St. Sava Celebration – Svetosavska Proslava

Posted on: 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.

 

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