Information Service of CHARITABLE DRIVE “LET’S ANIMATE
SERBIA” Last night a humanitarian concert Let’s Animate Serbia was held in the grand hall of the Kolarac Endowment. All the funds collected by the sale of tickets shall be used for the purchase of incubators for maternity hospitals. Welcoming all the benefactors, contributors, and all the people present, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle said: “As Christ said, greatness before God is acquired by serving God and our neighbours, since not even the Son of the Lord came to be served, but to serve and to give His life for many. In difficult times, in war and postwar periods, the dearest ones, the most innocent ones and the weakest one got hurt. These are prematurely born children or underweight children. They need incubators, otherwise they will not survive. We must do whatever we can for those youngest ones. Let us do what we can, Lord does not ask us to do more, but just what is in our power. Lord, help everyone, including us, and bless us.”
After Patriarch’s welcoming words, a well-designed and rather comprehensive artistic performance was carried out. The performers were the choirs Kolegijum muzikum and First Belgrade Singing Society, the orchestra and the folklore group Branko Krsmanovic, as well as other famous drama and music artists. At the end of the programme, His Grace Irinej – Bishop of Backa, who was entrusted by the Holy Synod of Bishops the task to manage this humanitarian drive, addressed the people present, saying that he would not call the drive humanitarian, but God-pleasing and philanthropic drive of our Holy Church. The Bishop Irinej also stated that Serbian Diaspora joined this drive, being never indifferent to its own people which it represents throughout the world. Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church will support this drive and realise it. The drive will not be limited to Belgrade only in the future, but will include other cities in Serbia, and if possible in Montenegro and Republika Srpska. Bishop Irinej expressed gratitude in the name of the Holy Synod of Bishops to all persons, institutions and firms which participated in this drive and already provided for a large number of incubators, adding that the donators would be given scrolls of honour and would surely be, which is the most important, inscribed into the indestructible eternal book of Christ’s love. Besides the donators, Bishop Irinej also thanked the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia and Mr Minja Tomasevic, for help and cooperation. His Grace Irinej reminded that serving the sanctity of life and man means serving the Lord and our salvation. |
