Patriarch Porfirije: Evil has recorded another gain for itself, man has been defeated, and God who wants peace among people has been betrayed once again, and to what extent!

Sermon of His Holiness Porfirije, the Serbian Patriarch, held in the Zemunʼs suburb of Busije after the commemoration for the Serbs who died in the criminal operation Storm of the Croatian army and police.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

We have gathered here in the name of God, dear brothers and sisters, to pray to the risen Lord Jesus Christ to receive into his arms all our relatives, neighbors, fellow citizens, innocent victims of the terrible August days of the 1995;  including those that have suffered before that: from the Zadar Crystal Night, through the suffering in Medak and the villages of Lika, to Pakrac and West Slavonian villages. All innocently murdered in towns and villages, on streets and fields, in houses and apartments. We have gathered to remember in prayer the unprecedented violent exodus of our people from the area of ​​Dalmatia, Banija, Kordun, Lika and western Slavonia. All of that is only a tessera in the mosaic of our recent sufferings and crucifixions, along with Jadovno, Jastrebarsko, Mlaka, Glina and Jasenovac – the horrible death camp from which the last few survivors are with us today, and in front of whose sufferings we bow to the ground, kissing their feet. Mystically present among us is also Saint Martyr Vukašin of Jasenovac from Klepci, whose moving words: “My child, you do your job!” – addressed to a monster deprived of any human likeness, who was cutting off the saint's body parts, are the example of the paradoxical triumph of the just victim over evil, as well as the revelation of God’s logic that is incomprehensible to the human mind, which reveals itself as the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection. That is why, having the experience of Godʼs justice and love, the blessed Patriarch German could say at that place: “We must not forget, but we must forgive”.

Memorial service for the victims of the criminal action "Storm"

The Day of Remembrance of all Serbs who died and were expelled in the Storm, a criminal armed action of the Croatian army and police in August 1995, began with a memorial service held in the Belgrade church of Saint Mark., on 4 August 2021.

Priests Nedeljko Marjanovic, Milos Micic and Slavko Stevanovic, who were also part of an endless column of refugees with their families, served the memorial service for the innocent victims. "Today we gathered in the church of St. Mark, which was our landmark in the days when we escaped to this capital city of ours. We found consolation here, we prayed here and expected to see our loved ones who we did not know where they were at that moment, "said Father Milos Micic, recalling the evil time when hundreds of thousands of expelled people found salvation in Serbia and Republika Srpska. "Unfortunately, thousands of our brothers and sisters died and remained to rest in their homeland. Today we have prayed that the Lord may rest their souls with the saints."

Celebration of Holy Prophet Elijah on Jabuka

Th Order of White Angel of the First Degree was awarded to Mr. Dragoljub Sljukic from Prijepolje and Mr. Srecko Milovanovic from Novi Pazar.

On Monday, August 2, 2021, on the day when the Holy Church prayerfully celebrates the great prophet of God, Saint Elijah, His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Milesevo served the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the monastery dedicated to that God-pleasing man on Jabuka near Prijepolje.

Bishop Jovan served in Moscow on the feast of Saint Elijah

On the feast day of the Prophet of God Elijah, festivities “Ilyin’s Day on Ilyinke Street” were traditionally held in Moscow.

The celebration began with the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the church of Saint Elijah the Prophet, which was served by Their Graces Bishops Teophylact of Mytishchi and Jovan of Slavonia with the concelebration of many priests. After the Liturgy, a procession went to the Red Square, and the thanksgiving service was served to Holy Prophet Elijah at the Execution Ground.

Patriarch Porfirije: Faith in the Living God implies struggle and sacrifice

On August 2, 2021, on the feast of the Holy Prophet Elijah, His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch,  officiated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the church dedicated to that saint in the Belgrade settlement of Mirijevo.

The Patriarch was concelebrated by Their Graces Bishops Jerotej of Toplica, elected Bishop Sava of Marca, protopresbyter-staurophor Dragan Predic and deacons Radomir Vrucinic and Nemanja Kalem.

Patriarch Porfirije clebrated in the church of the Holy Despot Stefan in Babe

On Sunday, August 1, 2021, when our Holy Church prayerfully celebrates the Holy Despot Stefan Lazarevic, on the day of the slava of the church, the faithful people of the Kosmaj Deanery, led by their priests, welcomed His Holiness Porfirije,  the Serbian Patriarch in the village of Babe.

Together with the first bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Holy Liturgy was served by Their Graces Bishops Jovan of Sumadija and retired Georgije of Canada, the elected Bishop Sava of Marca , Archimandrites Dositej of the Hilandar and Petar (Dragojlovic), Diocesan Dean of Kosmaj archpriest-staurophor Ljubisa Smiljkovic , archdeacon Ivan Gasic, hierodeacon Vasilije (Starovlah) and deacons Radomir Vrucinic and Dragan Radic.