Spring 2012
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!
THE SV OICE .G OF
T
EORGE
SPRING 2015
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North & South America
It’s Spring—New life all around and time for new beginnings.Time to celebrate Christianity’s most important event—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Time to rededicate ourselves to the Lord. Time to become true representatives of Jesus Christ. You don’t need to tell anyone; because if you are truly representing Christ, it will show. You won’t need to be asked to serve your Church, you will do it automatically. It is also time to think about one of our most precious assets, our children. They are our responsibility and our future. We are told to train them in the Lord, and when they are grown, they will not forget this training. Our children belong in Church on Sundays, and they will want to come if you do. Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!
3025 Denver Street • San Diego, CA 92117 telephone: (619)276-5827 web: http://stgeorgeinsd.com
Church Officers & Staff PARISH PRIEST
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Bratislav Krsic email: frbratso@sbcglobal.net PARISH DEACON
Rev. Deacon Paul Germain CHURCH OFFICE VOLUNTEERS
Dorothy Vukotich, Natalija Valenti Schrandt, Natalia Denton PRESIDENT
Kathryn Thickstun FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
Dusan Selezan SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Velimir Jovanovic TREASURER
Bojana Rajkovic SECRETARY
Jeff Nicholas Schrandt MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Toma Jovanovic, Vojkan Popovic, Nebojsa Rajkovic, Vladimir Kezic, Radovan Borovic STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY
Toma Jovanovic AUDITING BOARD
Miro Copic, President; Vesna Jovanovic, Dusanka Klacar
In this issue...
TUTORS/VESTRYMEN
Milos Lukic, George Skaljac, Nebojsa Rajkovic, Miro Copic, Radovan Borovic S.S.S. ST. GEORGE CHOIR
Velimir Jovanovic, President CIRCLE OF SERBIAN SISTERS (KOLO Sestara)
Ljubinka Plavšić, President CHURCH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
Deacon Paul Germain MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE (SENIOR)
Dobrila Undheim, Director ADULT ORTHODOX FELLOWSHIP
Deacon Paul Germain VOICE OF ST. GEORGE
Marsha Jovanovic, Editor (619)988-0650 • FAX (619)588-5767 email: marsha@marshaj.com Srdjan Dragic, Cover
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus The Meaning of Fasting in the Orthodox Church A Conversation with Archimandrite Metodije (Markovic)—Part 2 Diaspora—the scattering of God's children as the seed of His teaching Дијаспора – расејање деце Божије као семена науке Његове The Ladder of Divine Ascent —How a Pilgrim Progresses St George, the Trophy Bearer From the Church President DEADLINES CHURCH CALENDAR 2015 Sunday Church School Joanna Aud graduated from SDSU 2014 in Public Health St George Choir FOCUS needs you! Kolo Sisters—operating like a well-greased machine Stewardship List—March 2015 MORAVA! EMIGRANTSKE PRICE
3 5 8 10 11 12 13 14 14 16 17 17 18 18 19 20 22 29
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus The parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows us a foolish misuse of material goods. It raises slightly the curtain covering certain mysteries about man's portion beyond the grave. We encounter this parable in the Gospel according to Luke: There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that those who wish to pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, whom would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead (Luke 16:1931).
A first-time reading of this parable does not make clear why the rich man ended up in hell. Because he was rich in this life? We know from the Gospel that
wealth is seductive, but not all the rich are condemned. Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, in spite of his wealth, was saved with all his family (Luke 19:1-10). We remember the wealth of Joseph of Arimathea, the disciple of Christ, in whose tomb the Savior was buried (Matthew 27:57-60). Likewise, the Pharisee Nicodemus, one of the chiefs and leaders of the people of Israel was not a poor man. He brought a hundred liters of expensive aromatic oils to anoint the body of Jesus Christ (John 19:39). We remember that Lord Jesus Christ did not condemn the rich young man for his wealth, which did not hinder him from faith or from keeping all God's commandments, or from coming and venerating Christ as a teacher. Christ did not condemn the rich man’s way of life, but pointed out a more perfect way of life to him. Christ never said that the rich cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, but that men cannot enter into it who trust in wealth, who think that wealth rather than God will save them (Mark 10:24), and who make an idol or fetish of wealth (Mammon). The Bible has many righteous men who were very rich: The righteous Joseph, the son of Israel, controlled the treasures of Pharaoh, arrayed like a royal prince (Genesis 41:40-45) as second man in the realm. The righteous Job - blameless and God-fearing - was also rich: He had 7,000 head of livestock, 3,000 camels, 500 pair of oxen and 500 she-asses and a great many servants (Job 1:3). The Christian Church has glorified many emperors and kings - those anointed to reign - who held all the wealth of their country as personal property, and who did let wealth become their God. In Russia and America millionaires have done a great deal of good in philanthropy. But all the same, why did the rich man in the parable we are examining end up in hell? The parable does not say that he was evil, cruel, depraved, godless, or impious. The Evangelist Mark explains the problem: that he trusted in wealth. “How hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10-24).
