Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
Avgust 22, 2005

BISHOP GRIGORIJE OF ZAHUMLJE AND HERZEGOVINA MEETS WITH MR KAI EIDE, SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR OF THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL

His Grace Bishop Grigorije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina and other members of the Serbian Orthodox Church delegation which recently visited the United States of America, including His Grace Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan and Hieromonk Irinej Dobrijevic, consultant to the Holy Synod of Bishops, met today in the Belgrade Patriarchate with Mr. Kai Eide, the special rapporteur of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the assessment of standards in Kosovo and Metohija.

Bishop Grigorije emphasized that a way out of the existing situation can only be found through respect for human rights and freedoms together with open and sincere dialogue, and that an accurate assessment of the situation and level of standards fulfillment in Kosovo and Metohija can contribute significantly to this process. He emphasized that the Serbian Orthodox Church and the faithful in Kosovo and Metohija sense the existence of danger from a rapid deterioration of the security situation and the continued threat to the survival of remaining Serbs.

At the end of the conversation Bishop Grigorije presented Mr. Eide with a copy of a Serbian-Albanian and Albanian-Serbian dictionary recently co-published by the Serbian Orthodox Church’s Information and Publishing Institute and the Jasen Publishing House in Belgrade.

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA JOINS APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF ARCHBISHOP JOVAN OF OCHRID

On August 20/7, 2005 His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle received the following letter from His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) sent from the monastery of the Holy Trinity in New York, USA.

To His Holiness Paul,
Orthodox Archbishop of Pec
Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci
Patriarch of Serbia

Your Holiness Most Holy and Esteemed Vladyko!

I send you heartfelt greetings on the continuing celebration of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and with the approaching Dormition of the Mother of God. We hope that during these holy days the Giver of Light, Christ our God, will visit and grant mercy upon His Eminence Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, who is now in a Macedonian prison for responding to Your Holiness' call to actively seek to heal church division and restoring communion with Your Holiness.

We raise our prayers before our main holy icon, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, in Whose "assumption… did not leave us," and hope and believe that His Eminence Archbishop Jovan will soon return to his flock and serve his church.

With fraternal love in the Lord,

+ Metropolitan Laurus,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

CONSECRATION OF CHURCH AT KLJUCKI TAVOR ON MT BJELASICA

On Kljucki Tavor, one of the highest peaks of Mt. Bjelasica on August 20 His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral consecrated the newly built church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord with the concelebration of a number of hierarchs from our local Church and the prayerful participation of a great number of faithful from various parts of Montenegro. The church is a faithful copy of the former church of St. Peter of Cetinje on Mt. Lovcen which the Communists in their time tore down and replaced with a pagan mausoleum.

Concelebrants with Metropolitan Amfilohije during Holy Hierarchal Liturgy included Their Graces Bishop Joanikije of Budimlje and Niksic, Bishop Filaret of Milesevo, and retired Bishop Atanasije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina.

In an inspired sermon Bishop Atanasije emphasized the meaning of the religious holiday of the Holy Transfiguration for the history of Christianity and the human race.

“The Lord created all matter that He might transform it into the glory and light of His Divinity, not to destroy it but to celebrate it, for transformation is not disappearance but renewal and enlightenment of the creation of God which in its essence is good and marked for light. May today’s holiday in this beauty, at this height, in this light be a transformation of all of our lives from darkness to light, from evil to good, from hatred to love,” said Bishop Atanasije.

Blessing all who were present at Kljucki Tavor, Bishop Atanasije said that we were gathered here in the name of peace, love, glory and light.

During Holy Liturgy the abbot of the monastery of Cirilovac, Father Joil, who is also the patron of the newly built church, was honored with the rank of archimandrite. After the service poets, actors and gusle players also welcomed the many faithful and the priests in their own fashion.

Source: Svetigora Press (S.Z./R.V)

ALL-DALMATIA ASSEMBLY AT KRKA MONASTERY

On the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord an All-Dalmatian Assembly was held at Krka Monastery. Approximately 10,000 faithful visited the monastery in two days. His Grace Bishop Vasilije of Srem served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the concelebration of his host, His Grace Bishop Fotije of Dalmatia, Archimandrite Tihon, the abbot of Studenica Monastery, and numerous priests and monks of the Dioceses of Srem, Dalmatia and Zica. The celebration began on August 18 with an evening service served by Archimandrite Tihon of Studenica Monastery.

Like every year the monastery assembly included a cultural arts program, including performances by Cultural Arts Society (KUD) Pelagicevo from Banja Luka, KUD Zegar from Zegar and the singing group Dinarke from Belgrade. The All-Dalmatian Assembly was attended by Mr. Milan Simurdic, the ambassador of Serbia-Montenegro to Croatia; Mr. Jean Roccas, the ambassador of Belgium; Mrs. Maria Zissi, the charge d’affaires of the Greek Embassy in Zagreb; Mssrs. Aleksandar Tolnauer and Sinisa Tatalovic from the Council for National Minorities of the Republic of Croatia; Mr. Valeri Florean from the OSCE mission in the Republic of Croatia; and numerous other guests. The All-Dalmatian Assembly at Krka Monastery has become the biggest Serb gathering in Croatia.

