Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
May 9, 2006

ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF THE SECRETARY
OF THE DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN

Kosovo and Metohija police confirmed on May 8, 2006, that last weekend on the intersection between the village of Rudare and the monastery of Sokolica near Zvecan unknown persons opened gunfire on a vehicle but that none of the passengers was injured.

KIM Radio from Caglavica reported that the vehicle of the secretary of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, Protopresbyter Srdjan Stankovic, was targeted. Police did not give the identity of persons who were in the car fired upon, adding that this was “an attempted murder”.

KIM Radio said that in addition to Prota Srdjan Stankovic, his wife and two children were in the car. Father Srdjan stated that on Saturday evening on the road to Pristina a black VW Golf without license plates blocked the road in front of him and two unknown attackers fired several gunshots.

One bullet hit his vehicle but the priest managed to turn the car around toward Zvecan, where he reported the incident to police.

Police reported that the car had been damaged and that the incident was under investigation.

Father Srdjan was traveling toward Gracanica with his family, where the seat of Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren has been located since 1999.

Source: www.kosovo.net

SCOBA AT ST. SAVA CATHEDRAL IN NEW YORK

On Tuesday, May 2, 2006 the St. Sava Cathedral in New York was honored to host the annual meeting of the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops of America, the gathering of the hierarchs of all canonical Orthodox Churches in America.

Attending this event were Greek Orthodox Archbishop Dimitrios, Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Christopher, Romanian Orthodox Archbishop Nicolae, Ukrainian Orthodox Archbishop Anthony, Bulgarian Metropolitan Joseph, Antiochian Orthodox Bishop Basil (filling in for Metropolitan Philip), representative of the Orthodox Church of America (OCA) V. Rev. David Brum and the general secretary of SCOBA Bishop Dimitrios Xantos.

Besides the regular business, the hierarchs were briefed on the theme, lecturers and coordinators of the upcoming conference of all Orthodox Bishops in America, scheduled for October 3-6, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.

The hierarchs touched on a number of topics ranging from missionary work, pan-Orthodox activities and con-celebrations. Another topic discussed was the plight of the suffering Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija to which His Eminence Archbishop Dimitrios mentioned the recent visit of the official delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church to the United States and their visit with members of SCOBA during their stay here.

The host of this gathering, His Eminence Metropolitan Christopher of Midwestern America welcomed all the hierarchs and thanked the dean of the St. Sava Cathedral V. Rev. Djokan Majstorovic and Rev. Zivko Velimirovic as well as the Church Board for their warm welcome.

A tasty luncheon with Serbian specialties was served by the Serbian Sisters following the meeting. At the end Fr. Djokan thanked all the hierarchs for this great honor that was bestowed upon the St. Sava church in New York, which is temporarily being renovated. Afterwards, he led the hierarchs to the church where he gave them a brief history of the church and the Serbian community in New York.

Source: Diocese of Eastern America

ST MARK’S DAY CELEBRATED IN PODGORICA

On the day when the Church celebrates the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, the heavenly protector of Podgorica, His Grace Bishop Jovan of Dioclea served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the church of St. George under Gorica.

The Holy Evangelist Park, who remained the vessel of God, was selected to go to Egypt, which was ruled by polytheism, the pharaohs and disbelief in the Resurrection of the Lord, said Bishop Jovan.

“We can only imagine what it was like for the Evangelist Mark to preach where polytheism was in flower but he preached with the force of the Resurrected Lord. As today’s Gospels say, the Apostles and their successors had the gift of expelling evil spirits, to heal the ailing and to give dispensation. Since everything that is dispensed in this world will also be dispensed in the heavens, is there any greater power and force than this, which was given to the apostles? That is why we believe not only in the one Holy and Catholic Apostolic Church, we believe in the Apostolic Church because the Church is based on the foundation of the apostles, their legacy and their witnessing, the apostolic succession which, unfortunately, was interrupted by the Roman Catholics in the eleventh century. The Orthodox Christians are the heirs of the apostles because they remained in the faith of their apostles and their fathers, because that same faith was preached by our forefathers. It is no coincidence that the Holy Evangelist Mark was selected to be the protector of Dioclea and of the first seat of those apostolic successors in the fourth century in Duklja who so joyously rushed to this region to announce the victory of the crucified and Resurrected Lord, the greatest victory won by the Lord Jesus Christ over death, sin and the devil,” said Bishop Jovan.

Today as never before we chose whether we are for or against Christ. When they ask us who we are, we say we our Christians because that name contains our identity, emphasized Bishop Jovan.

“By the blessing and protection of God’s Holy Saints, the Holy Apostles, the Holy Apostle Mark and St. George the Victory-bearer and the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, the bearers of good tidings whose memory we celebrate this Sunday, may God grant that we, too, may sacrifice our internal myrrh to the Lord, which is a honorable life in virtue. That with that myrrh we may anoint His wounds and console His tortured body, our own people, that it may not become divided but know who it is and to whom it belongs, that brother embrace brother, that we forgive each other and that in the light of the Resurrection we pray for our enemies and for those who curse and persecute us and speak ill of us, for the sake of the Son of Man,” said Bishop Jovan.

During the course of Holy Liturgy those who prepared by fasting and prayer approached the Holy Chalice.

A festal procession through the streets of Podgorica led by His Grace Bishop Joakim of Polog and Kumanovo with the clergy and people of God will start out from in front of the church of St. George at 6:00 p.m.

After the festal procession a concert will take place in front of the church of St. George by the ethno music group Stupovi from Belgrade.

Source: Svetigora Press (R.L./ S.K.)

HOLY LITURGY SERVED IN KRKA MONASTERY

On Sunday, May 7, 2006, His Grace Bishop Fotije co-officiated at Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the monastery of Krka, where the officiating hierarch was His Grace Bishop Longin of America and Canada (New Gracanica Metropolitanate. It was Bishop Longin’s first visit to the monastery of Krka and Holy Three Hierarchs Seminary in some time, and he learned more about the life and work of the renewed spiritual teaching ground where he himself originated.

After Holy Liturgy, Bishop Fotije and Bishop Longin together with the brotherhood of Krka Monastery visited the monastery of Dragovic, which suffered the most in the recent tragedy in this region but now, thank God, is nevertheless being restored.

On this occasion Mr. Dragan Tarlac also visited the monasteries of Krka and Dragovic. Mr. Tarlac, the legendary Serbian basketball player, is an avowed friend of the monastery of Krka.

Source: Diocese of Dalmatia