Serbian Orthodox Church

Cleveland deanery meeting held on Christian education

His Grace Bishop Dr. Mitrophan demonstrates the importance of Christian Education in the Eastern American Diocese by consistently having annual Deanery meetings focused on Christian Education.

Each Deanery meeting begins with a designated priest giving a well- developed talk focusing on Christian Education. Following discussion of the topic, parishes give oral and written reports of their parish educational programs.

The Twenty Sixth Annual Cleveland Deanery meeting on Christian Education was held at St. Sava Cathedral in Parma, Ohio on Saturday, December 20, 2014.

His Grace Bishop Dr. Mitrophan opened the meeting with prayer. Clergy and church school educators representing parishes from the Deanery were present to participate.

Host priest and Dean of the Cleveland Deanery, Very Rev. Dr. Zivojin Jakovljevic welcomed the attendees. He said the Deanery meetings were wonderful opportunities to exchange ideas, goals and successes.

Reverend Father Dragan Goronjic was designated by His Grace Bishop Dr. Mitrophan to speak on Christian Education at this meeting. Father Goronjic’s presentation was entitled “The Priest as a Model in the Education of a Student.”

Father Goronjic emphasized the importance of good communication with everyone including children. The Gospel is to be the content of conversations of priests and every Christian.

Communique – Information for Media

On the basis of a Memorandum that was signed by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in Belgrade on 15 November 2014, and with the blessing of both, Russian and Serbian Patriarchs, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, paid a working visit to R. Macedonia from 19 – 20 December 2014.

His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion visited Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, who for the sake of this meeting, was temporary transferred from the prison of Idrizovo to the Skopje hospital “Mother Theresa” on 20 December. After these talks, Archbishop Jovan was returned back to the prison.

On the same day Metropolitan Hilarion, accompanied by Mr. Oleg Scherbak, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to R. Macedonia, met with President of the R. Macedonia Mr. Djordje Ivanov.  Following this meeting, chairman of the DECR talked with President of the Government of the R. Macedonia Mr. Nikola Gruevski and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Nikola Popovski. Ultimately, Metropolitan Hilarion also met with the head of the self-proclaimed, non-canonical Macedonian Orthodox Church Kyr Stephen.

While in Skopje, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion led these talks guided by the concern for unity of the Church, its salvific mission and salvation of the baptized souls in FYR Macedonia, and with respect to the perspective of regulating the canonical status of the Church in this area as well as to the unconditional final release of His Eminence Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, who had been sentenced to hard labor in a manipulated political process.

The Serbian Orthodox Church expresses herewith its deep gratitude to the sister Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk for fraternal love and cooperation, for the invested great efforts in the ministry for the canonical order and unity of the Church, as well as towards the release of His Eminence Archbishop Jovan, imprisoned without any reason,  and subjected to a cruel regime in prison despite his severely impaired health.

Bishop Irinej of Bachka,
Spokesman of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Patriarch Irenaeus awards Metropolitan Nicholas

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irenaeus served the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the church of Holy Prophet Elijah at Sokolac, Republic of Srpska, and handed in His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas the order of Holy King Milutin, as a token of love and gratitude for the all thatt the Metropolitan had done in his life. 

The order of Holy King Milutin the Serbian Orthodox Church presented to Metropolitan Nicholas of Dabar-Bosna for his effective, fruitful forty-years-long hierarchal work in the field of the ecclesial mission and education, as well as in the field of construction and renovation of shrines and theological institutions of our Holy Church.

Metropolitan Amphilochius visits province of Chaco

His Eminence Amphilochius, Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, the Bishop-Administrator of the Diocese of Buenos Aires and South-Central American of the Serbian Patriarchate, began his three-day visit to the Argentinian province of Chaco on Friday, December 12^th.

His Eminence is accompanied by Archimandrite Kirilo Bojovich, Bishop’s deputy of the Diocese; hieromonk  Simeon Lopez, parish priest in Medellin, Colombia; and protodeacon Nikola Radish, president of the Church-school congregation in Buenos Aires as well as protodeacon Igor Balaban from Cetinje. Metropolitan Amphilochius and his delegation were welcomed at the airport in Resistencia by local Serbian priests.

In Memoriam: V. Rev. Aleksandar Ivanovic

On Friday around 4:00 p.m., on the day of his Slava, respected Very Rev. Fr. Aleksandar Ivanovic passed away. Fr. Aleksandar was recently retired from the active duties of the Parish Priest of St. Stephen of Decani Church at Leland Street, Chicago, and he was, for decades, serving as the Diocesan Secretary of the former Diocese of America and Canada, Metropolitanate of New Gracanica.

Memorial service will be held on Monday, December 22nd, at St. Stephen of Decani Church at Leland Street, Chicago, at 7:00 p.m. On Tuesday, December 23rd, Memorial Liturgy will be served at 9:00 a.m., at the New Gracanica Monastery, followed by the Burial service. He will be buried at the New Gracanica cemetery.

Source: New Gracanica and Midwestern America Diocese

Weekly Diocesan Bulletin - Sunday, December 21, 2014

Twenty-Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; The Venerable Patapius; Holy Sosthenes, Apollos, and others; Serbian Children’s Day

RESURRECTIONAL TROPARION - TONE THREE:
Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad! For the Lord has shown strength with His arm! He has trampled down death by death! He has become the firstborn of the dead! He has delivered us from the depths of hell, and has granted to the world great mercy!