Saint Sava church consecrated in Stockholm

His Holiness Irenaeus, Serbian Patriarch, consecrated the church of Saint Sava in Stockholm on 4 October 2014.

First immigrants of Serbian descent came to Sweden soon after the Second World War. There were two sorts of them. The first came as the prisoners which were brought during the war. They were brought in order to build roads and railroads through the Norwegian mountains as a part of the planned German attack on the Soviet Union from the north. The other were transferred from many camps throughout Europe soon after the end of war. Later migrations happened because of the economic reasons and they have lasted until today.

The church-school congregation in Stockholm was founded in 1975, and the construction of  today’s church of Saint Sava was begun in 1990, when the cornerstone was blessed by newly-elected Bishop Dositheus of Britain-Scandinavia and Bishop Lucian of Slavonia. Besides the new church a spiritual-cultural center, the Saint Sava Center, is planned.

On Saturday, 4 October 2014, lots of believers along with the priesthood welcomed the Primate, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irenaeus. After the served doxology, Bishop of the Diocese of Britain and Scandinavia thanked the Patriarch on his love and care, which he expressed by his arrival to Sweden to consecrate the northernmost church of our Church in Europe.

On Sunday, 5 October 2014,  Serbian Patriarch Irenaenus consecrated this magnificent church with the concelebration of  Their Eminences and Their Graces bishops: Metropolitan Cleopas from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Bishop Macarius from the Romanian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Porfirius of Zagreb-Ljubljana, Bishop George of Canada, Bishop Irenaeus of Backa, Bishop Hieronimus of Yegar and the host, Bishop Dositheus of Britain and Scandinavia, as well as more than 40 priests and two deacons.

This great event for our Church in Scandinavia and the Diocese of Britain and Scandinavia was attended by many believers, as well as Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic and Princess Katherine, representatives of other Churches in Sweden, Archbishop of  Jacobite Syrian Christian Church Mr. Julius Abdulahal Gallo Shabo, Bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Sweden Mor Dioscoros Benjamin Atas. Among attendess there were also representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Church of the Kingdom of Sweden, as well as Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Kingdom of Sweden, H.E. Dr. Dusan Crnogorcevic, as well as ambassadors of the Orthodox countries.