Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
December 3, 2004

ORTHODOX TRILOGY OF PROTOPRESBYTER DR RADOMIR MILOSEVIC OF SMEDEREVO

Protopresbyter Dr. Radomir Milosevic is one of the few priests in the Serbian Church who took his degree and doctorate from the Theological Faculty of the Serbian Orthodox Church while serving as a parish priest. On Thursday, December 2, 20024 in the National Library in Smederevo a promotion of the Orthodox Trilogy was held, which consists of volumes on Orthodox hagiology, Orthodox heortology, and the book of Serbian saints. Speakers at the promotion included reviewers of the book Dr. Radomir Popovic and Dr. Dragan Protic, both professors of the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade.

After welcoming remarks and words of thanks Protopresbyter Radomir Popovic spoke of the rich theological work of the Smederevo parish priest. He then addressed the concept of celebration and holiness in Christianity. Professor Radomir Popovic reminded of the event that preceded the baptism of the Russians, when Russian envoys came to Constantinople and attended Holy Liturgy. When they returned they conveyed their impression of eucharistic celebration as a divine event to Prince Vladimir. Regarding the Book of Serbian Saints Professor Popovic underscored that this was the Serbian paterik and materik (hagiographies), published for the first time in this scope and content in our country. He concluded that these books are a call to Serbs to write services to the Serbian new saints of the twentieth century.

Dr. Dragan Protic first welcomed those present and thanked everyone for attending this spiritual event prepared by Father Milosevic. Dr. Protic immediately emphasized the theoretical and practical significance of hagiology as a science, as well as the parish priest’s book at the first of its kind in our country. The language and style of these books is simple, clear and precise. He concluded by saying that these three books are unique literature helping us to become acquainted with the Orthodox faith.

Concluding the promotion, the author of the Orthodox Trilogy said that these books were created for Radio Smederevo from 1993 to 2003 when the parish priest collected materials for broadcasting use and listener inquiries, slowly creating this trilogy. The blessings of the Lord on a people are felt through its martyrs and saints, and the Serbs in the twentieth century have been a martyred people with many saints. He concluded by reiterating the initiative for the writing of the zhitiye (lives) of new saints because there are still living witnesses of their lives.

EXHIBITION OF ICONS BY STUDENTS OF SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ACADEMY IN RUSSIAN HALL

As part of the celebration of the six hundred year anniversary of the mounting of the first striking clock in the Kremlin constructed by monk Lazar (Lazarus) the Serb from Holy Mount Athos, on Saturday, December 4, 2004 on the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, at 7:00 p.m. an exhibition of icons by the students of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s Academy for Fresco Painting and Restoration under the mentorship of fresco painting instructor Goran Janicijevic will open in Belgrade. On the same evening a roundtable discussion will take place in the Russian Hall in Belgrade on the theme of “Six hundred year anniversary of the construction of the clock in the Kremlin by monk Lazar Crnorizac”. The facilitator of the roundtable will be Professor Dr. Predrag Ristic, architect and professor at the Serbian Orthodox Church Academy. Participants in the discussion will include Dr. Anika Skovran (on the theme of “Serbs and Russians in the Middle Ages”), archeologist Gordana Tosic, Professor Dr. Milutin Tadic (“From the Studenica clock to the clock of Lazar”), Engineer Zelimir Stefanovic (“Development of mechanical clocks and work on their reconstruction”), architect Gordana Markovic, the director of the Serbian Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments (“Program for investigating the mission of Lazar the Serb”).

VLADE DIVAC TO RECEIVE IOCC AWARD FOR HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

Vlade Divac, star center for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and native of the former Yugoslavia, will receive the Good Samaritan Award from International Orthodox Christians Charities (IOCC) at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, for his years of distinguished service in support of IOCC's humanitarian mission.

A leader on and off the basketball court, Divac has helped IOCC, the humanitarian aid agency of Orthodox Christians, provide half a million dollars in humanitarian assistance in his homeland since 1997.

Divac will receive the Good Samaritan Award at an IOCC fund-raising banquet at St. Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, 1621 W. Garvey Ave., Alhambra, Calif. Among those present will be His Grace Bishop Longin of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Western America; Fr. Nicholas Ceko, dean of the cathedral; IOCC co-founder Charles Ajalat; and IOCC Board member Elizabeth Oldknow Skouras Huttingter.

"Vlade has consistently been voted one of the NBA's good guys," said IOCC Executive Director Constantine M. Triantafilou. "He has earned that reputation through, among other things, his longtime collaboration with IOCC to bring hope and opportunity to the children of the former Yugoslavia."

To learn more about this event and IOCC humanitarian programs in the former Yugoslavia, please visit www.iocc.org.

FEAST OF ST. ANDREW THE FIRST-CALLED CELEBRATED
IN CONSTANTINOPLE

On Tuesday, November 30, 2004 His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, celebrated Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the Church of St. George in Constantinople with the concelebration of bishops, priests and deacons of almost all autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox Churches. The patronal feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the feast of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle, became more illustrious than ever before because of the joyous and historical occasion of the restoration of the holy relics of Sts. Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. The relics of these two Great Fathers of the Church were forcibly taken 800 years ago by the Crusaders of the 4th Crusade in 1204 and were returned by Pope John Paul II to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in a historical ceremony last Saturday, November 27 during an ecumenical service held in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa represented the Serbian Orthodox Church at this pan-Orthodox gathering. The official delegation of the Church of Rome, led by Walter Cardinal Kasper, was also in attendance.

ORTHODOX YOUTH SCENE IN THE NATIONAL THEATRE

On Saturday, December 4, 2004, on the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, the Orthodox Youth Scene ensemble of the Religious Philanthropic Fund of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci will present “Quo vadis Domine?” in the National Theatre’s Rasa Plaovic facility. Curtain time is 8:30 p.m. and tickets are on sale for 100 dinars.

[Serbian Translation Services]