Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
February 25, 2005

PATRONAL FEAST OF THE PATRIARCHAL CHURCH
OF ST SIMEON THE MYRRH-GUSHER

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle will be serving a festal vespers service today at 5:00 p.m. in the Patriarchal Church of St. Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher. The Youth Choir of the Institute of Music of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts will sing at the service. On Saturday, February 26, beginning at 9:00 a.m. His Holiness will serve Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in this church with concelebration of many priests and deacons in celebration of the church’s patronal feast. The First Belgrade Singing Society will sing at the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy.

ST SIMEON DAY ACADEMY

With the blessing of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle on February 26, 2005 a St. Simeon’s Day academy will take place in the large auditorium of the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment building beginning at 8:00 p.m.

Academician Matija Beckovic will deliver the St. Simeon Day homily. Participants in the musical program include the Obilic Choir, AKUD Branko Krsmanovic and the Academic Choir Collegium Musicum with soloists Svetlana Bojcevic-Cicovic, soprano; Iva Mrvos, mezzosoprano; Nikola Mijailovic, baritone; Predrag Milanovic, baritone; Darko Manic, bass. The conductor is Darinka Matic-Marovic. The first work to be performed will be composer Zoran Hristic’s Encyclical. Theatrical actor Nebojsa Dugalic will recite Svetlana Velmar-Jankovic’s text Prayer to St. Simeon. The St. Simeon’s Day Academy has been organized since 1993 by the Serbian Orthodox Church’s “Dobrocinstvo” (Benefaction) agency for the organization of pilgrimages.

“MODERN RUSSIAN FRESCO PAINTING
AND CHURCH ARCHITECTURE” EXHIBITION

This year’s St. Simeon’s Day events in Podgorica begin today with the opening of the “Modern Russian fresco painting and architecture” exhibition of the icon painter Aleksandar Chashkin and architect Yuri Haritonov. The exhibition is on display in the Orthodox cathedral of Christ’s Resurrection from 7:00 p.m.

The exhibition is organized by the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral in cooperation with the Russian House Russian Center for Science and Culture in Serbia and Montenegro, the Podvorye of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, the Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian in Moscow, and the Third Rome National Foundation also from Moscow.

R.V.

DELEGATION OF ST ANDREW THE FIRST-CALLED FUND
FROM MOSCOW VISITS KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexey II of Moscow and All-Russia and His Grace Bishop Artemije of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren, a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Fund from Moscow visited Kosovska Mitrovica, Gracanica, Lipljan and the village of Susice in Kosovo Metohija on February 17-18, 2005. On this occasion the endangered Serbian population received 12 tons of humanitarian aid.

The Russian envoys were received by Srdjan Vasic, the head of the Kosovo district; Dragan Lukic and Darko Vasic, representatives of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija; and the rector of the displaced Pristina University, Mr. Papovic. During its stay in Kosovo and Metohija, the delegation organized a series of seminars for teachers of the Russian language, and on that occasion provided textbooks that will help to enhance the delivery of instruction.

[Serbian Translation Services]