Тhe 14th anniversary of the archpastoral service of His Grace Bishop Irinej of the Eastern American Diocese

Today is the celebration of the 14th anniversary of the archpastoral service of His Grace Bishop Irinej of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church

On this occasion the plenitude of the Eastern American Diocese, clergy, monastics and all the faithful, send best wishes and prayers to their Bishop in hope of a long and fruitful life in the Lord’s Vineyard, in the glorious City of New York, on the East Coast of our wonderful and blessed country, America!

Diocese of Eastern America: United States Census 2020

To All Faithful of The Diocese of Eastern America of The Serbiamn Orthodox Church: United States Census 2020

Dear brothers and sisters, Faithful children of the Diocese of Eastern America and our Most Holy Serbian Orthodox Church, We kindly remind You, once again, if you have not yet responded to the 2020 U.S. Census, you can do so at the following link https://my2020census.gov/.  The deadline to respond to the census has been extended to October 31, 2020.

Serbian Bishop Antonije awarded with the Medal of St. Mark of Ephesus

The Serbian Orthodox Bishop Antoniје of Moravica was awarded with the highest decoration of the Department of Foreign Church Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church - the medal of St. Mark of Ephesus I degree.

On Sunday, July 12, 2020, on the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul - the church  feast of the Representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Moscow, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, President of the Department of Foreign Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow, presented to His Grace Antonije, Bishop of Moravica and  dean of the Representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Moscow, the highest decoration of that Department - the medal of St. Mark of Ephesus I degree.

Appeal to Turkey

Appeal to Turkey

There is hardly anyone in civilised world not knowing of Hagia Sophia, a magnificent and unique church, at a time the most important church of the entire Christian world, both in the East and in the West. It is also generally known that Hagia Sophia was the Christian church for more than nine centuries and the mosque for more than five centuries. Due to its architecture and fresco painting it is one of the most important cultural monuments and monuments of mankind’s spiritual heritage, protected by UNESCO. If an unknown Muslim poet could write on the Church of the Mother of God of Ljeviša in Prizren (Serbia) that pupil of his eye is the nest to her beauty, whose eye and what kind of sophisticated artistic feeling could express the unparalleled beauty of Hagia Sophia?

Bishop Photios: Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia became a mosque,
before the eyes and ears of the whole world
sitting in the front and the last row.
And she cries – where are my children?

Where are the monarchs that I raised?
Where is the clergy that adorned me
with the blessed beauty?
Where are the soldiers who defended me?
Where are the prayers of the holy
who transformed me into Heaven?

Where are the deaf and the blind
who received healing inside me,
the lame who stood up,
the mute who spoke?

O, my children, of Christian and Orthodox stem,
again you are left without spiritual lighthouse,
surrendering me to desolation.

Where are my Easter and Christmas Liturgies,
mosaics that lifted the earth to Heaven?
All gone in a blink of an eye,
turning me into a widow.

Where are the Patriarchs
to announce the Blessed Kingdom?
Where are the countless choirs
that overtoned the angelic?
Where are the repenters, ascetics
and the contrite hearts
who found solace here?

O, my heart is filled with sorrow,
for those that seek God are gone.
Within me no longer is celebrated
Hagia Sophia, without whom the universe
is ruled by madness.
Where to now, and how?

Desolate and solitary I stand,
clothed in dark robes,
grieving for children who are gone,
who no longer walk the manifold trails
and sail the sundry seas to reach me,
and be raised to Heaven by my magnificent domes.

Bishop Photios

36 years of the episcopal ministry of Bishop Lukijan

On July 1st, 2020 it was 36 years of the episcopal ministry of His Grace Bishop Lukijan of Budim and Temisoara.

On this occasion, His Grace Bishop Lukijan of Budim and the Administrator of Temisoara celebrated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the monastery of Saint George (in Romania) with the concelebration of the clergy of the Diocese of Temisoara, in which name abbot Justin (Stojanovic) congratulated the jubilee to His Grace Bishop with prayerful wishes that he serves the Lord and his Church for many years.