Money is not bad in itself, but one’s attitude toward money must be ironic. On the contrary, it is good to be dissatisfied, always “to hunger and thirst after righteousness.” It is good to be always “poor in spirit” and to ask alms of Christ unceasingly. For conversion to Christ, we must be uneasy, always seek and asking, always in thirst and be in need, always be known ourselves as destitute, not selfsufficient, but dependent on God. The rich man lived only for the flesh; he enjoyed earthly goods and stifled within himself every part of spiritual life. He really prepared for himself his bitter fate. The Apostle Paul says: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8). Each man prepares his portion beyond the grave. If he abides in God’s commandments to love God and neighbor; if he repents when he transgresses these commandments in any way; if he nourishes his soul with Church mysteries; if he abides in prayerful communion with the Lord; then about such a man one may say that he soweth to the Spirit. Such a man in this life begins communion with the spiritual world; he becomes its citizen. After death, such a man enters into a better Continued on page 4
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 3
Continued from page 3.
world and enjoys its good things, which his life here taught him to enjoy. Genuine faith begins with repentance, recognition of one's spiritual poverty and sinfulness. “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” say both the Forerunner and Christ (Matthew 3:2, 4:17).
Christ never said the rich cannot enter the Kingdom of God, but rather men who love money cannot enter into heaven The Kingdom of God belongs to the sincere Christian who prays “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” Without this prayer a Christian cannot live. Consciousness of one’s sinfulness, poverty, and helplessness makes a Christian a disciple of the Savior and a member of Christ’s Church. The destitute Lazarus gained heaven, of course, not because of his material poverty, but because of his knowing his spiritual destitution, and listened to Moses and the Prophets (Luke 16:29). And the rich man of the parable did not gain heaven because he lacked this spiritual need and he trusted in his wealth as in an idol. He did not feel a need for God’s help. He became so hardened in soul that he showed no compassion for Lazarus, who lay at his gate in constant view. The soul of the rich man could not love his neighbor. What can such a man expect in the world beyond the grave? He cannot commune with God, Who is love, and Whose communion requires love, and not with the other spirits of the righteous. Such a man must remain apart from God and from the world of the righteous; he must remain in outer darkness. The passions that the rich man managed to amass dur-
ing his life will burn him with everlasting fire. His conscience which he had ignored will become an unsleeping gnawing worm in him. He himself is to blame, who ignored God’s constant warnings. He cast himself into the abyss of hell. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus suggests that the torment of sinners will be endless. And The torment of fire burns but does not consume. But the fire, smoke, and other horrors are images that distort the torments of hell. According to the teaching of the Holy Fathers of the Church, the torments of hell are not physical sufferings, but remoteness from God and his mercy, which is possible only in conditions of full and sincere repentance. Therefore, the torment is endless only because repentance is impossible. Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky), the preeminent theologian of this century, points out that the Gospels speak of everlasting punishment in time, but that everlasting is not synonymous with endlessness. According to Metropolitan Antony, the Word of God does not define the endlessness of the sufferings of all sinners nor fix their fate as unchangeable. Abraham’s words about the gulf between the righteous and sinners in the other world, which cannot be crossed, does fix the sinner’s lack of repentance. Metropolitan Antony continues on our fate beyond the grave: The parable of the rich man and Lazarus gives us, as it were, two rays of hope for a more consoling prospect. First of all, we see that Abraham in paradise did hear the rich man, and, consequently, there is between them some kind of communication, if only in the form of conversation. This, their conversation, indicates that sinners have the thought and hope for something better. This alone already eases their condition, because the most fearful thing is not the suffering itself, but the hopeless consciousness of the endlessness of the sufferings. The rich man does not have this hopeless consciousness; but, on the
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 4
contrary, he has an aspiration and hope for something better. Secondly, the rich man begins to feel sorry for his brethren. This shows that good feelings had awakened in him, that he had begun to repent and hopes for their repentance. This means that in the life beyond the grave a certain change in a man's state is possible, because repentance that has begun can already turn into full repentance and then into compunction. The rich man does not yet know full repentance. For the present, he only understands the causal tie between his condition before, on earth, and now, in hell; but he does not understand the justness of his condition. But all the same, he has begun to feel sorry for his brethren, which is very important for the further development of his soul. If in that life there is a possibility of changing one's state in the sense of manifesting good feelings and repentance, then one must allow the possibility of full repentance and then compunction; then one must allow the possibility of hope that the doors of paradise are not closed once and forever. One must likewise allow the hope that, in passing through some kind of suffering, the soul of the sinner, if it has not become completely hardened, can become capable of repentance, at first partially, as with the rich man, and later fully; and then the soul can revive for spiritual compunction and salvation.
