Protosyngellos Jovan: Paratrooper in a cassock
Protosyngellos Jovan (Culibrk), a newly-appointed vicar of the Patriarch, is a very interesting, educated figure. He is famous also as a paratrooper in a cassock. He is non-commissioned officer and reservist of the famous 63rd Parachute Brigade from Nis. Often his monastic clothes he proudly replaces with the parachute suit, and so far he has booked 140 jumps. For him, the parachute jump is a task that needs to be done, and not a sport.
When Metropolitan Amfilohije for the first time cut the slava cake in the 63rd parachute brigade, in 2002, the commander of the brigade and his associates asked from Metropolitan that father Jovan remains as a brigade priest in the unit.
It implied that he enter the reserve force unit, but also to go through parachute training in order to be true member of the unit.
- Where goes Serbian soldier, also Serbian priest must go- it was said then to him. Future Vicar of the Patriarch is in Jeruselem right now, where he represents the Committee for Jasenovac. He also mastered there in historiography of the holocaust in Yugoslavia, and now he is workin on his doctorate with regard to less knows aspects of the antifascist struggle in Yugoslavia.
In the Patriarchate of Pec he was from june 1999, after Yugoslav Army's retreat from Kosovo and Metohija, and he took care of the capital of the Serbian Church, remaining people and the sanctuaries of Metohija in one apocaliptic time, so he is going to have similar task.
It is interesting that protosyngellos Jovan created and led the music project, which epilogue is a collection of songs regarding the verses of Bishop Nikolaj in the rock version - "Songs of the East and the West"
He was born in 1965 in Zenica, and his last name is typical for Krajina. He studies literature in Banjaluka, and he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Yugoslav languages and literature in Zagreb in 1991. Theology he studied in Belgrade, graduated at the Spiritual academy in Srbinje. He took vow as a monk at Cetinje monastery in 1993, and since then he has taught Slovene and Serbian language and literature at the Seminary of St. Peter of Cetinje.
Protosyngellos Jovan is also an editor in the magazine "Svetigora" and Radio Svetigora, and he was engaged as an editor for liturgical literature in the project of Serbian culture at the internet portal "Rastko". For the work "Black sun and around it a circle" he was awarded in 1991 by Matica Srpska, and in 2004 he recieved the "Golda Meir" Award.
During eighties of the last century he followed alternative art movements on the line Skopje-Nis-Zagreb-Ljubljana and he is one of the most interesting interpreters of our local and global pop culture.
Source: Novosti
