Between August 30th and September 1st, 2019, the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America celebrated 800 years of the Autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in San Gabriel, California. It was a momentous event on 15 August 1219 when, during the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Sava Nemanjic was consecrated by Patriarch Manuel I of Constantinople in Nicaea as the first Archbishop of the independent Serbian Church. With the support of Emperor Theodore I Laskaris, Saint Sava received the blessing that Serbian archbishops receive consecration from their own bishops’ Synod without approval from the Patriarch of Constantinople.
With the blessings of His Grace Bishop Maxim of Western America the annual Diocesan Days celebration came to an official start on Friday, August 30, 2019, as distinguished guests, clergy, monastics participated into a clergy seminar led by the Most Venerable Archimandrite Metodije of the Royal Lavra Hilandar Monastery. Before the beginning of the evening Vespers, at the front entrance of the church Fr. Metodije presented to His Grace Bishop Maxim an official, authentic facsimile, icon of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Trojerucica“, produced and stamped at Monastery Hilandar for this occasion and to be kept at St. Sava Church in San Gabriel. Typically, Friday evening of Diocesan Days is an open Questions -and-Answers session with the keynote speaker. This year’s event, however, included a panel of thirteen hierarchs. A lively discussion ensued about how to inspire one to a higher calling in the life of the church.
On Saturday, August 31, 2019, the second day of the Diocesan Days and celebration of the 800thAnniversary of the Autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church, began with a most magnificent pan-Orthodox Hierarchical Divine Liturgy officiated by Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Archdiocese with many hierarchs from the USA, Canada, and Europe, including the His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae. Later, during the banquet in the main church hall, Metropolitan Nicolae expressed congratulations to His Grace Bishop Maxim and the bishops, clergy and people of the Serbian Orthodox Church of USA and Canada on this historical event. Following the banquet, the Diocesan Annual Assembly was held with the participation of all diocesan clergy, monastics, and delegates.
The Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on the final day of the three-day Diocesan Days and celebration of the 800th Anniversary of the Autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church was officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, again with many hierarchs from the USA, Canada, and Europe. “This Divine Liturgy,” Bishop Maxim noted at the end of the service, “presided over by the Archbishop who was surrounded by many bishops, the reverend clergy, monastics, deacons, the beautiful chanting of our choir from Fresno and also seminarians from Kosovo and Metohija and all the faithful here today, summarizes the celebration of our Serbian autocephaly received by St. Sava in the 13th century.” Bishop Teodosije of Kosovo and Metohije, on behalf of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej, greeted the faithful and conveyed the blessings of the Serbian Patriarch to Bishop Maxim, the clergy, monastics and all the faithful in the Diocese of Western America that, just as they had until now, they remain on the path of St. Sava which is the path of Christ which leads to life everlasting.
A formal banquet and rich program followed in the main church hall. During the program, the seminarians from Prizren Seminary performed songs from their new CD, Pesme iz Stare Srbije (Songs from Old Serbia), folklore and etno group performances.
More information and pictures from the three day event are to be found at https://westsrbdio.org.
