Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
February 1, 2005

PATRIARCH PAVLE MEETS WITH
PRIME MINISTER KOSTUNICA AND GENERAL LAZAREVIC

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle invited Serbian Prime Minister Dr. Vojislav Kostunica and General Vladimir Lazarevic for a meeting today in the Belgrade Patriarchate.

His Holiness said that at this moment we are facing great trials both as a people and a state, the greatest of which is certainly the issue of the fate of Kosovo and Metohija.

The Patriarch emphasized that the Serbian Orthodox Church, like our entire people, places the real truth about Kosovo and Metohija above every secular interest, and he added that we must always adhere to the truth and with all our strength witness and fight for the truth.

Throughout our history, said the Patriarch, we have examples of honorable officers who courageously represented the interests of the people and defended the truth to the end. The Serbian Orthodox Church respects and holds in high regard the decision of general Lazarevic to take this difficult path in the interest of the homeland."

General Lazarevic asked His Holiness to mention him in his prayers.

BISHOP’S LIBRARY FROM PAKRAC TO BE RETURNED
TO SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Dr. Slobodan Mileusnic, the director of the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum and the coordinator of the Council for Protection and Restoration of the holy shrines and cultural heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church, met in Zagreb on St. Sava’s Day with Mr. Bozo Biskupic, the Minister for Culture of the Republic of Croatia, to discuss the return of a part of the Bishop’s Library from Pakrac, which is currently stored in the National University Library in Zagreb, to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Also present at the talks were Cedomir Visnjic and Branko Sulc, assistants to the Minister for Culture, as well as Dr. Josip Stipanov, the director of the aforementioned library in Zagreb. The Bishop’s Library in Pakrac was devastated and partially looted at the beginning of the 1991-92 war. At the end of 1992, Zagreb conservationists transferred the remaining books to the National University Library. It was agreed during the talks that this valuable library be temporarily stored in the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum of the Diocese of Zagreb and Ljubljana located in Zagreb. The transfer will take place when the necessary technical preparations have been made.

During his stay in Zagreb Dr. Mileusnic spoke at the promotion of the book “The Serbs in Zagreb” by academician Dejan Medakovic held on St. Sava’s Day in the facilities of the SKD Prosvjeta Library in Zagreb. Other speakers at this spiritual manifestation, which was unable to accommodate all interested persons, included Mr. Radovan Popovic, journalist and publicist from Belgrade, and Mr. Velimir Sekulic, the director of SKD Prosvjeta Library.

SERBS IN VANCOUVER COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE ST SAVA

This year’s St. Sava’s Day celebration in the church of St. Sava in Vancouver lasted three days. On the feast of St. Sava, Thursday, January 27, Holy Liturgy was served; the slava cake and the slava wheat prepared by this year’s slava hosts, the Vucinovic family, were blessed and served after Holy Liturgy. The celebration continued on Saturday, January 29, with an evening religious service, dinner and St. Sava’s Day dance. Performers included the folklore groups “Gradina” and the oldest folklore group “Vuk Karadzic” with choreography arrangements from all Serbian lands. The main St. Sava’s Day celebration including an Academy took place on Sunday, January 30. The blessing of the slava cake and the slava wheat followed Holy Liturgy. This year’s slava hosts, Dragoljub and Sofija Vucinovic and their children, with the help of culinary expert and member of the church school parish Dragan Kovacevic prepared two banquets for the ceremony and welcomed all who arrived as guests on two days. The entire proceeds were donated to the Church, for which we are most deeply grateful. The hosts for next year are Pajo and Jelka Pajic, long-time members of the church school parish.

After the well-prepared St. Sava’s Day banquet, the St. Sava’s Day Academy prepared by our priests, teachers of the Serbian School, and folklore dance instructors. Participants in the Academy were students of the Serbian School and the folklore group “Vuk Karadzic”. The recital was preceded by the welcoming remarks of the president of the church school parish, Mr. Ljubomir Jankovic. Everyone present then took part in singing the Hymn to St. Sava in the formal hall of the church school parish, and Protopresbyter Sava Arsenijevic delivered his St. Sava’s Day homily.

INTERNET PRESENTATION OF “WHITE LINEN”

The musical group “White Linen” [Belo Platno] nurtures centuries-old Serbian and Greek music with ethnic motifs from the region of Old Serbia. The group has existed for some years and occupies an exceptionally important place on the musical map of Serbia and the Balkans.

This group of young music enthusiasts is seeking media promotion in order to make as many people as possible aware of its creative work. Consequently, they recently launched their website presentation at www.beloplatno.rastko.net

The site includes information about the group’s work, the type of music to which it is dedicated, musical instruments used, as well as a nicely organized gallery of photographs from performances, and news regarding their performance schedule.

White linen is a frequent motif in authentic Serbian folk music. A symbol of purity, white linen is a part of the entire life cycle of man: at birth, a child is swaddled in it; the newly christened are clothed in it; at weddings, the hands of the bride and the bridegroom are joined with a towel of white linen; wedding guests are presented with embroidered white linen towels as gifts; white linen is worn throughout our lives and, ultimately, at the end of earthly life, the dead are wrapped in it. There are many songs describing maidens blanching linen or weaving linen on a loom. The symbolism of the color white is multifold since it is associated not only with appearance (of the face, the hands, the breast) but also with personal traits (such as chastity, gentleness, purity).

[Serbian Translation Services]