Let us ask the Lord to imbue in us the need, the hunger, and the thirst for the divine sap from the Vine of Christ, given to us all at the Lord's Table, at the Holy Eucharist. Let us pray that our minds grow poorer in spirit, that we, like Lazarus and the beggars who stand on church porches, stretch our hands out and beg alms of Christ, Who Himself, according to the Apostle Paul, “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). Archpriest Victor Potapov, Rector at Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Washington DC
The Meaning of Fasting in the Orthodox Church Fasting is as old as the human race. Fasting was practiced by pagan religions, Judaism, and Christianity, and it was generally considered an important element of religious life, although with different practices and understanding. In the ancient religions of the East, fasting meant a complete abstention from food for a certain period of time — one day or more. The origin of fasting as a moral discipline, especially among the old pagan religions is obscure, just as their understanding of God was inadequate and vague. The monotheistic, God-revealed religion of the “Chosen People” knew about fasting. From the Old Testament, we learn that God instituted fasting in Paradise when He said: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen. 2:17)
From this it is clear that fasting existed before the “original sin” of Adam and Eve, and it was not ordered as a cure for their sin. The fasting in Paradise consisted of abstaining from certain food — namely of “the fruit of the tree.” The tree of knowledge of good and evil was created by God as well as all other trees in Paradise and, as such, preceded Satan and his sinful machinations. God’s commandment to Adam and Even not to eat of the particular fruit was issued as a method of man’s discipline of self-control and spiritual growth. This means that the first man in Paradise was not perfect, but was good and capable to improve and develop his spiritual and moral personality. Fasting understood in this way was practiced both in the Old and New Testament and throughout the entire history of the Church. A noted Orthodox theologian, Father Alexander Schmemann, speaking about fasting in the Old and New Testament, saw a great similarity and interdependence between two events in the Bible — one at the beginning of the Old
Testament and the other at the beginning of the New Testament. He writes: The first is the 'breaking of the fast' by Adam in Paradise. He ate of the forbidden fruit. This is how man's original sin is revealed to us. Christ, the new Adam, — and this is the second event — begins by fasting. Adam was tempted and succumbed to temptation. The result of Adam's failure is expulsion from Paradise and death. The fruit of Christ's victory is the destruction of death and return to Paradise. It is clear, that in this perspective, fasting is revealed to us as something decisive and ultimate in importance. It is not mere 'obligation', a custom; it is connected with the very mystery of life and death, of salvation and damnation.
St. Basil the Great confirms the above statement by saying: Because we did not fast, we were chased out of Paradise; let us fast now, so that someday we return there.
We have many shining examples of fasting in the Old and New Testament. Moses fasted forty days before receiving from God the Ten Commandments. The prophet Isaiah has written about fasting centuries before Christ's coming: Is not this the fast that I choose, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free...? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover him... then shall your light break forth like the dawn ... (Isaiah 58)
In the Old Testament fasting is sometimes preparation for the Feast days, but more generally it is a sign of humility before God. Fasting accompanied mourning and repentance. In time of necessity or danger, it was appropriate for an individual or the whole community to fast. Fasting, so to speak, reinforced urgent prayer. How seriously it might be taken up, to the extent that an earnest man of prayer might become weak and think through lack of nourishment, is shown by Psalm 109:24: My Knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 5
ProtojerejStavrofor Milan Savich, 90, fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday, November 27, 2010 in Chicago.
