinton Peralta is a doctoral student in Political Science at the University of Toronto and the Programming Assistant for the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute.
