His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije presided over the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy and the solemn rite of consecration of the elected and appointed Highly-Dignified Archimandrite Serafim as Bishop of Kostajnica, Vicar of the Metropolitan of Midwestern America, on 13 October 2024, at the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade.
Serving alongside His Holiness the Patriarch were Their Eminences Archbishops Peter of Chicago and Mid-America and Georgy of Wrocław and Szczecin, and Metropolitans Longin of Midwestern America, Pahomije of Vranje, Atanasije of Mileševa, as well as Their Graces Bishops Isihije of Valjevo, Damaskin of Mohacs, Aleksej of Hvosno, Ilarion of Novo Brdo, Petar of Toplica, Nikon of Jenopolje, and Pajsije of Diokleia.
Patriarch Porfirije: God blesses the hands that give and hearts that are open and generous
Explaining the parable of the talents from the Gospel, Patriarch Porfirije emphasized the importance of recognizing and multiplying the gifts God has given us, reminding that nothing we possess is ours, but everything is from God, given as a trust to multiply and share with our neighbors:
– May the Lord grant us, brothers and sisters, to always know that everything we have is from God and that what we have received freely, we must also give freely. God always blesses the hands that give and the heart that is open and generous. May our hearts always be open, and may our hands always give, so that what we receive will be for our salvation and will open and enable us to glorify our Savior.
The Patriarch also emphasized that the gifts we have received require feat, effort, and responsibility, not lethargy or selfishness, and that the parable of the talents shows that every person is called to multiply their gifts and, through love and service to neighbors, achieve communion with God.
Concelebrating with the Patriarch at the festive Liturgy, there also were: Archimandrites Metodije – Hegumen of Hilandar Monastery; Nektarije – Secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops; Danilo – Director of the Patriarchal Administrative Office; Sergije – Hegumen of Ostrog Monastery; Danilo (Ljubotina); Petar – Hegumen of Pinosava Monastery; Evstatije (Azdejković) and Hariton – Hegumen of Kovilj Monastery; Protopresbyter Đorđe Stojisavljević – Head of the Office of the Patriarch; and many other clerics.
Patriarch Porfirije: All nations are invited to become members of the Church
In his paternal advice to the new Hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Grace Bishop of Kostajnica kyr Serafim, Patriarch Porfirije stressed:
– The Bishop is placed in the Church to serve in the image and likeness of Christ, which means serving Christ’s ministry. First and foremost, this involves presiding over the Eucharist, celebrating the Holy Liturgy, which is the manifestation and confirmation of the Kingdom of God among us, for in the Holy Liturgy, everyone is gathered. There is the Lord Himself, the angels and the entire heavenly realm, and all of us walking through history, as well as those who are yet to come in God’s providence. The Lord gave the apostles the command to serve the Holy Liturgy and said to them: Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, besides celebrating the Liturgy, leading every living soul to the mystery of knowing Jesus Christ as the Savior is the bishop’s mission. This word of Christ is revealed and it is especially evident in your ministry, in comparison with some other bishops, as you will be in America. You are going to be there not only to preserve our people, for God is the one who preserves, and if God does not guard, it is in vain that you guard. You are there not only to preserve Serbian name and Serbian identity, it only comes as a consequence and result of the apostolic Hierarchical service, which consists of what we have already told. You are there to bear witness to Christ in front of our people serving the Holy Liturgy, and to baptize our people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church is not merely one biological people; the Church is the people of God, the Body of Christ. All nations are invited to become members of the Church. Therefore, in serving primarily our people, you are called to witness Christ to all, regardless of their ethnicity or skin color, to testify Christ to all nations and to bring them into the Church, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. With these wishes and blessings, in the name of the Assembly, we entrust you with this scepter with the words: Receive this scepter to shepherd the flock of Christ entrusted to you! Let it be a support and strength to the obedient, and as regards the disobedient and rebellious, guide and correct them with gentle instruction, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Axios!
Bishop Serafim of Kostajnica: Gathering in unity is the key and fundamental factor of our Orthodox faith
Receiving the episcopal scepter from the hands of the Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Grace Bishop of Kostajnica kyr Serafim said, among other things:
– Brethren Hierarchs, just as we are gathered today in this church, all of us from the homeland and the diaspora, so we will remain united, eucharistically and canonically, in our One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, no matter where we reside, for we confess such a Church at every Liturgy and in every personal prayer. Brothers and sisters, let us never forget that gathering is the key and fundamental element of our Orthodox faith. From sayings we hear from childhood, such as “together we are stronger,” to the pastoral teachings of the Holy Fathers telling us that a wolf first separates one sheep from the flock and then destroys it, to the bitter experiences of today when many wolves seek to scatter us, the flock of Christ, in various ways and drag us into spiritual deserts to destroy us, we see even more clearly the importance of our conciliarity and gathering in our Holy Church, which Saint Sava bequeathed to us as a place of gathering in Spirit and Truth. We, who are gathered here today, will carry with us the testimony of the beauty of gathering in Spirit and Truth to inspire us and share it with our brothers and sisters in all our churches, whether they are grand or humble.
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