Fasting in the New Testament was introduced by our Lord Jesus Christ Who gave us a great example of fasting. After His Baptism in the river of Jordan He withdrew into the wilderness where He spend 40 days and 40 nights in prayer and fasting in preparation for His sacred ministry. Jesus taught his disciples and followers to fast. He told them not to fast like the Pharisees, but when they fast bodily they should be completely natural in their behavior — humble and penitent. And when ye fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by men, but by your Father Who is in secret. And your Father Who sees in secret will reward you. (Matt. 6:1618)
Here we should mention that fasting in the Orthodox Church has two aspects: physical and spiritual. The first implies abstinence from rich food, such as dairy products, eggs, and all kinds of meat. Spiritual fasting consists in abstinence from evil thoughts, desires, and deeds. The main purpose of fasting is to gain mastery over oneself and to conquer the passions of the flesh. It is to liberate oneself from dependence on the things of this world in order to concentrate on the things of the Kingdom of God. It is to give power to the soul so that it would not yield to temptation and sin. According to St. Seraphim, fasting is an indispensable means of gaining the fruit of the Holy Spirit in one’s life, and Jesus Himself taught that some forms of evil cannot be conquered without it. When the Apostles failed to heal a sick and sufContinued on page 6.
Continued from page 5. fering child, Christ explained: This kind (meaning devil) can come out only by prayer and fasting. (Matt. 12:21) Commenting on this St. John Chrysostom said: That these are like two wings that carry a person to the heights of God. The Apostles of Christ continued in prayer and fasting, and commanded others to do the same. They fasted also as they accomplished their ministries by the power of the Holy Spirit and by prayer, as we reads in the Acts: Now in the church at Antioch... while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts. 13:-13)
Today, I think it is safe to say, the practice and idea of fasting is largely ignored. Some people say that God's people need not fast since we are saved by grace and not by works, and that fasting can easily become hypocritical, done merely for show and for the condemnation of others. Many others generally dismiss fasting as something old-fashioned, simple and naïve—This is the twentieth century; those rules were made for the past and simpler days. Nonetheless, in spite of present practice of most people, we must take the practice of fasting seriously, if for no other reason, then out of respect for other people, throughout Christian history, who have taken it seriously. We all need to develop the habit of saying no to our carnal passions and desires. What we need is selfdiscipline and self-control. These are acquired only through regular spiritual exercise — namely through fasting. Fasting is not at all an act of mortification for mortification’s sake. It is not a “little suffering,” which is somehow pleasing to God. It is not a punishment, which is to be sorrowfully endured in payment for sins. On the contrary, fasting for a Christian, should be a joyful experience, because fasting is a self-dis-
cipline which we voluntarily impose upon ourselves in order to become better persons and better Christians. The sin of not fasting is the sin of failing to employ a practice which is absolutely necessary to a sinful person in his struggle to overcome his sins and to gain the love and communion of God.
St. Isaac of Syria says:
Fasting is an art fully mastered by the Saints. These holy men and women, who have taken their religion and fasting seriously, can be of great help to us. They offer a number of recommendations for fasting.
An old man in the desert was asked why he was so severe on his body. He answered simply, If I don't kill it, it kills me. By this the holy fathers taught us to be killers of passions and not killers of the body. Partake of everything that is permissible with thanksgiving, to the glory of God and avoid boastful arrogance; but refrain from every excess. (The Monks Callistus and Ignatius, 14c., Directions to Hesychasts.)
1. Fasting is essential for us to regain control over our bodies.
We live in a pluralistic and secularistic society where the Biblical idea of fasting is completely ignored and forgotten. Gluttony has become a way of life for a fallen man and, it affects every area of live, leaving us wide open to all types of temptation. We all eat too much, and fasting is the only way to end this unnatural obsession with food. Fasting puts food into its proper perspective. We must each in order to live, but we shouldn't simply live to eat.
St. Isaac of Syria said: The first commandment given to our nature in the beginning was the fasting from food and in this the head of our race (Adam) fell. Those who wish to attain the fear of God, therefore, should begin to build where the building was first fallen. They should begin with the commandment to fast. 2. Fasting simplifies our lives.
By eating less, we can pay attention to more important matters, such as our relationship with God. St. Gregory of Sinai says: Fasting is part of the spiritual life without which the soul perishes, suffocated by the flesh and choked by carnal pleasures. A human being must fast. The effort enlightens the mind, strengthens the spirit, controls the emotions and tames the passions. Thus "a man who strives for salvation... must not allow himself to eat to fullness.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 6
Meager food at the table of the pure cleanses the soul of those who partake from all passion ... for the work of fasting and vigil is the beginning of every effort against sin and lust ... almost all passionate drives decrease through fasting.
