Serbian Orthodox Church
Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, for Christmas, sent an appeal to the authorities of R. Macedonia and to the international community, for releasing of Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid
4. January 2014 - 13:00
His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, in his most recent epistle for Christmas, which he delivered to the public on January 3, 2014, addressed the state persecution on religious basis that is performed against Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.
In the epistle, Patriarch Irinej of Serbia sent an appeal to the authorities of R. Macedonia and to the international community:
“Honorous and blessed Christmas we wish to our imprisoned brother and concelebrant, Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, and to the whole persecuted and suffering Orthodox Church in R. Macedonia. He is being unjustly held in prison by the authorities, and his believers are being denied the freedom of belief and conscience, only because they opted for the unity of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The ethnophiletistic schism is the biggest tragedy of our Church in R. Macedonia. The schismatics, unfortunately, have submitted the unity of the Church to politics and ethnophiletism.
Archpastoral Message of His Grace Bishop Irinej of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand
3. January 2014 - 18:33
IRINEJ
BY THE GRACE OF GOD
BISHOP OF THE METROPOLITANATE OF
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
GOD’S PEACE — CHRIST IS BORN!
Rejoice, heaven and earth,
as the prophets foretold!
Celebrate in the spirit, angels and people!
God is born of a woman and appears in the flesh...
(Troparion of the Nativity Litiya)
Our much beloved Clergy and Monastics, Sons and Daughters, Our dear Spiritual Children,
Christmas Enclytical of His Grace Bishop Longon of New Gracanica and Midwestern America
3. January 2014 - 10:33
It is that 'the Word became flesh' and the Master took on the form of a slave.
He became the Son of Man, though He was the true Son of God, in order that He might make the sons of men children of God.
-St. John Chrysostom, Homily 10
We remember this Christmas, our dear faithful, the abovementioned words of St. John Chrysostom, which explain the birth of God from the Virgin Mary. It is always important, especially during these festal days, to have before our eyes an image of God, Who out of love towards us “lowered Himself to raise up man.” By the recalling to our consciousness of the great sacrifice of God, we can correctly understand our relationship with the All-loving Father, and especially the general joy of the Nativity, which is offered to us.
Prayerful remembrance on the martyrs of Belgrade in Altina
31. December 2013 - 13:14
On the feast day when our holy Church celebrates Holy Martyrs deacon Avakum and abbot Pajsije, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch served the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy at the church dedicated to this confessors of the Christian faith, who suffered by the Turks in 1814 in Belgrade.
In the church in Altina, Serbian Patriarch was concelebrated by priests of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac and the Diocese of Canada in the presence of many believers. The service was attended also by vicepresident of the municipality of Zemun Mr. Damir Kovacevic and endower of the church Mr. Zdravko Rajacic. After that there was the holy communion of children and people and blessing of the slava cake.
