The Serbian Patriarch and Hierarchs visiting the Dechani monastery

(photo gallery)

The monastic brotherhood of Dechany led by its abbot, Very Venerable Archimandrite Sava, welcomed His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej and Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on the occasion of the beginning of the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on the afternoon on 14 May 2016.

On the next day, on the Sunday of the 15^th of May 2016, hierarchs officiated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral church of Saint Great Martyr George in Prizren, and performed the rite of consecration of the renovated buildings of the Theological Seminary of Sts Cyril and Methodius in Prizren.

The working sessions of the Holy Assembly of Bishops will commence at the Patriarchate Palace in Belgrade on May 16, 2016.

Holy Assembly of Bishops begins with the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy at the Patriarchate of Pec

(photo gallery 1)

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, officiated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the conciliar concelebration of the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchate of Pec on 14 May 2016. They all gathered on the occasion of the beginning of the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Following the Holy Liturgy the rite of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit was performed for the blessed and successful work of the Assembly. His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije held a speech, after which he served on the monastery's cemetary a commemoration for abbesses and nuns of blessed repose of the Great Laura of the Patriarchate of Pec. 

(photo gallery 2)

Serbian Patriarch and Hierarchs at the Patriarchate of Pec

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch and Their Graces Bishops, members of the Holy Assembly of Bishops ouf our Church, arrived at the Patriarchate of Pec on 13 May 2016. 

His Holiness and bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church were welcomed by the clergy and monks of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, led by Bishop Teodosije. His Holiness will officiate the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the rite of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit in the church of Holy Apostles at the Great Laura of the Patriarchate of Pec, when this year's regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops will begin. 

Saint Basil the Bishop of Ostrog

Saint Basil, Bishop of Zakholmsk, was born of pious parents in the sixteenth century in the Popov district of Herzegovina. At the age of maturity he left his parental home and settled in the Trebinsk monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and became a monk.

For his virtuous life the saint was elevated to be Bishop of Zakholm and Skenderia. He occupied the bishop’s cathedra in the second half of the sixteenth century, a successor to Bishop Paul and predecessor of Bishop Nicodemus. St Basil was a good pastor of the flock of Christ, and the Lord strengthened his discourse with various miracles. For the sanctifying of soul with the wisdom of holy ascetic fathers, the saint journeyed to Athos. St Basil died peacefully and was buried in the city of Ostrog in Chernogoria on the border with Herzegovina.

Communiqué of the Eastern American Diocese - Fire at Saint Sava in NYC

To all Diocesan Clergy, Church-School Congregation Boards and Faithful
Dear Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy and our dear Serbian Orthodox faithful,

Christ is Risen!

As you certainly all know, our entire Diocese, and indeed our entire Serbian Orthodox Church, suffered a terrible and tragic loss on the very day of the Holy Pascha of our Lord with the destruction of our cathedral church of St. Sava in New York City. While the church building is a total loss, we rejoice and thank God that there were no serious injuries or loss of life. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the New York Fire Department, and we await their findings.

Nonetheless, our Serbian Orthodox brothers and sisters in the New York area have lost their spiritual home, the heart of their religious and national life. Their loss is personal for them, deeply emotional and truly tragic. Yet, even as the embers of the temple still smoldered, the community expressed its determination to continue its church life there. The building is gone, but the living church remains, and its members need our prayers and our support, both spiritual and financial.

Press Release from St. Sava Cathedral in New York

The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in New York City, an architectural treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a New York City landmark, was tragically destroyed by a fire on Sunday, May 1, 2016, on Easter, the holiest day for Eastern Orthodox Christians.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Designed by noted architect Richard Upjohn and begun in 1842, the church was consecrated in 1855 as Trinity Chapel until it was sold to the Serbian community in 1943. Celebrated author Edith Wharton was married in this church, and Nikola Tesla, world-renowned scientist and inventor, was memorialized with a bronze bust, which miraculously sustained no damage. To date, the Orthodox community has spent over $4.5 million dollars to restore and improve the complex, which had continued to serve the needs of its parishioners and community through war and peace, tragedy and joy.