3. Fasting "lightens our load" and makes it easier to pray. For many people the refusal to fast is just one more excuse to cut themselves off from God. The person who wants to pray better should eat less. This makes the mind and the spirit less sluggish. We are then more capable of lifting our minds and hearts to God.
St. Isaac of Syria said: As long as man's mouth is sealed by fasting his mind will meditate on the repentance of his soul.
Even the old Latins knew: Plenus veter non studet libenter. 4. Fasting restores discipline to our lives. How many of us can honestly say that we are disciplined in spiritual matters as we should be? Fasting may just be the beginning of our journey toward spiritual seriousness, but we all have to start somewhere. We can all see what the lack of real discipline has done to American moral life. The same happens to our own spiritual lives without discipline. Fasting is the beginning of this discipline.
That is why the Canons of the Church Councils — Trullo, Gangra and Laodicia as well as the rules and regulations of Sts. Dionisius, Peter, and Timothy of Alexandria — order us to fast. According to Milas:
The Church has introduced fasting in the life of a Christian in order to enable man to live a life of piety and repentance. This regulation is based on the practice of the Church in the Old Testament and the examples of its Founder and the Apostles in the New Testament. The fast days which we must observe are ordered by the Church authorities and, therefore, are obligatory for all, except the sick; if a clergyman disobeys this rule he shall be deposed, and a layman excommunicated. 5. Another aspect of fasting is abstinence Not many parents enjoy the disobedience of their children. God is equally unhappy to see our disobedience in spiritual matters. Fasting encourages obedience to God's moral commands by making us center our lives around His.
In other words, our fasting should not be self-willed but obedient. When we fast, says Kallistos Ware: We should not try to invent special rules for ourselves, but we should follow as faithfully as possible the accepted pattern set before us by Holy Tradition.
We should always rely on the spiritual advice of our priest or Father Confessor, as it was practiced in the early centuries of Church life, as Abba Antony said: I know of monks who fell after much labor and lapsed into madness, because they trusted in their own work and neglected the commandment that says: 'Ask your father, and he will tell you.(Deut. 32:7). 6. Fasting ultimately brings about purity of heart. The saints teach that for us to purify our hearts we must begin with the control of our bodily desires through fasting. As long as the flesh rules purity of heart will not exist."
In the words of St. John Chrysostom fasting implies not only abstinence from food, but from sins also. “The fast,” he insists, “should be kept not by the mouth alone but also by the eye, the ear, the feet, the hands and all the members of the body: the eye must abstain from impure
sights, the ear from malicious gossip, the hands from acts of injustice.” It is useless to fast from food, protests St. Basil, and yet to indulge in cruel criticism and slander: “You do not eat meat, but you devour your brother.” The same point is made in the Triodion, especially during the first week of Lent: As we fast from food, let us abstain also from every passion... Let us observe a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is to put away all evil, to control the tongue, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury. If we renounce these things, then is our fasting true and acceptable to God. Let us keep the Fast not only by refraining from food, but by becoming strangers to all the bodily passions. 7. Fasting returns us to a "Paradise-like" way of life.
Our forefathers Adam and Eve ate only plants rather than meat or meat products. (Gen. 1:30, 9:3) When we fast, we voluntarily return to Paradise. We do this not because it is sinful to eat meat, but because we recognize our true homeland, the Kingdom of God, and we want to reinforce this truth in our lives.
Our fasting and self-discipline, then signifies a rejection of the world, only in so far as it is corrupted by the fall; of the body, only in so far as it is dominated by sinful passions. Lust excludes love; so long as we lust after other persons or other things, we cannot truly love them. By delivering us form lust, the fast renders us capable of genuine love. No longer ruled by the selfish desire to grasp and to exploit, we begin to see the world with the eyes of Adam in Paradise. Our self-denial is the path that leads to our self-affirmation; it is our means of entry into the cosmic liturgy whereby all things visible and invisible ascribe glory to their Creator. 8. Fasting is the foundation of and preparation for every spiritual effort. Spiritual effort presumes that we are in control of our bodies. Beyond this,
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 7
fasting is the ideal preparation for spiritual celebration, such as Easter, Christmas, and other Feasts, because when undertaken properly, fasting fills our hearts and minds with the task before us. It concentrates our spiritual energies and makes them more effective.
