Serbian Orthodox Church

Biography of newly-elected Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana

Newly-elected Metropolitan Dr. Porfirije (Peric) of Zagreb-Ljubljana was born on 22 July 1961 in Becej, northern Serbia, and was baptized as Prvoslav. He finished primary school in Curug, and the “Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj” Grammar school in Novi Sad. He was ordained a monk according to the rite of small schime by his spiritual father, then hieromonk Dr. Irinej (Bulovic), at Decani Monastery in 1985.

He graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade in 1986, when the then Bishop of Raska-Prizren Diocese, future Serbian Patriarch Pavle of blessed memory, ordained him a hierodeacon at the monastery of Holy Trinity in Musutiste, Kosovo and Mectochia.

He attended postgraduate studies in Athens from 1986 until 1990. That year, upon the blessing of Bishop Dr. Irinej of Backa, he joined the monastery of Holy Archangels in Kovilj, near Novi Sad, where he was ordained as hieromonk and became its abbot.

Biography of His Grace Hilarion, Bishop Electus of the Timok Diocese

The newly-elected Bishop of Timok Hilarion (Golubovic) was born in Zajecar in 1974. He finished primary school and the Electrical Engineering High School in Zajecar, whereupon he joined the monastery of Crna Reka where he spent some time getting acquainted with monastic life until he was conscribed to the army in September 1993. After his army service he joined the Bukovo monastic brotherhood in 1994.

Ilarion was tonsured in 1997, and ordained as hierodeacon im May of the same year, and as hieromonk on the feast day of Saint Nicholas, the Patron Saint-day of the church, 19 December 1997. He was promoted to the abbot of the Bukovo monastery in 1998. He was awarded with the rank of protosyncellos in 2002 as well as of that of an archimandrite in 2006. Since 2009 he has performed responsibly of the deputy of the bishop.

Father Hilarion restored the refectory of the monastery, so to say, with his own hands. Beside his monastic obediences, he is also active as iconographer, wood carver and carpenter. He spends his spare time dealing with documentary and artistic photography.

Biography of newly-elected Bishop Sergije (Karanovic) of Middle Europe

Biografie des neugewählten Bischofs der serbischen Diözese für Mitteleuropa Sergiје (Karanović)

Der neugewählte Bischof der serbischen Diözese für Mitteleuropa, Sergiје (Karanović), wurde am 4. Juli 1975 in Bačka Palanka (Serbien) geboren und erhielt bei der Taufe den Namen Zoran. Seine entschlafenen Eltern Petar und Mika (geborene Benić) stammten aus dem Ort Boboljusci in der Nähe des heutigen Martin Brod in Bosnien Herzegowina.

Nach der achtjährigen Grundschule, welche er in seinem Geburtsort Bačka Palanka absolvierte, wurde er 1990 mit dem Segen seiner Exzellenz Herrn Irinej, Bischof von Bačka, in das Priesterseminar „Heilige drei Hierarchen“ des Klosters Krka (Mitteldalmatien im heutigen Kroatien) aufgenommen.

Address of Bishop Longin to the Diocesan Assembly 13th and 14th of June 2014

Dear brother clergy, 
honorable delegates of the church-school congregations, parishes and monasteries, 
representatives of the Kolos of Serbian Sisters, 
our dear youth.

In speaking to the faithful in Corinth, Apostle Paul said, “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears” (2 Cor. 7: 4-5). If we think about it for a bit, our time, which appears very different from the time of the above quoted verse, is actually very similar to it and to its conditions.

I also have great faith in you and am proud of you, my honorable spiritual children. I know of your great love for our Holy Church. I am a witness of your care for her good. I am aware of the challenges and obstacles which you face in your work in the Church. But, thank God, you do not waver. You have worked tirelessly for years for the good of our spiritual being. This is what I constantly see before my spiritual eyes. I realize that every one of us who strives to remain on Christ's path has certain flaws and shortcomings. But if we “bear each other's burdens” as Saint Paul says, if we see each other's strengths and overlook the flaws, then we will build our common house on solid foundation.

Serbian Patriarch Irinej in Eiterfeld

During the canonical and working visit to the Diocese of Middle Europe, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch visited the Serbian Orthodox monastery in Eiterfeld, on Saturday, June 21st. 

The monastery is dedicated to the feast of Annunciation and Venerable Justin of Celije. The Serbian Patriarch was welcomed by the head of the monastery hiero-schi monk Justin (Raurer) with the faithful. A three-day convention of the Orthodox philosophers on bioethics from America and Europe was being held. 

Patriarch Irinej serves the Holy Liturgy in Monastery of Most Holy Mother of God in Himmelstür

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch served yesterday the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God in Himmelstür. 

His Holiness was concelebrated by local priests. The Patriarch awarded two protopresbyters with the right of bearing the pectoral cross: protopresbyter Nedja Janjic from Cologne and diocesan dean for North Rhine-Westphalia and protopresbyter Dragan Sekulic from Berlin.