Стаза Православља the Path of Orthodoxy the Official Publication of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America
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Стаза Православља THE PATH OF ORTHODOXY THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA VOLUME 47 MARCH 2012 NO. 03 orthodox biShopS School of Theology Celebrates Slava proteSt heaLthcare in Libertyville Professors, students and school staff of the St. Sava V. Rev. Stavrophor Marko Pantic, Fr. Darko Spasojevic order School of Theology in Libertyville celebrated their patron and Aleksandar Novakovic. Fr. Aleksandar was elevated saint, St. Sava, the first archbishop of Serbia, on Saturday, to the rank of Protonamesnik at the end of the service by February 2—The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox February 4, 2012. The celebration began on Friday evening Bishop Longin. For years he has served the school as both Bishops of North America has taken the Obama with Vespers, served by Rev. Singel Serafim (Milojkovic) secretary and professor of missiology. Also serving were Administration to task for ordering churches to provide with the students, graduate students: their employees with reproductive health insurance as they do on a V. Rev. Aleksandar coverage the churches may find morally objectionable. daily basis, singing Bugarin, who The order was announced by the Department of Health the responses graduated from and Human Services as part of the implementation of together with their the school exactly the wide-ranging changes to health care laws popularly their respected twenty years to the known as “Obamacare.” and beloved day and Fr. Petar The Orthodox bishops joined the U.S. Conference dean of students, Isailovic. Also, of Catholic Bishops and other church groups in Hieromonk among the deacons protesting the government order, which they said is Serafim (Baltic). were Dr. Predrag a violation of the constitutional guarantee of the free Of course, Samardzic, also a exercise of religion and of freedom of conscience, and the highlight of professor of Old asked the faithful to protest the order to their elected the celebration Testament and representatives. was the Divine Hebrew, Greek and The Assembly of Orthodox Bishops released the Liturgy. Taking Church Slavonic, following statement: part in the liturgical Aleksandar celebration were Petrovic, Nikolaj Record of Protest Against the Infringement our Serbian Kostur and Marko of Religious Liberty by the Department of hierarchs, Bishop Bojovic. The Health and Human Services Longin of New students sang the The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops Gracanica and responses, led by of North and Central America, which is comprised Midwestern their professor of of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United America and His church chant V. States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with Grace Bishop Rev. Stavrophor the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Dr. Mitrophan of Dr. Milos Vesin. and all those who adamantly protest the recent Eastern America, together with the Russian hierarchs, The church was full and one could sense the presence of many decision by the United States Department of Health Bishops Peter and John. Accompanying the hierarchs and other professors, former students and friends of the School. and Human Services (http://www.hhs.gov/news/ concelebrating at the liturgy were Archimandrite Avramije At the end of the liturgy and following the cutting of the press/2012pres/01/20120120a.html), and call upon from the Polish Orthodox Church and hierodeacon Innocent Slava kolach and blessing of the koljivo a meal was served in all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their from the Russian Church Abroad in Germany. Among the school hall, provided by Mrs. Gospava and Mr. Milenko elected representatives today to voice their concern in monastics was also the dean of students Hieromonk Serafim as well as Protinica Marija Stojanovic. The program, the St. the face of this threat to the sanctity of the Church’s (Baltic). Serving before the holy altar were also professors, continued on p. 5 conscience. In this ruling by HHS, religious hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of contraceptives (including some abortion-inducing drugs) and sterilizations for their employees, regardless of the Church Libraries: religious convictions of the employers. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution more than you’ll ever guarantees the free exercise of religion. This freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for “contraceptive services” including abortion- know inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly It’s not surprising that the most popular place for church violate their religious convictions. Providing such meetings at St. Lazarus Cathedral in Detroit is its library. services should not be regarded as mandated medical You walk into the large room, and you feel immediately care. We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox welcomed. Welcomed by all the books; by the knowledge Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the that reaches out to you; by the warmth and light of the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling surroundings. It’s inviting. You feel at home. And that’s and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all probably why the KSS and other organizations seek out the Americans by the First Amendment. library for monthly meetings. When it came time to build the school center onto the hall in 1984, the church president, Dr. Papich, approached Let us begin the Fast with joy! Paul Bielich, a professional librarian for the school system Let us prepare ourselves of Detroit and church member and asked him, “What do you for spiritual efforts! think about having a church library?” The answer to this was Let us cleanse our soul a resounding ‘Yes’ and the library was born. and cleanse our flesh! Soon, a committee of five that included the clergy was Let us abstain from every appointed. An appeal went out for donations of books and passion as we abstain funds. “People responded well,” added Paul, current librarian. from food! “In the beginning the committee looked at each book that Mr. Paul Belich, the current librarian, at St. Lazarus Let us rejoice came in to determine whether to accept it or not. As the Church's Library which houses over 2000 volumes in its in virtues of collection grew, the committee turned over that responsibility collection. Mr. Belich was one of the orginial members of the spirit and to me.” Gordana Miric and Donna Bielich were very active the Library's organizing committee. fulfill them in during this time too. love! Books also were purchased from St. Vladimir’s Since there are still many parishioners who were born in That we all may Seminary, Holy Cross Bookstore, and Conciliar Press. The Serbia, 20% of the books are in Serbian. As for content, 60% see the Passion of Christ our new books were catalogued and shelved. “It took the church are on religious themes, while the rest is on culture. There God, about five years to fill all the stacks,” Paul said, “guided all are 2000 volumes in the collection today. There are fifteen And rejoice in spirit at the Holy Pascha! along by the goal of a library that would support the church periodicals and newspapers that are received regularly. The school and cultural program and would be a collection of —Verse from Forgiveness Vespers collection also contains pamphlets, VHS tapes, and a vertical books on the Eastern Orthodox religion and Serbian history file of photos and articles on various subjects. and culture for everyone.” continued on p. 4 IN THIS ISSUE •Lenten ScheduLeS, p. 3 • the century of orthodoxy, p. 3 • our View, pp. 6-7 • Serbian Section, pp. 8-12 page two THE PATH OF ORTHODOXY March 2012 Moscow Monastery undertakes to help the path of orthodoxy Serbian Orthodox of Kosovo and Metohija THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA Moscow, Feb. 10—At the Saturday besides the publishing activity, a spiritual evening service before the Sunday of the portal pravoslavie.ru has been working for editoriaL Staff New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, years which has been led by hieromonk English Section Editors Serbian Editor Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), abbot Ignatiy Shestakov. V. Rev. Rade Merick, Senior Editor V. Rev. Nedeljko Lunich of the Sretensky Stavropegic Monastery in At the end of November 2011 530 North Fourth Street 300 Stryker Ave Moscow, gave a talk to the congregation Archimandrite Sava (Janjic), abbot of the Steubenville, OH 43952 Joliet, IL 60437 about the monastery’s new effort to help the Decani monastery, was at the Sretensky email:[email protected] Fax: 815-741-1883 suffering Serbian Orthodox population in monastery and spoke with Archimandrite email: [email protected] Kosovo and Metohija. Tikhon on ways of helping the Serbian Rev. Milovan Katanic Archimandrite Tikhon is one of the most people. These preliminary talks led to a 65 South Keel Ridge Road Contributing Editor prominent Moscow abbots and spiritual meeting of Archimandrite Tikhon and Hermitage, PA 16148 V. Rev. Thomas Kazich fathers of the young generation who actively hieromonk Ignatiy with Bishop Teodosije Phone:724-342-1198 P.O. Box 371, email: [email protected] work on the spiritual revival in Russia. Within of Raska-Prizren in Belgrade in December. Grayslake, IL 60030-0371 the Sretensky Monastery are located both the They agreed on more active cooperation and Phone: (847) 223-4300 V. Rev. Dr. Bratislav Krsic Theological faculty and a great bookshop help for the Serbian churches, monasteries 3025 Denver Street stocks a large number of materials, including and faithful of Kosovo and Metohija from Technical Editor San Diego, CA 92117 particularly many printed publications of the Russian Orthodox Church, coordinated Vesna R. Meinert Phone: 619-276-5827 this monastery. At the Sretensky monastery, by the Sretensky monastery. email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Business and Circulation Address The Path of Orthodoxy P.