Archive for February, 2010

Newly elected Patriarch of the Serbian Church

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

 

                                               +Patriarch Irinej  

                                                                     Newly elected Patriarch of the

Serbian Orthodox Church
               Novoizabrani Patrijarh Srpski G. Irinej

His Holiness Patriarch Irinej (Gavrilovic) of Serbia was born in the village of Vidova, near Cacak in 1930 by his father Zdravko and mother Milijana. When he was baptized he was named Miroslav. He finished the elementary school in his village, and then in Cacak he finished the high school. After the end of the high school he enrolled and completed a seminary in Prizren, and then he finished the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. Upon graduation, he went into the army. Following his return from the army he was soon appointed a professor of the Prizren seminary. Before taking the office of the professor in October  1959, at the Rakovica monastery he was tonsured by His Holiness Patriarch German, gaining the monastic name of Irenej.

That same month, on St. Petka’s day, October 27, 1959 at the Ruzica church on the Kalemegdan, he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk. While he worked as the professor at the Prizren seminary he was sent to the postgraduate studies in Athens. In 1969 he was appointed as the head of the monastic school at the monastery of Ostrog, from where he returned back to Prizren and there he was appointed a rector of the Prizren Seminary. From that duty in 1974 he was elected for a vicar bishop of His Holiness Patriarch of Serbia with the title of Bishop of Moravica. A year later, in 1975 he was elected for Bishop of Nis, where he has been until now.  AXIOS, AXIOS. DOSTOJAN!

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“Historical Recollections of our Church”

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Dear Friends

You are invited!

Please come to the first "Historical Recollections of Our
Church" potluck and get-together to be held on Saturday, March 13th at 10:30
a.m. in the Church Hall.

This will be the beginning of a year-long effort to gather stories,
vignettes, and memories about the people and events which helped create and
build the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church.  Father Dane hopes
to gather and compile this historical information on the Church to
memorialize in a book and preserve for the future.

This event is open to anyone (and everyone!) who would like to attend and
contribute their special memories from the beginning of the 65th Street
Church (and before) to the present.  Please spread the word and gather your
stories, recollection and/or pictures to bring along with your favorite
Lenten dish to the potluck.

For more information, please contact either Father Dane at (916) 966-6276 or
Kim Glazzard at (916) 455-8415.

Serbian New Year Celebration- Proslava Srpske Nove Godine

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Pictures from Serbian New Year celebration -Slike sa proslave Srpske Nove Godine January 16, 2010

Sunday of Orthodoxy- Nedelja Pravoslavlja

Monday, February 1st, 2010

 

Triumph of Orthodoxy – 2010

              Our congregation hosted this year’s Triumph of Orthodoxy – Orthodox Sunday Vespers Service on February 21st.  Even though the service was to begin at 7 p.m., people began arriving shortly after 6 p.m.  By the time the doors of the Sanctuary were opened, the Church was full.  Latecomers spilled into the side aisles and stood in the Vestibule!  All had come to witness the Triumph of Orthodoxy – the right to possess and venerate our beloved icons.  Many worshippers came clutching their own beloved icons to their breasts.

The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of Sacramento was the guest choir.  With the singing of their first evening prayer, all the worshippers were transfixed!  We were truly in a place where God was in our midst and we all felt His presence.  The choir chose to sing the responses and prayers in three languages – Greek, Church Slavonic and English.  They rotated amongst the three.  It only took the worshippers one cycle of languages before they discovered the pattern and joined in the singing.  How wonderful to worship surrounded by people of all backgrounds and all colors singing and worshipping Our God together.  The service seemed to end too soon.  How fitting that the final prayer for this Sunday service is our beautiful prayer “How Great Is Our God”.

We were blessed with the presence of 15 Priests.   Our own Fr. Dane Popovic led the beautiful service as the host priest.  With him were: 

Fr. Miladin Garic – our retired Priest, now at St. Sava’s in Jackson

Fr. Dimitrius Dogias – retired Priest from Annunciation Greek Church – Sacramento

Fr. Andrew Jacobs – St. Suzanna – Sonora

Fr. Timothy Robinson – Annunciation Greek Church – Sacramento

Fr. Stephen Tumbas – St. Sava Serbian Church – Jackson

Fr. Paul Volmensky – Ascension Russian Church – Sacramento

Fr. James Retelas – Annunciation Greek Church – Sacramento

Fr. Thomas Zell – St. James Antiochian Church – Modesto

Fr. Polycarp Whitcomb – Antiochian Church – Sacramento

Fr. Ian Mackinnon – Holy Cross American Church – Sacramento

Fr. Christopher Flesoras – St. Anna Greek Church – Roseville

Fr. Stephen Howell

Fr. George Gulin – Holy Myrrhbearers Church – West Sacramento

Fr. William Weir – our Church

Our President, Miroslav Milovanovich became the love of the evening with his wonderful Lenten minestrone soup.  The wafting smells that emanated from the kitchen made everyone want to eat!  Our beloved Sisters baked and offered delicious Lenten desserts.  The love felt during the service continued until after 10 p.m. as people sat and visited with each other.  What a wonderful way to visit with our Brothers and Sisters from the other Orthodox Churches in the area.  This is an opportunity we get too infrequently and many wanted to savor the experience.

