THE PORTLAND PARISH CELEBRATES CHURCH SLAVA
Portland, ME – On Sunday, September 18, 2005 in the small suburb Biddeford, Maine, where some 100 Serbian families reside, refugees from the recent conflicts in the former Yugoslavia the parish celebrated their church slava. The Divine Liturgy was officiated by His Grace Bishop Mitrophan, who was assisted by the host priest, Fr. Ivan Marjanovic, Fr. Aleksandar Vlajkovic from the Boston parish and Fr. Ivan Teage (Antiochian Archdiocese).
The Choir Kyr Stefan the Serb from St. Sava in Toronto responded at the liturgy. The previous day this choir took part in a humanitarian benefit in Cambridge, MA, benefitting Serbian orphans. Following the Divine Liturgy the Slavski Kolach was offered and broken, after which all enjoyed the slava luncheon in the church hall. The Kolo Sestara welcomed, as always, with their warm hospitality some 200 guests. The kumovi were Veljko and Stana Regoja with their children.
HOMILY:
[Excerpts from the homily delivered by Bishop Mitrophan]
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works…”
Today we celebrate those out of our own people, who shine before men, we celebrate the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What does it mean that our “light shine before men”? What is “our light”? It is our soul, it our heart, which can shine in love but can also shine in hatred. The holy fathers which we celebrate today have shown that they are the light of truth. Today we celebrate the Synaxis of the Serbian Saints. They are that bright cloud which hovers over our nation. Just as the cloud hovered over the chosen people so too does this cloud hover over us and protects us. Are we aware of the greatness of these saints; St. Symeon who left everything and went to Monastery Hilandar; St. Sava who, at 17 years of age, left everything and took the monastic habit. Think of your child going from having everything to a monastery. Rastko had much more. He was a prince and left everything to go to the monastery.
Are we worthy of the greatness of the holy Prince Lazar? He could have easily become a Turkish vassal. But he chose the other – freedom in Christ, for he knew that the earthly is small but the heavenly kingdom if always and forever.
Are we aware of the holy Empress Milica who after the death of Lazar took upon herself a great burden – to lead the nation and together with little Stefan, keep it united….
What shall we say of the martyrs of the 19th century: Deacon Avakum who sang: A Serb is Christ’s and rejoices in death. Look at the icon of the Synaxis of the Serbian Saints. You’ll see kings, princes, martyrs, peasants, etc. That is the pride of our people. Look at the martyrs of the 20th century and from WWII: the elder Vukasin of Klepac, Metropolitan Dositej of Zagreb to whom Stepinac advises to move because the Independent State of Croatia is not safe for him. He replied: I’ll give my head but I won’t leave my people. That’s how it was. He gave his life for his flock. These are the works that shine and which shine from us.
The holy Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians advises us: Respect your teachers and follow in their way… Let us also follow our teachers, with St. Symeon the Myrh-flowing at the head, St. Sava, the holy martyrs of Jasenovac, Prebilovac and of all those which we don’t even know…May God, through their prayers, save our nation, all of you here present today and our people in Kosovo and Metohija.