Video Message By His All-Holiness To The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America

Vodeo message by By His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
To the Assembly of of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America
(Dallas, September 16-18, 2014)

Venerable brother hierarchs of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America,

It is deeply moving for us to join you in spirit and in prayer as you commence the deliberations of your meeting.

Flood Recovery Efforts Continue In Serbia and Bosnia

Vladan and his wife welcome the arrival of much needed building supplies to repair their flood damaged home in Grdica, a village near Kraljevo, Serbia.

Vladan's home along with hundreds of other homes in the area were submerged under several feet of water for days after a powerful surge of flood waters from Serbia's record breaking spring rainfall engulfed much of the country in May 2014.

100th anniversary commemoration of serbian composer’s death

If you have ever attended a choral festival on this continent, you probably heard at least one of his compositions. If you have ever attended a Divine Liturgy responded to by a choir, you have probably heard one of his arrangements during the service.  Even if you attended liturgy responded to by a single chanter, they probably sang a traditional church hymn notated by Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac, one of the most significant composers in Serbian history /program and  poster/.

Enthronement of Bishop John (Culibrk) of Slavonia

Bishop John will be enthroned by His Holiness Irenaeus, Serbian Patriarch at the solemn Hierarchal Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral Church of Holy Trinity in Pakrac, Slavonia, Croatia, on Saturday, September 13, 2014.  Many Hierarchs of the Serbian Church will concelebrate, as well as some high clergymen from other Local Orthodox Churches. In addition to it, attendance of high Church personalities from the Catholic Church and other Churches and religious communities as well as politicians from Croatia, Serbia, Republic of Srpska, Montenegro, cultural and scientific eminent people, and representatives of some world organizations is expected.

Biography of Bishop Electus John of Slavonia

New Elected Bishop John (Culibrk) was born on April 16, 1965 in Zenica. He finished a high school and the grammar school in (Bosanska) Gradiska. He studied South-Slavic languages and literatures  at the universities in Banja Luka and Zagreb, where he graduated at the  Department for stylestics  with a work on Milos Crnjanski for which he received the Branko Award of Matica Srpska in 1991 (today this work is within the book Black Sun, and a circle around it - Stvaranje, Podgorica, 2001 - it is being used at posdgraduate studies). 

He studied theology at Faculties of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade and Srbinje, where he graduated with a work on Nikon the Jerusalemite.  He  attended postgraduate  studies on Jewish culture at the Yad Vashem Memorial and at the Jewish University in Jerusalem; he was the winner of the 2004 Golda Meir Award.  He defended his master thesis at Dr David Bankier, the chief of the International Institute for holocaust research at Yad Vashem. He is preparing now a PhD thesis on the same subject together with Dr Yoav Gelber. He speaks English, Russian and Hebrew, also knows German, Greek and several Slavic languages.

Bishop Sergius of Middle Europe enthroned

His Holiness Irenaeus, Serbian Patriarch, introduced His Grace Sergius to the throne of Bishops of Middle Europe during the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God in Hummelsthur on 7 September 2014.

Serbian Patriarch Irenaeus was concelebrated by Metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Germany Augustinos, Metropolitan Porfirius of Zagreb-Ljubljana, Bishop Irenaeus of Backa, Bishop Athanasius of Bihac-Petrovac and Bishop Marko of Bregalnica.  The Liturgy was also attended by many bishops: Bishop Lucian of Budim, Bishop Chrysostomos of Zvornik-Tuzla, Bishop Theodosius of Raska-Prizren, Bishop Gerasimos of Gornji Karlovac, David of Krusevac, Andrew of Austria-Switzerland, Anthony of Moravica and David of Stobi.

Serbian Patriarch in the Diocese of Middle Europe

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irenaeus arrived in the Monastery of Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God in Himmelsthür on September 5^th.

On the day Patriarch Irenaeus, the so-far administrator of the Diocese of Middle Europe, held few working meetings with the diocesan dean and hierarchal deans. The Patriarch also visited the monastery complex and supervised in detail the undergoing construction works within the monastery and the Diocesan Centre, which had begun with his blessing in the beginning of the year.