Many thanks to the MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE who offered their helpful hands in preparing for this great event.  Our Primary Thanks to Fr. Dane and Fr. William who guided us throughout all the preparations for the evening.  Their prayers and guidance are our beacon to eternity.  Thank you to those who cooked and baked; Thank you to those who cleaned the Church and the hall in preparation for the evening; Thank you to those who prepared the flower arrangements in the Church and in the hall; Thank you to those who fixed the lights outside; Thank you to those who set up the tables and chairs; Thank you to those who set the tables; Thank you to those who served the food;  Thank you to those who cleaned up the kitchen and the hall till midnight;  Thank you to those who attended and prayed;  Thank you to those who could not be with us but thought of us as we prayed.

Thanks be to God for giving us such a wonderful evening as we begin our Second Week of Lent – 2010.  

How Great A God Is Our God.

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Excerpts from Sermon offered by Fr. Timothy Robinson

                                    Orthodox Sunday Vesper Service

Tonight we are celebrating the triumph of the Orthodox over threatening heresy.  Some statistics about Orthodoxy in the United States today:

Less that 1% of U.S. citizens are Orthodox Christians – same as Muslims

We are living in the most religiously diverse country in the world

Our community has been the target of Jehovah Witnesses

One can see the diversity of “beliefs” at Barnes & Nobles: witchcraft, magic spells, etc.

Islam claims to be the fastest growing religion in the U.S.

              One of our Orthodox brethren decided to leave and went to a Baptist Church where he was told he needed to be ‘rebaptized’. (NOT PERMITTED IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH) 

              Only 1 in every 1,000 immigrants to the U.S. is Orthodox.

              The American culture tells us everything and anything is okay to believe. 

More than 50% (1/2) of children who go to a university do NOT attend Church after they graduate.

How do Orthodox Christians respond to the confusing pluralism of America?  We need to educate ourselves AND our young people.  We will not make progress if we do not discipline ourselves to follow our religious tradition.  We need to take our religious practices seriously:  fasting, praying, and repenting of our sins.  We need to dedicate ourselves to preaching the Gospel. 

We need to take the Medicine of Orthodoxy and share it with others. 

Notes graciously taken by Elizabeth Denisova

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, Feb. 21stOur Church will be hosting the evening Vesper Service for Orthodox Sunday.  All the Orthodox churches in the Sacramento area will be invited to attend our Church that evening.  This is an uplifting service.   It is also a wonderful teaching moment for all of our children.  They have the opportunity (as we all do) to meet the Priests from all the other Orthodox churches in town.  More information will be forthcoming.  Please plan to come and participate in this historic service.  Orthodox Sunday

U Nedelju 21 februara nasa crkva ce biti domacin ostalim pravoslavnim crkvama kada ce se sluzite Vecernje u secanje pobede Pravoslavlja. Svi pravoslavni sa teritorije Sakramenta i sire su pozvani da uzmu ucesce. Svestenici iz svih Pravoslavnih Jurizdikcija uzece ucesce. Molimo vas planirajte da dodjete za ovu sluzbu. Nedelja Pravoslavlja

 

St. Sava Celebration – Svetosavska Proslava

Monday, February 1st, 2010

 St. Sava Celebration 2010

 We celebrated our Beloved St. Sava’s Day on Sunday, January 31, 2010. Approximately 45 children participated in the program. Poems, songs, dances and musical instruments were on the program for the day. Much preparation and planning went into our celebration. The youngsters prepared their parts with much oversight and help. Parents, Sunday school teachers, volunteer adults and teens all participated to make this a memorable event. The recitations and songs were studied for approximately six weeks before the event. The dance practices took place on Sunday afternoons.   Several group practices took place during the 2 weeks leading up to the event. All the hard work paid off with so many of our youth participating in our program 2010.

                                             January 31, 2010

   What a lovely celebration we shared on Sunday, January 31st!  There were children of all ages everywhere!  Praying in Church at Divine Liturgy; receiving Holy Communion; dressing in the Sunday school rooms; serving food in the hall; laughing in the restrooms; dressing “hair” on the stairs and the table in the back of the hall; ‘running’ errands up and down the stairs; calling out to each other to ‘hurry up’ (for whatever needed doing immediately); lining up for the procession in for their program and performing in the program honoring St. Sava, Patron Saint of Children.

            We are Blessed by God that so very many people joined hands this year and created one of the most wonderful events honoring St. Sava that we have had in many years.  Under the urging of Zlatko Theodorovich  and Vesna Mojsich, Parents tutored their children, brought them to practices and encouraged them to participate in various venues.  We had poetry recitations, songs, musical instrument  performances and dances by the different age groups.  The overall presentation was wonderful to witness. 

