Patriarch Irinej at Kolo Slava in Hamilton, Ontario

The Serbian Sisters celebrated their slava, the Nativity of the Theotokos, on Sunday September 20.

The Holy Hierarchical Liturgy was served by His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia and Administrator of the Canadian Dioses Irinej. Serving alongside His Holiness were: archpriest Vasilije (Gavrilovic), V. Rev. Steva Stojisavljevic, V. Rev. Vojislav Pavlovic, and protodeacon Damjan Bozic. Our choir Stevan Mokranjac responded to the Liturgy.

Our faithful accepted Holy Communion today including many of the children from Sunday school which held its first classes of the school year today. Near the end of the Holy Liturgy, His Holiness addressed the congregation which filled our beautiful church. Greeting everyone and wishing the Serbian Sisters a “srecna slava”, he held a sermon paying special attention to the importance of church attendance and keeping our Serbian and Orthodox traditions in this country.

Following the Holy Liturgy, everyone walked over to the church hall where His Holiness blessed the slava bread and slava wheat. The hosts for the slava this year were Rade and Mile Vrakela with their families. Nada Andric has volunteered to host next year.

After the slava feast, our parish priest father Voja, greeted all those who came and gave a special thanks to our Patriarch, who was with us today. He praised the work of our Serbian Sisters stressing that they are the most numerous and hardworking among the sisters circles. He thanked our honorary president of the Serbian Sisters Circle, Milanka for all of her efforts and hard work over the years. He then thanked the current president sister Milka Culic, who then addressed His Holiness and all of us with a few words. Sister Milka thanked the Serbian Sisters Circle and expressed her hopes that it will remain successful in the future. Jovan Djurdjevic, the manager of the bookstore, informed all those who were present of a recent publication on the two new Serbian Saints: St. Mardarije and St. Sebastian. Veroslav Djurdjevic took the floor as the president of the Tesla foundation to inform everyone about the foundation and also to acquire signatures for a petition to name the currently unnamed expressway leading to the highway the Nikola Tesla expressway.

At the end of the banquet, His Holiness the Patriarch Irinej, blessed all those present and expressed his happiness to be among us again. Congratulating our hardworking sisters, he made note of the importance of Serbian Sisters Circles on this continent and that there likely wouldn’t be half the number of active churches today without them and the work they do. His Holiness also stressed how important unity, love and mutual respect are for all of us to keep in mind.

This wonderful day and banquet ended with a prayer and the wishes and joy of all of us to gather again with our spiritual father and Serbian Patriarch.

Source: Diocese of Canada, Nikoljnik Press

Photos by: Danijel Radojevic