Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
July 18, 2006

NEW BISHOP OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ORDAINED – BISHOP IRINEJ (DOBRIJEVIC) OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

On Friday, 14 July 2006 in the Saborna Church in Belgrade, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle officiated in the rite of election of Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic) of Australia and New Zealand with the concelebration of Metropolitan Nikolaj of Dabro-Bosnia; Metropolitan Nikita of Hong Kong; Bishop Vasilije of Zvornik and Tuzla; Bishop Hrizostom of Zica; Bishop Irinej of Backa; Bishop Lukijan of Osijek Polje and Baranja; Bishop Pahomije of Vranje; Bishop Jovan of Sumadija; Bishop Ignatije of Branicevo; Bishop Filaret of Milesevo; Bishop Joanikije of Budimlje and Niksic; Bishop Marko of Bregalnica and locum tenens of the Diocese of Bitolj; and Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan. Also taking part in the rite of election were Archimandrite Antonije (Pantelic), newly elected Bishop of Moravica; Archimandrite David (Ninov), newly elected Bishop of Stopica; Archimandrite Jovan (Radosavljevic), the spiritual father of the seminaries of the SPC; Abbot Mihajlo (Tosic), abbot of Fenek Monastery; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Radic Radicevic, hierarchal administrator of Belgrade-Posavje; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Petar Lukic, elder of the Saborna Church in Belgrade; Protopresbyter Branko Topalovic, hierarchal administrator of the I. Belgrade Administrative District; and Presbyter Slavisa Popovic, parish priest of the Saborna Church in Belgrade, as well as Protodeacon Vlado Mikic, professor of St. Sava Seminary, retired; Protodeacon Radomir Percevic, professor of St. Sava Seminary; Protodeacon Stevan Rapajic, secretary of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovci; Protodeacon Dr. Luka Novakovic, director of the PU Committee of the SPC; Hierodeacon Evsevije (Meandjija), a brother of Fenek Monastery; Deacon Sasa Colic, secretary to Bishop Irinej of Australia and New Zealand; and Hypodeacon Gradimir Stanic, director of the SPC Publishing House; Hypodeacon Miroslav Rakonjac, director of the Patriarchal residence; Reader Mihailo Rapajic, student of the Theological Faculty; Reader Djordje Mijajlovic, graduate of the Theological Faculty.

At the wake on Friday, 14 July 2006 Archimandrite Irinej (Dobrijevic), the appointed and elected by rite Bishop of Australia and New Zealand officiated with the concelebration of Archimandrite Antonije (Pantelic), newly elected Bishop of Moravica; Archimandrite David (Ninov), newly elected Bishop of Stopica; Archimandrite Jovan (Radosavljevic), spiritual leader of the seminaries of the SPC; Abbot Mihajlo (Tosic), abbot of Fenek Monastery; as well as Protodeacon Radomir Percevic, professor of St. Sava Seminary; Protodeacon Stevan Repajic, secretary of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovci; Protodeacon Dr. Luka Novakovic; director of the PU Committee of the SPC; and Hypodeacon Gradimir Stanic, director of the SPC Publishing House; Hypodeacon Miroslav Rakonjac, director of the Patriarchal residence; Reader Mihailo Rapajic, student of the Theological Faculty and Reader Djordje Mijajlovic, graduate of the Theological Faculty.

The following day, Saturday, 15 July 2006, on the feast of the Deposition of the Mantle of the Most Holy Theotokos, Holy Hierarchal Liturgy was served in the Saborna Church and Archimandrite Irinej (Dobrijevic) was vested as the new Bishop of Australia and New Zealand.

The Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Kyr Amfilohije, officiated at Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the concelebration of Metropolitan Nikolaj of Dabro-Bosnia; Metropolitan Nikita of Hong Kong; Bishop Hrizostom of Zica, Bishop Nikolaj of Alaska; Bishop Irinej of Backa; Bishop Lukijan of Osijek Polje and Baranja; Bishop Pahomije of Vranje; Bishop Jovan of Sumadija; Bishop Ignatije of Branicevo; Bishop Filaret of Milesevo; Bishop Joanikije of Budimlje and Niksic; Bishop Grigorije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina; Bishop Marko of Bregalnica and locum tenens of the Diocese of Bitolj; Bishop Porfirije of Jegar; and Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan. Also taking part were Archimandrite Antonije (Pantelic), the newly elected Bishop of Moravica; Archimandrite David (Ninov), the newly elected Bishop of Stopica; Archimandrite Jovan (Radosavljevic), the spiritual leader of the seminaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Archimandrite Danilo (Pavlovic), the abbot of Zitomislic; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Miodrag Milovanovic, the spiritual father of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovci; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Milutin Timotijevic, rector of the Seminary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Prizren; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Dr. Dimitrije Kalezic, retired professor of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Mihailo Arnaut, hierarchal administrator of the City of Belgrade; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Jeremija Starovlah, parish priest of St. George’s Church in Bezanija; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Savo Jovic, secretary to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Radic Radicevic, hierarchal administrator of Belgrade-Posavje; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Bozo Bakajlic, secretary of the Diocesan Executive Committee of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovci; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Petar Lukic, elder of the Saborna Church in Belgrade; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Dr. Dragan Protic, rector of St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade and professor of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade; Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Dr. Radovan Bigovic, elder of Holy Archangel Gabriel Monastery in Zemun; Abbot Danilo (Ljubotina); Abbot Sava (Miric), administrator of Fenek Monastery; Abbot Mihailo (Tosic), administrator of Sopocani Monastery; Protopresbyter Srboljub Miletic, parish priest of Rooty Hill in Sydney, Australia; Presbyter Dr. Vladan Perisic, dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade; Hieromonk Lazar (Lazarevic), brother of Zitomislic Monastery; Presbyter Aleksa Micic, parish priest in Washington, USA; Presbyter Dusan Markovic, parish priest in Paracin; Presbyter Velibor Dzomic, parish priest in Podgorica; Presbyter Aleksandar Lukic, Parish priest of St. Vasilije Ostroski Church in Bezanija; Presbyter Dimitrios Kasapis, Diocese of Branicevo; Protodeacon Dr. Stanimir Spasovic, professor of the Theological Faculty of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Libertyville, USA; Protodeacon Vlado Mikic, retired professor of St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade; Protodeacon Radomir Percevic, professor of St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade; Protodeacon Stevan Rapajic, secretary of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovci; Protodeacon Milan Kovacevic, professor of St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade; Protodeacon Dr. Luka Novakovic, director of the Patriarchal executive office; Hierodeacon Jovan (Stanojevic), brother of Dalja Monastery, Diocese of Osijek Polje; Hierodeacon Evsenije (Meandjija), brother of Sopocani Monastery; Deacon Sasa Colic, secretary to Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic) of Australia and New Zealand; Deacon Radoja Sando, Diocese of Zica; and Hypodeacon Gradimir Stanic, director of the Serbian Orthodox Church Publishing House; Hypodeacon Miroslav Rakonjac, director of the Patriarchal residence; Reader Mihailo Rapajic, student of the Theological Faculty; Reader Djordje Mijajlovic, graduate of the Theological Faculty.

Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Kyr Amfilohije, officiated at the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the concelebration of 16 bishops, 25 priests, 10 deacons and four readers. The ordination of the new Bishop was also attended by Monsignor Eugenio Sbarbaro, the papal nuncio in Belgrade; representatives of the diplomatic corps; Mr. Milan Radulovic, Minister of Religions in the Republic of Serbia Government; Mr. Aleksandar Cotric, deputy Minister for the Diaspora in the Republic of Serbia Government; Dr. Veselin Sjekloca, vice-president of the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Nenad Popovic, head of the Economic Team for the South of Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija; Mr. Vladimir Bozovic, assistant Minister and general inspector of MUP; members of the royal family of Karadjordjevic – Their Royal Highnesses Princess Jelisaveta and Princess Linda with her son, Prince Djordje; Their Excellencies Ambassadors: Mr. David Gowan (Great Britain), Mr. Robert MacDougal (Canada), Ms. Lavanya Prasad (India), Mr. John Oliver (Australia), Mr. Hugues Pernet (France), Mr. Aleksandr Alekseyev (Russian Federation), Mr. Carlos Rodriguez y Quezada (Mexico), Mr. Gerhard Jandl (Austria); Mr. Roderick Moore, deputy US Ambassador; Mr. Louis Crishock, head of the US Office in Banja Luka; Mr. Julian Harston, head of the Office of the United Nations Mission in Serbia; Mr. Cliff Simmons, director of the US AID mission in Serbia; Mr. Aleksandar Milutinovic, deputy US military attache, and many other officials of the US Embassy in Serbia; Ms. Ann Pesic, consul of the Republic of Ireland, Ms. Rujiza Mara Andreyevich, consul of the Brazilian Embassy in Serbia; representatives of the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) for the US, Romania, B-H and Serbia; Mr. Slavko Panovic, president of Serbian National Defense of America; members of the Royal Council headed by Mr. Dragomir Acovic; Mr. Srdjan Mikovic, mayor of Pancevo; Mr. Alex Machaskee, president and publicist, The Plain Dealer from Ohio, USA; Dejan Bodiroga, the famous basketball player, and his wife Ivana; the folklore ensemble Kolo; and a large number of citizens.

On behalf of His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch the insignia of the episcopal office – the omophora, panagia, mitre and staff – were presented to the newly elected and vested Bishop Irinej by Metropolitan Amfilohije who on this occasion said: “God has given you the honor of service on the continent of Australia and New Zealand. The Church sends you as the Lord once sent his students to preach, to gather the people of God, to enlighten them and to consecrate them with the holiness you have received today with which God has honored you.”

RESUME OF HIS GRACE BISHOP IRINEJ
OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

[Serbian Translation Services]