            Bogdan Bradarich and Brigit Cvetich were our Kumovi for the celebration.  Bo admitted that  Baba Ana Bradarich helped compose his speech.  When asked if he made the zhito, he responded, “Baba did it – I like hers and don’t want to taint it.”  Both Bo and Brigit  stated they  felt comfortable in Church.  Bo found he was paying closer attention to the Divine Liturgy than he often does.  “I especially found myself getting caught up in the sermon about the Prodigal Son.”  Brigit  stated, “In the hall, I tried to set a good example for all the younger children – I knew they would be watching us.”

            The food was prepared by the loving hands of our beloved President, Miroslav Milovanovich.  Just as when Jesus fed the 5000 people, Miroslav prepared more than enough for the 250+ people in attendance.  Many of us also took plates of food to those unable to be in attendance due to illness or work.  Such an outpouring of love – to look out for those unable to be here – we went to them!

            All the people working in the kitchen, the bar and all the food servers were Kumovi of Fr. William and Popadija Mary Anne.  St. Sava is their Slava and their Kumovi  volunteered their assistance.  Again, another example of loving hands offering their service for our celebration. 

            Fr. Dane was assisted in the Sanctuary by our retired Priest, Protopresbyter Miladin Garic as well as Fr. William Weir.  Proto Miladin’s Slava is also St. Sava.  Even though he was thrilled to greet and visit with many of his friends, he realized  this was his first Slava celebration without his beloved Protinica Nina at his side.  She left this world in November.  May her Memory be Eternal. 

            As the last lingering laughter faded away in our hall and the lights were dimmed, we pray that all our children who attended, those who participated in the program and those who watched, will have a wonderful memory of our St. Sava Slava celebration — 2010.

            May God Bless EACH person who offered assistance in any way to make our 2010 celebration one worthy of the honor we offer to St. Sava.    

          History of St. Sava – First Bishop of Serbia

 27 January 2010.

            On January 27 the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of St. Sava, its first archbishop, statesman, famous monk, church builder, diplomat, writer, traveler… On that day many churches, schools and associations organize celebrations and receptions on this occasion. Children are especially joyful about this holiday as it is a school patron saint day, so they give performances in churches and schools and receive presents on St. Sava’s day.
           Rastko Nemanjic was a son of Serbian grand duke Stefan Nemanja, born in 1169. While yearning for spiritual life, he joined some Russian monks and went with them to the Holy Mount, where he became a monk named Sava. Although very young, he understood that it was important for his people to have their own church, so he gained its independence with the Byzantine emperor and patriarch, thus becoming the first Serbian archbishop. Along with his father, Sava built the Chilanadari Monastery on the Holy Mount of Athos, as well as Studenica and many other monasteries and schools in the Serbian land. On two occasions he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Sinai, where he took many gifts to churches over there. Sava also reconciled his quarreling brothers, as well as Serbs with their neighboring countries, all the while establishing the Serbian state and church. He spread peace among all the Balkan nations and worked for everybody’s benefit, thus becoming respected and loved among all Balkan peoples. Also, he wrote religious books for churches, built hospitals and orphanages for people, advised on how to act in the church and at home, among one’s neighbors, to earn a place in Heaven.
           St. Sava died in the Bulgarian town of Trnovo. Later, his remains were transferred to the Monastery of Milesevo by King Vladislav, but Turkish ruler Sinan pasha took him to Belgrade and burnt his mortal remains on April 27, 1595, in the attempt to erase his significance and memory in the Serbian people, because of the great respect that he enjoyed. For that reason, the late Serbian Patriarch Pavle underlined the following on many occasions: “Even after his death, St. Sava does not forget his faithful people, who turn to him as a spiritual father in times of need and challenges of life, while asking for help”.
           Soon after his death, a service to St. Sava was established in churches, and the cult of his personality and respect have been preserved to this day. Sava lives in people, who respected him even during his lifetime, and even nowadays they gather in churches for prayer, consolation and encouragement, but also to pay respect to his deeds.

            Monasteries of Chilandari, Studenica and Mileseva are centuries-old witnesses of Sava’s work and achievements, which could be a model to modern people as well, regardless of all the centuries that have gone by. A testimony to the love that the Serbian people feel for St. Sava are many stories and myths about him, the name that they give to their children, rivers, villages. Also, there is a coined word Svetosavlje, which means a specific Serb path and approach to the Orthodox Christianity. It is the memory of St. Sava that shows best how the memory of great people and their deeds represent not only the expression of gratitude of one generation for their inherited material and spiritual goods, but also proof of their wholesome spiritual power, good reasoning and a just judgment of events gone by a long time ago and persons that created them.

 

St. Sava Celebration- Svetosavska Proslava

Monday, February 1st, 2010