Serbian Orthodox Church

Patriarch Porfirije: The cross is a symbol of the crucifixion, but at the same time a symbol of victory

His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch officiated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the Monastery of the Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God in Belgrade, on September 27, 2021, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

His Grace Bishop Jerotej of Toplica, the elected Bishop of Marca, Archimandrite Sava, with the clergy of the Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovac concelebrated to the Patriarch.

Bishop Metodije of Budimlje-Niksic enthroned

His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch, officiated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi and on that occasion he introduces His Grace Metodije to the throne of Bishop of Budimlje-Niksic on 25 September 2021.

The Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church was concelebrated by His Beatitude Kyr Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje; Their Eminences Metropolitans Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral, as well as Their Graces Bishops: Justin of Zica, Jovan of Sumadija, Atanasije of Milesevo, Grigorije of Dusseldorf and Germany, Marko of Bregalnica, Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, Maksim of Western America, David of Krusevac, Jovan of Slavonia, Kirilo of Buenos-Aires and South America, Dimitrije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina, Isihije of Valjevo, Metodije of Dioclea and elected of Budimlje-Niksic, Stefan of Remesiana and Justin of Hvosno.

At the end of the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy, the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije held a sermon, while the decision of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the election of Bishop Metodije as Bishop of the Diocese of Budimlje-Niksic was read by Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church. His Holiness Porfirije,  Serbian Patriarch then introduced Bishop Metodije to the throne of the Bishops of Budimlje-Niksic.

Biography of Bishop Metodije (Ostojic) of Dioclea, elected Bishop of Budimlje-Niksic

Archimandrite Metodije (baptismal name Ljubisa) Ostojic was born in Sarajevo on April 1, 1976, as the third child of Orthodox parents Milinka and Dragica (born Milicevic). He finished the eight-year school and first two classes of the high school in Sarajevo, BH, from where he and his family due to civil war conflicts moved to Podgorica, Montenegro.

The other two classes of the high school he finished in Podgorica. During his stay in Sarajevo he finished elementary music school. After graduating from high school in 1994, he immatriculated to the Faculty of Economics at the University in Podgorica, where he graduated in 2001. In 2002 he came to the Cetinje Monastery, where he was tonsured on the eve of the feast-day of Sts. Peter and Paul, on July 11, 2004, and got the monastic name Metodije (according to St. Methodius the Slav Enlightener.

Monk Metodije was ordained by Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegrin-Coastlands as hierodeacon in the church dedicated to this feast at Zabljak, Montenegro (from where his family descends) on the feast-day of the Transfiguration of the Lord in 2005. He received priestly ordination in the Cetinje monastery on Easter in 2008.  A year later, on November 22, 2009, he was elevated to the rank of a protosyncell in the monastery of Slanci near Belgrade by Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro-Coastlands, with whose blessing he assisted, since the end of 2007, the Primate of the Serbian Church, Pavle, during his stay at a Belgrade hospital, and performed this obedience until the repose of the saintly Patriarch in November 2009.

As a principal of the Cetinje monastery, he was appointed on February 1, 2010, and was promoted into the degree of an Archimandrite in the Cetinje monastery on the feast-day of Sts. Peter and Paul in 2013. In that same year, he graduated from the Orthodox Theological Faculty of St. Basil of Ostrog in Foca, University of East Sarajevo, with the diploma paper on the educational role of monasticism.

At the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade, he defended, in 2015, his post-diploma research work on Mitropolitan Vavila of Zeta (1494-1520) and his contribution to Serbian spirituality and culture.

Since 2012 he has been a member of the Patriarchate Board of the Serbian Orthodox Church on behalf of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro-Coastlands. He is also a member of the Diocesan Council and the Diocesan Board of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro-Coastlands.

At the  Faculty of the Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade in 2015, he defended his Master thesis on the topic Metropolitan Vavila of Zeta (1494-1520) and his contribution to Serbian spirituality and culture under the mentorship of Professor Predrag Puzovic, PhD. Archimandrite Metodije spent an academic year 2016/17 at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, studying Greek, with the aim of starting doctoral studies at the Theological Faculty of this University.

Patriarch Irinej officiated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy and the solem consecration of the proclaimed High Venerable Archimandrite Metodije (Ostojic) to the rank of Bishop of Dioclea, Vicar of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral at the Cathedral church of the Resurrection in Podgorica on 22 July 2018.  During the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church held in May 2021, he was elected Bishop of Budimlje-Niksic.

Archpastoral Visit to St. Sava Church in Phoenix, Arizona & Serbian Singing Federation 90th Anniversary

Labor Day Weekend 2021, September 3rd, 4th and 5th, the St Sava Serbian Orthodox Church’s Choir “Stevan Hristic” proudly hosted the 79th Choir Festival and Serbian Singing Federation 90th Anniversary! This year’s choral festival was originally scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend, as traditionally held, but moved with the Blessing of His Grace Bishop Maxim to Labor Day Weekend because of the current pandemic situation.

The Festal Celebration of the Church Slava of the Missionary Parish Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Richmond

On Sunday, September 19, 2021, the day when we celebrate the memory of the Мiracle of the Holy Archangel Michael, Holy Martyr Romulus and 11,000 soldiers with him, Holy Martyr Eudoxius and the Venerable David, the missionary parish of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Richmond celebrated its Feast Day - Slava with a solemn celebration. This day, blessed by the Lord, began with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, which was presided over by His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America, with the concelebration of Very Rev. Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Boris Colovic ,Rev. Presbyter Djordje Tomic, Protodeacon Jovan Anicic, and with the prayerful solidarity of the Rev. Presbyter Milisa Petronijevic. The newly formed church choir under the direction of Biljana Soldo, an opera singer, rendered the liturgical responses.

Welcome to the Saint Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church in Aliquippa