Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
Avgust 7, 2004

PATRIARCH PAVLE RECEIVES GUESTS
FROM MOSCOW’S ORTHODOX SECONDARY SCHOOL

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle received the director, professors and students of Moscow’s Orthodox Secondary School in the Patriarch’s residence in Belgrade. The guests are visiting Serbia as part of the Moba youth summer volunteer program in Sokograd.

His Holiness blessed and warmly greeted the Russian children, who come from a Slavic and Orthodox land and conveyed his greetings to their parents and loved ones. He cautioned the children, especially the students of the Orthodox secondary school, that they should work diligently. They came here for the Moba and studying the Serbian language and culture is their task. His Holiness expressed his pleasure that an Orthodox secondary school exists in Russia, where the Serbian language and culture is taught, and he emphasized the importance of good education and training of the younger generations, wishing the children success in their studies and in continuing the proud tradition of their forbears.

The Orthodox secondary school in Moscow was founded in 1993. In addition to regular secondary school subjects, its curriculum includes religious instruction, Orthodox Byzantine heritage, classical languages (Greek, Latin, church Slavic) and modern languages (Greek, Serbian, German, French and English). The subject Serbian history is taught in the Serbian language. Upon completing their studies graduates can enroll in any faculty in the country.

In Russia, like in Serbia, life is not easy, the professors emphasized, expressing the hope that their students will enjoy better living standards in an Orthodox country preserving its tradition and the faith of its ancestors, which should be interwoven throughout their lives as well as learning about and respecting all peoples and applying all useful scientific achievements.

The secondary school was founded out of a sense of duty toward God and the Russian people. After 70 years of atheism, there was essential need to return to their roots so that upon satisfying their thirst and the Source of living water, they might readily turn toward the future and the challenges of the new age.

Serbian language is taught at this secondary school out of love towards this Orthodox and brotherly people of the same faith. The Orthodox secondary school has one other interesting attribute: it is the only school in Russia that celebrates the feast of St. Sava as its patron saint. St. Sava’s Day is a great holiday not only for students and professors but also for many writers, scientists and intellectuals of good will who come and actively participate in the celebration.

As a part of the Moba event the students and professors of the Orthodox secondary school from Moscow visited Ravna Gora, Valjevo, Brankovina and the grave of Desanka Maksimovic, Trsic, the monastery of Tronosa and Lelic. During the course of their one-day visit to Belgrade they visited the Belgrade Cathedral, St. Sava Cathedral, Kalemegdan and other points of interest in the Serbian capital.

PATRIARCH PAVLE TO SERVE HOLY LITURGY IN KALEMEGDAN

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle will serve Holy Hierarchal Liturgy on Sunday, the feast of St. Paraskeva Trnovska, at 6:30 a.m. in the open in front of the chapel of St. Paraskeva (Sv. Petka) in Kalemegdan.

A second Holy Liturgy will be served later on beginning at 9:00 a.m.

[Serbian Translation Services]