Source: Diocese of Dalmatia

HOLY RELICS OF FR GEORGIJE VITKOVIC TRANSFERRED TO CHILANDAR

For the second time in its history, Chilandar is to receive a blessing from Stari Rusik. Eight centuries ago, it was the tonsuring of St. Sava as a monk there, and recently, on June 13/May 31, it was the transfer of the holy relics of the blessed monk Georgije Vitkovic (+1972) from the ancient monastery to the Serbian lavra. In prayerful gratitude and silence, fifteen members of the brotherhood of Chilandar Monastery, as well as Monk Porfirije attended the transfer of the holy relics from Simonopetra Monastery.

Father Georgije (secular name Branko) was born on September 24, 1920 in the village of Milusa in Bileca. He completed elementary school in Bileca, and then enrolled in the military engineering school, which he completed with outstanding success.

At the beginning of World War II he was captured and interred in a camp in Italy, where he spent two years prior to being transferred to France.

In 1952 he interrupted his studies in Germany and went to Paris, where he enrolled in the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute. In France he had the honor of meeting Blessed Father Sofronie Saharov (+1993).

According to his friends at the Institute, like Father Sofronie, Branko studied Father Siluan, who had himself studied at St. Sergius Institute thirty years earlier. Inspired, he went to Mt. Athos in Greece and became a monk. He also went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Father Georgije reposed in the Lord on September 21/9, 1972 in Stari Rusik. In his cell there was nothing except a few dry twigs, a bag of tea (there was no sugar anywhere), one blanket and a few books.

The relics of Father Georgije in a copper color demonstrate that his labor-filled life of a martyr, and his continuous prayer were pleasing to the Lord. That he had grown "to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ". (Eph 4:13)

Chilandar Monastery welcomed him after thirty-two years with quiet joy and unobtrusive peals of the bells on its dome. And with the conviction that Father Georgije is arriving at the right moment: to strengthen faith in the necessity of suffering, interpreting the fire in which the walls perished as a flame in which everything temporal in man should also burn and be transformed. And to explain how his great sacrifice now gives many fruits among the unquestionable fore signs of Chilandar's spiritual spring: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (Jhn 12:24).

Source: Information Service of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren

BANJSKA MONASTERY CELEBRATES ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SINCE ITS RESTORATION AFTER 520 YEARS

The medieval monastery of Banjska near Zvecan (14th century) celebrated its patronal feast on August 15, the Feast of the Transfer of the Holy Relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stefan, as well as the one year anniversary of its restoration after 520 years of vacancy, with Holy Hierarchal Liturgy, the cutting of the slava cakes and a formal spiritual academy.

Bishop Artemije (Radosavljevic) of Raska and Prizren and his vicar, Bishop Teodosije (Sibalic) of Lipljan, served Holy Liturgy with the concelebration of the priests and monks of the Diocese in the presence of several hundred faithful from throughout Serbia, officials of Zvecan municipality and political representatives of the Kosovo Serbs.

In his festal homily Bishop Artemije emphasized that the day represented "the day of the triumph of life over death, good over evil, love over hatred, and building over destruction".

"No holy shrine is ever forgotten before God nor in the soul of the people who for centuries have visited our ruins because they remembered that these are holy sites dedicated to the glory of God, who made it possible and allowed our holy shrines to again be resurrected," said Bishop Artemije.

He emphasized that "even in these tragic times in which we live while our holy shrines are being destroyed, by the grace of God in other locations holy shrines that have lain in ruins for centuries are being restored". Bishop Artemije said that this is "our faith, our hope and encouragement that the holy shrines that are now being destroyed will also one day be resurrected". Reminding of the example of Archdeacon Stefan who was "the first whose blood was spilled for witnessing Christ, and who prayed to God under the hail of stones flung at him: Lord, do not hold this against them", Bishop Artemije emphasized that it is the duty of every sincere Christian to also pray for his enemies.

"Those of us who believe in the Resurrected Lord and who celebrate His servants, from Archdeacon Stefan throughout the course of 2,000 years to Holy Bishop Nikolai and Father Justin, also pray to God for our enemies. That God may enlighten them, make them wiser and return them to the path of salvation so they do not destroy our holy shrines and our tombs, persecute our people and murder our children, so that they, too, seek the path of salvation and knowledge of truth. That is Christian love, which answers to evil with good, to hatred with love, to persecution with prayers to God to save both us and [those who persecute us]," said Bishop Artemije at Banjska.

During Holy Liturgy in Banjska Hypodeacon Nikola Vucetic was ordained a deacon, and Natasa Vuckovic of Leposavic accepted to be the slava hostess next year.

Banjska Monastery was built between 1313-16 as the endowment of King Milutin. After his death, its patron was first buried in the monastery but after the Battle of Kosovo [1389] his body was transferred first to Trepca, and then to Sofia, Bulgaria, where it remains today. The endowment of King Milutin was among the first destroyed and left empty after the arrival of the Turks. The monumental monastery complex was destroyed, and during the 19th century the church of the Holy Archdeacon Stefan was converted into a mosque, and served as such until World War I. After more than five centuries the monastery was officially restored last year on August 15, and a young monastic brotherhood began living there. Today there are seven monks led by Protosingel Simeon (Vilovski), the abbot, living and working of the spiritual and material restoration of this holy shrine.

Source: Information Service of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren

[Serbian Translation Services]