Serbian Patriarch in Dortmund and Essen

On Sunday December 1, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch visited the church of Saint Luke the Apostle in Dortmund and the Church-school congregation of Saint Stephen in Essen.

During the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy Serbian Patriarch Irinej was concelebrated by Archbishop Longin of Klin from the Russian Orthodox Church, episcopal deputy protopresbyter-stavrophor Milan Pejic, protopresbyter-stavrophor Dordje Trajkovic, head of the church; protopresbyter-stavrophor Nedjo Janic and other priests. Following the Liturgy Archbishop Longin informed His Holiness about the work of the Conference of Orthodox Bishops of Germany.

The church-school congregation in Dortmund was founded in 1985 with the blessing of Bishop Lavrentije. It has two parishes. Parish letter is published six times a year. Youth gathers once a week at the church center and their involvement in the life of the Church is increasing. The parish has a choir which each Sunday brightens the service of God. The head of the church is protopresbyter-stavrophor Djordje Trajkovic, former professor of the Prizren seminary.

In the afternoon His Holiness visited the Church-school congregation of Saint Stephen the archdeacon  in Essen, Serbian Patriarch was welcomed by the head of the church, presbyter Dragan Colakovic with parishioners.

The Church-school congregation was founded in Essen in 2001 with the blessing of Bishop Konstantine. Since this community of the Orthodox Serbs still does not have its own building, it uses a Roman Catholic  building.

Source: Diocese of Middle Europe