Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
Avgust 3, 2004

ST ELIJAH’S DAY CELEBRATED IN ST PROHOR PCINJSKI MONASTERY

The feast of the Holy Prophet Elijah was festively celebrated yesterday in the monastery of St. Prohor Pcinjski with Holy Hierarchal Liturgy served by Metropolitan Jovan of Veles and Povardarje, the Patriarchal Exarch of the Autonomous Ohrid Archdiocese, with the concelebration of Bishop Irinej of Backa, the envoy of the Serbian Patriarch, Bishop Pahomjie of Vranje, and the local bishop and Vicar Bishop Marko of Dremvic in the presence of a large number of faithful from Vranje, Kumanovo, Bujanovac, Belgrade, Prilep and elsewhere.

After Holy Liturgy and the feast day ceremony Bishop Irinej wished the faithful a happy holiday and recalled the biography of the Prophet Elijah in the context of sacrifice as a result of attesting to the One God, both in the Old Testament and thereafter and in the modern age. To this the Bishop added that unity in Christ’s love is the most important thing of all for all who live in the church community. Love is the witness of the Holy Spirit in the Church. By our own example we should attest to the unity of love, which is in the nature of the Church. That is why schism and separation from the community is the greatest spiritual crime and a sin toward heaven, and even the blood of martyrs cannot wash away the sin of separation and division. Those present were then addressed by Metropolitan Jovan, who thanked His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle for his paternal concern for the Orthodox faithful in the Ohrid Archdiocese.

This year upon the invitation of Patriarch Pavle an official delegation of the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia also visited the renowned Serbian monastery and marked its national holiday, the anniversary of ASNOM, there. President Branko Crvenkovski and other state officials headed the delegation. The eminent guests from Skoplje were welcomed by the bishops, monastery brethren and priests, as well as by Serbian President, Dr. Vojislav Kostunica and Mr. Prvoslav Davinic, the Serbia and Montenegro Minister of Defense.

This St. Elijah’s Day (Ilindan) gathering, held with the permission and blessing of the Serbian Patriarch and under the spiritual protection of St. Prohor Pcinjski and the Holy Prophet Elijah, was a blessed opportunity for the hierarchs of the Serbian Church to open and constructively discuss many current issues with the prime ministers of two neighboring countries with friendly relations.

We are convinced that the spiritual strength with which St. Prohor Pcinjski has for centuries lavished on all who approach him with faith, together with the commitment to democratic values and principles, which has been demonstrated many times by the Government in Skoplje, will serve as a guarantee that the gates of the monastery and the gates of the heart opened by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle will not be closed by actions contrary to Christian values and European principles.

ARTISTS’ COLONIES IN MONASTERIES
OF ST JOHN AND HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Irinej of Nis the Culture Center from Dimitrovgrad has organized the fourteenth annual International Artist Colony under the auspices of the Ministry for Culture of the Republic of Serbia and the Municipal Assembly of Dimitrovgrad in the monastery of St. John the Theologian in Poganovo. There are twelve artists from Mexico, China, Japan, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and our own country participating in this artists’ colony. To date 130 artists have taken part in it over the years, creating 200 paintings and donating most of them to the organizer.

As well a humanitarian painters’ colony has begun in the monastery of the Holy Mother of God in Sukovo where ten painters from our country are taking part. Upon the completion of the colony they will hold an exhibition of works created during the colony and all proceeds from the sales will be donated toward the renewal of the monastery in Sukovo.

MOTHER OF GOD OF SOKOLICA SCULPTURE
ON DISPLAY IN NATIONAL MUSEUM

The sculpture of the Mother of God of Sokolica from the main portal of the monastery of Banjska, the endowment of King Milutin from the beginning of the 14th century, will be exhibited in the National Museum in Belgrade from August 15-25, 2004. Since the beginning of the 16th or 17th century the sculpture has been kept in the monastery of Sokolica in the Diocese of Raska and Prizren.

The monastery of Banjska was built from 1312-16 as the intended site of the king’s tomb. Consequently it was extremely richly decorated with the exterior facade covered in plates of three colors of marble. This sculpture was one of the exponents representing the art of medieval Serbia at the exhibition Byzantium: Faith and Power at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The sculpture of the Mother of God of Sokolica may be viewed every day from August 15-25 in the atrium of the National Museum and related lectures are planned. Admission is free. After the exhibition the sculpture will be returned to the monastery of Sokolica.

[Serbian Translation Services]