Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Archbishop: Homilies: For the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at the Slovenian Church, Kew,
on Saturday, 6th July, at 5.00pm

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is with deep joy that I gather with the Slovenian community to celebrate the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, doctors of the Church and apostles of the Slavic people.

The courageous witness of Cyril and Methodius. Cyril died at Rome on 14th February, 869, and Methodius, sixteen years later. The mission that they undertook to the Slavs is indicative of the faith so firmly planted in your people, which has now been brought to the new country of Australia.

As we thank God for the wonder of this gift of faith, let us ask that Saints Cyril and Methodius, two great apostles of the Word of God, may fix in our hearts a love and reverence for the Sacred Scriptures and a readiness to live in its pattern.

Together with Father Cyril Kos I am delighted to be here to celebrate the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In 862 Ratislav, the Duke of Greater Moravia, asked that Cyril and Methodius might come to his country. He sought to obtain a bishop capable of teaching the Slavs in their own tongue. First of all Cyril and Methodius invented a Slavonic alphabet and then composed an Old Church Slavonic translation of the Gospels beginning with Saint John. Only a year later they brought this alphabet and translation to the Moravian court.

Straight away there followed other apostolic tasks. Despite the opposition of the western clergy they introduced the Slavonic liturgy, trained disciples and took some of those whom they hoped would be consecrated bishops to Rome to visit Pope Adrian II. Although Cyril was only forty-two years of age when he died and was buried in St Clemente in Rome, Methodius continued working and returned to Slovakia. There was some opposition to him continuing to conduct divine worship in Slavonic and yet he was able to convince the Pope both of his orthodoxy and of the desirability of the Slavonic liturgy.

During the last four years of his life Saint Methodius completed the Slavonic translation of the Bible and it is interesting that his funeral service was carried out in Greek, Slavonic and Latin. "The people carrying tapers came together in huge numbers; men and women, big and little, rich and poor, free men and slaves, widows and orphans, native and foreigners, sick and well, all were there, for Methodius had been all things to all men that he might lead them all to heaven."

The feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius was always observed in the land of their mission and was extended to the whole western Church in 1880 by Pope Leo XIII. As Orientals they worked closely in cooperation with Rome, regarded as the patrons of Church unity and are venerated by the Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Serbs and Borgas.

As a native of a new country I pay tribute to your two great patrons, whose missionary faith reflects so carefully the teaching of our present Holy Father, that the gift of faith must always be linked to mission. I thank God for their faith, for the people whom they brought to the faith and for the faith which you have brought to Australia, the land of your adoption.

May your solidarity with Saints Cyril and Methodius, your witness to the love and faith of Jesus Christ sustain you now and always as you go forward in the work of living the Gospel. Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, pray for us.