The Feast of Saint Steven in Alhambra, California
Our Patron Feast Day of Saint Steven, Simon the Monk
For the first time in six years, the actual feast day of the Cathedral’s Patron, Saint Steven the First-crowned/Simon the Monk (October 7), fell on a Sunday and added a special touch to an already special day in the life of this parish community. The feast day began, as it always does in the Church, with Vespers the prior evening; His Grace, our Bishop Maxim, was in attendance in anticipation of also leading us in celebrating the Divine Liturgy the following morning.
That sun-drenched morning marked the seventy-second anniversary of Saint Steven’s Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Alhambra, California. It began with Resurrectional Matins and near its conclusion, Bishop Maxim was vested and the Liturgy then followed with Cathedral clergy Fr. Nicholas Ceko and Fr. Norman Kosanovich, along with the Bishop’s Deacon, Vladan Radovanovic, and responses sung by our Cathedral Choir. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the entire congregation went in procession around our blessed church building, stopping to offer memorial prayers for the departed who have reposed in the Lord, including the departed bishops, priests and faithful members and benefactors of our parish, especially Bishop Gregory, Metropolitan Christopher, Bishop Sava, Protopresbyter Vladimir and Protica Bosiljka Mrvichin, Protopresbyter Ilija Dajkovich and the newly-departed Protopresbyter Dragoljub Dennis Pavichevich.
As the procession continued, blessings and prayers for the parish family and the surrounding cities of Greater Los Angeles were offered. On the front steps of the church, the Bishop blessed the festal bread and three generations of the parish faithful stood by him as the honored Kumovi for 2018: Slobodan and Divna Dobrilovic, Nick Savich from the Young Adult Fellowship, and high school student Ana Krstic.
With the church services concluded, everyone continued on to the social hall to enjoy a program featuring: addresses by Bishop Maxim, the Cathedral Dean Fr. Nicholas Ceko, and parish Executive Board President Vaso Adzich; a moving performance on piano by Sunday school student Kai Nikchevich; presentation of the Mrvichin Scholarship Awards by committee member Valerie Glover. This year’s recipients of a $3,000 scholarship were Aleksandra Lunich (Texas Christian University), and Andrew Kosanovich (Yale University). Fr. Predrag Bojovic, priest of Saint Sava Church in nearby San Gabriel and his wife, Protinica Rada, were welcome guests along with Djakonica Dejana Radovanovic and son Maxim. A delicious luncheon banquet was not only prepared but also donated by Maria Pincu, a loving steward of Saint Steven’s Cathedral, who was assisted by her beloved sister Emilia and other volunteers. Carrie Bullard organized our Cathedral youth group that served the banquet and by so doing, as Fr. Nick noted, “as they serve today, our youth once again prove to us that they are not just the future of our parish, but very much a vital part of our life today!”
The final and unexpected part of the program was a memorial prayer and singing of “Memory Eternal” led by Fr. Nick as he announced the passing that very morning of his predecessor, the previous Cathedral Dean (1982-92), +Fr. Dragoljub Dennis Pavichevich.
With faith in the Resurrection, and thoughts that the parish’s 75th Diamond Anniversary is only three years away, the 2018 celebration of Saint Steven’s Day drew to a prayerful close.
Source: Western American Diocese
