Transfer of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Belgrade
TO ALL THE HIERARCHS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL
OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN FATHERLAND, REGION AND ABROAD
ANNOUNCEMENT
It is Our Honour to inform you about a magnificent event of the transfer of the Holy Fire from the Holy City of Jerusalem to Belgrade, which is going to come from the Holy Land to our Fatherland Serbia, God permitting, on the eve of the Resurrection Day of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, i.e. in the evening on Holy and Great Saturday, April 11th, 2015.
This deed has Our blessing and full support of three Patriarchates – of the ancient Jerusalem Patriarchate, sister Russian and our Serbian Patriarchates, but the project could not be implemented without selfless commitment of a few pious people from Serbia and the Russian Federation, whose charity and efforts deserve Our praise.
For your information, we give you herewith some details concerning this joyful event:
The official delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church, headed by His Grace Bishop Jovan of Slavonia and the official representative of the Republic of Serbia Dr. Dusan Jovovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metochija in the Department for care of cultural heritage and cooperation with SOC, will travel to Jerusalem on Holy and Good Friday in order to participate next morning in the prayerful welcome of the descent of the Holy Fire, which miraculously happens every year on the eve of the Resurrection Day, during the prayer of His Beatitude Patriarch Teophilos of Jerusalem and All Palestine, in the Cathedral church of the Resurrection of Christ.
The Holy Fire will be transferred the same day from Tel Aviv to the Belgrade airport “Nikola Tesla” in evening hours, and from there, accompanied by a solemn escort, it will be brought to the Memorial Cathedral of Saint Sava at Vracar.
Welcome ceremony of the Holy Fire will be organized in front of t Saint Sava’s Cathedral at 23 p.m., where the Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces will be lined up. We will distribute the Holy Fire to the pious people, begin the Easter morning service, and exactly at midnight We will officiate the Easter Divine Liturgy.
Since this God-given deed represents a unique event of great importance for all the God-loving, pious believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church, We consider it important for you to receive this information in due time, given that this will be the first official transfer of the Holy Fire to Belgrade, Serbia.
Offering Our gratitude to God for this extraordinary gift that gives us Orthodox Christians a testimony and witness of Christ's Radiant and Glorious Resurrection, We express Our sincere wish that the Holy Fire be transferred throughout all the Dioceses of our Holy Church as well as all monasteries and local parish communities.
With Our blessing,
SERBIAN PATRIARCH
I R I N E J
