The Holy Assembly of Bishops opened prayerfully in Zica

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was opened by the holy archhierarchal Liturgy and the rite of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit, officiated by His Holiness Irinej, Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in the church of the Ascension of the Lord in the Monastery of Zicha on May 9, 201 (photo).

His Holiness Patriarch was concelebrated by Their Eminences Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, Metropolitans: Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana, Hrisostom of Dabar-Bosnia, Justin of Zicha, Vasilija of Srem, Nikanor of Banat,  Longin of New Gracanica-Midwestern America, Mitrofan of Canada, Dositelj of Great Britain and Scandinavia, Pahomije of Vranje, Jovan of Sumadia, Atanasije of Mileševa, Joanikije of Budimlje-Nikšić, Grigorije of  Düsseldorf and Germany, Theodosije of Raska-Prizren, Maksim of Western America, Irinej of Eastern America, David of Krusevac, Jovan of Slavonia, Andrej Austria-Switzerland, Sergije of Bihac-Petrovac, Arsenije of Nis, Siluan of Australia-New Zealand, Kiril of Buenos Aires and South Central America, Nikodim of Dalmatia, Heruvim of Osijek-Polje and Baranja, Dimitrije of Zaholm-Herzegovina, as well as by vicar bishops: Antonije of Moravica, Ishije of Mohacs and bishop emeritus Georgije of Canada.

A special occasion for this gathering of the Patriarch, hierarchs, clergy, monastics and the faithful people of God in the historic monastery of Žiča is celebrating 800 years of autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church (1219-2019). Ever since early morning, the Žiča Monastery opened its gates to the dear guests who came from all over the world. Clergymen and monastics of the Diocese of Zicha, headed by Archimandrite Damjan (Cvetković) and Archimandrite Sava (Ilić), warmly welcomed guests happy to observe the beginning of solemnizing the significant jubilee.

Magnificent chanting of the nuns headed by Mother superior Jelena made the worship even more wonderful, as the Holy Bishop Nikolaj Žiča used to say: "cherubs chant the cherubic hymn”. Among the faithful people there were Nikola Selaković, Secretary General of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Terzic, Mayor of Kraljevo as well as high representatives of political and cultural life. Many representatives of mass media reported about the event, among them the Church TV Hram. The competent Bishop of Zicha Justin addressed the Eucharistic gathering underlining that St. Sava, founder of the independent Serbian Church, made this monastery his first residence.

At the end of the Liturgy the rite of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit was performed and His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Irinej opened the Holy Assembly of Bishops in the monastery premises.