Church dedication feast of the Cathedral in Doboj

His Grace Bishop Fotije of Zvornik-Tuzla  served the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in Doboj on the occasion of the celebration of the Cathedral Memorial Church of the Birth of the Most Holy Mother of God, on September 21, 2020.

Diocesan dean of Doboj, archpriest staurophore Mirko Nikolic;  abbot of the Ozren Monastery, archimandrite Gavrilo (Stevanović); archpriests staurophores: Drago Hadzistevic and Dragiza Simic, archpriest Nedeljko Goranovic, Priest Miroslav Todorovic, archdeacon Sasa Milosevic and Deacon Bojan Jokak concelebrated with the Bishop.

In his sermon Bishop Fotije admonished the faithful to follow the path of truth and justice with dignity, to do good deeds for the good of the faith and the Orthodox people:

-When the Holy Archangel Gabriel came to the Most Holy Mother of God in Nazareth and told her that God had chosen her to be the Mother of the Savior of the Lord Jesus Christ, She said in her obedience: 'Here is the handmaid of the Lord. May it be according to Thy will'. That is to what we are precisely called - to say in our lives to God: "May Thy will be done in my small, modest, unworthy, imperfect life, but I will try as hard as I can to be a worthy Orthodox Christian." We need to confirm this with our deeds at work where we work, and with the family where we live.

On that occasion, the Bishop awarded Sava Zrnic with the Order of the Holy King Dragutin - Venerable Theoctist for his zeal and love for the Holy Church. The Bishop also decorated Mr. Zivko Miskic and Mrs. Radojka Zrnic with the Bishop’s Charter.

The clergy of the church expressed hope that the local authorities would help complete the fresco painting of the church, which had been going on for three years. They also received support from the City Administration for the large project of building the St. Sava Parish Home. - For three years now, the fresco painting of this holy church has been in progress. The fresco painting will certainly be continued within the next two years. We have decided that, God willing, with the help of the city authorities, this year we will start a big project here in the church-yard of the Memorial Church, and that is  - construction of the St. Sava Parish Home, where there will be a large hall for gathering people and holding festivities as well as all other cultural events, such as concerts and lectures, said the competent priest Dusko Nedic.

After the Liturgy, the mayor of Doboj, Mr. Boris Jerinic and MP in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Ms. Sanja Vulic were accepted as next year’s church dedication sponsors.

The city administration allocates significant funds for the work of all religious communities in Doboj. -... We support all activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church in preserving our tradition and customs, as well as all activities related to the construction of this Memorial church, together with the clergy of our Doboj deanery, said Mr. Boris Jerinic, mayor of Doboj. 

Source: Diocese of Zvornik-Tuzla