Solemn Liturgy in Washington

On Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral Church (OCA) in Washington, DC and also the war memorial church of the Russian immigrants from the beginning of the 20th century, the solemn Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was served as the highlight of the 100th Anniversary of the Day the Serbian Flag Waved at the White House.

Officiating at the Divine Liturgy was His Grace Bishop Maxim of Western America with the con-celebration of the host hierarch His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America and the diocesan clergy.

In order to con-celebrate in this historic service great effort, time and sacrifice was shown by those traveled: V. Rev. Stavrophor Zivojin Jakovljevic, Milan Krstic and Rade Merick; Protopresbyters Djokan Majstorovic, Milorad Orlic, Dejan Barac, Milan Katanic and Ljubisa Brnjos; Protonamesnik Dragan Goronjic, Djordje Veselinovic, Stanislav Kravljaca, Vasilije Vranic and Borjan Vitanov; Priests Christopher Rocknage, Sasa Djordjevic and Branislav Golic; Hieromonks Maksim (Ilic) and Nektarije (Tesanovic); Protodeacons Milos Zdralic, Jovan Anicic and Blagoje Siljegovic and Deacon Bojan Gligorevic. Our guest from the suffering Kosovo and Metohija was Protosindjel Andrej Decanac.

Saint Nicholas Church was filled with faithful who attended this historical event from all dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the US. The brotherhood from the St. Nicholas Cathedral also took part in this celebration with their amazing hospitality.
Many approached the Holy Chalice in partaking of the Body and Blood of our Lord, and following the Prayer before the Ambon a Pomen was served in memory of the glorious participants in the events one hundred years ago: Kings Petar and Aleksandar, the commanders of the Serbian Army Radomir, Zivojin, Stepa and Petar, Mihailo Pupin and all those who glorified the Serbian name to the ends of the earth.

In his homily, Bishop Maxim reminded the faithful once more of the occasion of this one hundred anniversary celebration and then Bishop Irinej thanked Bishop Maxim on behalf of the clergy of the Eastern American Diocese and in his own name. He noted that it is an honor to all of those present that such a blessing would find them that they might celebrate this glorious jubilee. The bishop thanked the singing society “Lira”, whose members also gathered from throughout the American continent under the direction of Jelena Vranic, His Beatitude Archbishop Tikhon of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada in whose cathedral church the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, the parish clergy, deacons, subdeacons and readers.

Then the Bishop read the famous proclamation of President Wilson that it be “imbedded into our memory, into our souls and hearts”.

Protopresbyter George Kokhno, on behalf of the brotherhood of cathedral, addressed the hierarchs, clergy and people saying that we remember the great hierarchs who brought Orthodoxy to America, both Russian and Serb and Greek, whose work is continued today by Bishops Irinej and Maxim.

Following the kind words of Bishop Irinej of gratitude the Many Years was intoned to all. Afterward he asked Fr. Andrei to distribute the antidoron and welcomed everyone to the church hall for a lunch prepared by the Kolo Sestara, led by President Nina Lojanica.

Source: Serborth.org