Speaking at the opening session of the Australian Catholic Youth Festival on December 1, Cardinal Mykola Bychok shared his own experiences growing up in a place where the Church was persecuted, and encouraged them to remain strong in their prayer lives.
The young people gathered the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) are "pilgrims of hope," said Cardinal Bychok, adding "to be a pilgrim is to keep moving forward — sometimes with confidence, sometimes with uncertainty, but always with hope. And nothing strengthens a pilgrim more deeply than prayer."
Bychok, the eparch of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia, is a Ukrainian Catholic. He was born and raised in Ukraine. He is the Church's youngest cardinal.
As a child, "the Catholic faith was persecuted and forced underground by the evil communist Soviet Union," said Bychok. "Churches were closed, priests were watched, and public expressions of faith could bring serious consequences. Prayer in those days was hidden — whispered behind closed doors, guarded like a precious treasure that no one could steal."
As an older child and a teen, Bychok experienced a different form of persecution: bullying from his peers.
"It was painful," he said. "But in those moments, I discovered something that has stayed with me my entire life: when a young person kneels to pray, even when the heart is wounded or confused, he is not alone. She is not alone. I found strength in praying the Holy Rosary. I found courage in participating in the Divine Liturgy. Prayer became, for me, like oxygen — quiet, invisible, but necessary for life."
While "the world may try to silence your faith," said Bychok, "it can never silence your prayer."
"You will meet people who tell you that faith is old-fashioned, unnecessary, or even foolish. You may encounter voices— online, at school, at university, in the workplace — that tell you to keep your beliefs hidden, that your convictions are inconvenient, or that speaking about God is somehow unwelcome. Some of you may face pressure from friends who do not understand why you pray, why you go to church, or why you hold on to values that the world often pushes aside," he said.
But, "being different in Christ is not a burden; it is a blessing."
No government can ban it
Prayer, especially in difficult times, is the process where someone "allow(s) God to speak into the deepest part of your heart."
"Prayer gives you a strength that doesn’t depend on popularity. It gives you a courage that cannot be taken away by criticism. It roots you in a truth that is stronger than the loudest voices around you. Prayer transforms fear into courage, loneliness into friendship with Christ, confusion into clarity, and despair into hope," he said. "It reminds you that you belong not to a passing culture, but to the everlasting Kingdom of God."
During times when a person could feel "small, uncertain, or overwhelmed," they should remember that "even the smallest whispered prayer reaches the ear of God," said Bychok.
"No government can ban it, no bully can break it, no social pressure can erase it. Your prayer is your strength. Your prayer is your freedom. Your prayer is your hope."
The Virgin Mary serves as a model of prayer, said the cardinal, especially in challenging or confusing times.
"Mary teaches us that prayer is not merely words we recite; it is a way of living in trust and openness to God. When the angel came to her with extraordinary news, Mary listened and prayed. When she stood at the foot of the Cross, she prayed in silence with a heart full of sorrow. When the disciples trembled in the upper room after the Resurrection, Mary prayed with them, strengthening them with her quiet presence."
Mary, he said, is "the woman of prayer, the Mother of hope, and she is our powerful intercessor."
"My friends, today the Church looks at you and sees hope. Not a vague feeling, but hope rooted in Jesus Christ, who conquered sin and death. When you pray, when you gather like this, when you lift your hearts to God, you become signs of a Church that is alive and young," he said.
"You are welcome here — not because you are perfect or because you have all the answers — but because God delights in you and the Church needs you. Your questions matter. Your desire for meaning matters. Your faith, even when small, matters. And your willingness to pray is what will help you grow into true disciples and witnesses."
