Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
December 24, 2004

FORMAL ACADEMY IN NOVI SAD
TO CELEBRATE BICENTENNIAL OF FIRST SERBIAN UPRISING

On Sunday, December 26, 2004 at December 26, 2004 a formal academy will be held in the main hall of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad on the occasion of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the First Serbian Uprising.

Participants in the program include the Byzantine choir of Kovilj Monastery, the Sveti Jovan Krstitelj (St. John the Baptist) choir of Backa Palanka, ethnic music groups Moba of Belgrade and Iskon of Subotica, gusle players Radovan and Blagoje Sojic of Vrbas, poet Blagoje Bakovic of Vrbas, actress Vesna Cipcic, and actors Marko Nikolic and Vladimir Balascak. The program will be hosted by Dina Colic-Andjelkovic and Bosko Negovanovic.

From the Office of the Diocese of Backa

METROPOLITAN KIRILL OF SMOLENSK
AND KALININGRAD VISITS CORFU

As part of the pilgrimages of Russian Orthodox Christians, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, visited the island of Corfu on December 21, 2004 and on this occasion served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the church of St. Spiridon, where the holy relics of this saint are located. Since the relics of St. Spiridon have healing properties, Metropolitan Kirill in his sermon discussed miraculous healings in connection with holy relics in the Orthodox Church. He then spoke of the blessings of the Living God in the Church which affect all faithful for Christ is the Source of Life and the First of all creation. When we venerate holy relics, we venerate God. In conclusion, the Metropolitan prayed for the unity of the Orthodox Church and the increase of fraternal love between the Greek and Russian Orthodox peoples.

FEAST OF ST NICHOLAS OF MYRA CELEBRATED IN BARI

On Saturday, December 18, 2004, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad consecrated a church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the church of the Podvorye of the Moscow Patriarchate, in Bari. Metropolitan Kyrill presented the church with an icon of the Theotokos of Kazan.

The following day, on the feast of St. Nicholas, Metropolitan Kirill served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy over the holy relics of St. Nicholas of Myra, in the crypt of the basilica where they were brought in the 11th century. Bishop Serafim of Baltiisk and Bishop Peter of the Georgian Orthodox Church were concelebrants during the Liturgy together with 40 priests from various dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. Pilgrims from Russia, the Ukraine and Belorussia attended Holy Liturgy. At the end of the service, Metropolitan Kirill presented the church of St. Nicholas with an icon of Christ the Savior.

[Serbian Translation Services]