Thus, when Moses fasted on Mount Sinai (Exod. 34:28) and Elijah on Mount Horeb (Kings 19:8-12), the fast was in both cases linked with a Theophany. The same connection between fasting and the vision of God is evident in the case of St. Peter (Acts 10:9-17) He went up to the housetop to pray about the sixth hour, and he became very hungry and wanted to eat; and it was in this state that he fell into a trance and heard the divine voice. Such is always the purpose of ascetic fasting — to enable us, as the Triodion puts it, to “draw near to the mountain of prayer.” Prayer and fasting should in their turn be accompanied by almsgiving, by love for others expressed in practical form, by works of compassion and forgiveness. As written in the Triodion: Knowing the commandments of the Lord, let this be our way of life: Let us feed the hungry, let us give the thirsty drink, Let us clothe the naked, let us welcome strangers, Let us visit those in prison and the sick. Then the Judge of all earth will say even to us: Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. Notes and References: The Upbeat, Vol. 2, 1985, pp. 22-23. Great Lent, Alexander Schmemann. The Lenten Triodion, Archbishop Kallistos Ware.
+Rev. Stavrofor Milan Savich. Father Savich fell asleep in the Lord in 2010 at age 90. The article is reprinted with permission of the Diocese of New Gracanica and Midwestern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
A Conversation with Archimandrite Metodije (Markovic)—Abbot of the Royal Serbian Lavra Monastery Hilandar: Part 2 With the invitation of His Grace Bishop Maxim of Western America, Abbot Metodije of the Royal Serbian Lavra Hilandar Monastery visited the west coast and, among other celebrations and solemnities, participated in the Diocesan days which took place on the church property in Jackson, California, which bears the name of the first archbishop of Serbia and one of the founders of Hilandar, Saint Sava. Fr. Metodije shared with the faithful of the Diocese of Western America the Athonite, patristic, and his personal experience, permeated by spiritual wisdom. In the following Question and Answer session conducted by Father Bratso Krsic, we present another portion of his spiritual wisdom. See the Voice, Winter 2014, for the first part: Can you tell us something of the treasures of Monastery Hilandar, its charters, vessels, and contents?
The charters are among the oldest written historical documents. In the Middle Ages they were issued by our rulers and their most powerful governors as public documents which reveal the will of the endowment, determine the rights, privileges, donations and gifts which they share. In the Hilandar archives the majority of the charters are Serbian and Greek. The most significant among them are the Second gold-sealed letter of the Roman emperor Alexios III regarding the giving
The Charter of Hilandar
and appointing of Hildandar as a “royal monastery”, taken from the jurisdiction of the local church leaders, from the first part of 1198; and the Second founding charter of Hilandar of the Great Prince (Zhupan) Stefan Nemanja from 12001202. In our old library are many handwritten books, and we should single out the shrine containing a fragment of the Holy Cross which Saint Sava received from John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea (1222-1254) for “all the good he had accomplished for the Roman people”. It is kept in Monastery Hilandar and is the greatest blessing of Monastery Hilandar. We prostrate ourselves before the Cross on the Feast of the Elevation of the Honorable Cross. There are other exponents our treasury that represent a spiritual and cultural treasure for the Serbian people. The significance of the Hilandar treasury and Hilandar itself is immeasurable. We Serbs are a small nation and at first glance, insignificant among the hundreds of millions of other nations. This why it is particularly amazing that we as a people are being challenged because of our values and heritage, our history is abused and our place in the spiritual and cultural history of Europe and the world is being overturned. But then there is that Hilandar which stores that heritage in its treasuries, its gardens testify to the high range and invaluable role and place it has among the cultural nations, a place which is not determined by quantity but the values and identity we posses. Hilandar is our identity card by which is seen that not only are we not indifferent, but that our history - both current and past - has laid the very foundation of the cultural, Christian history of Europe and the world. But we say this not because we are selfish, because we keep that heritage all to ourselves, for if we are honest before God we will see that we must admit that that which our VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 8
ancestors created and preserved, is, in fact, not their work but a great blessing from God to our people. For this reason we have no right to keep that only for ourselves but must share that blessing with others. In these surroundings such as America and in dioceses such as the Western American Diocese, where the members of the Serbian Church are from other nations, there we see that this is true indeed, that we truly can share that blessing with other people. And so that heritage will have greater value among people, and so our preserving of that which God has given us will be justified. Monasticism has for centuries always offered answers to the complex questions of man's being, his salvation, and behavior in this fallen world. Where does this experience and knowledge of man's nature come?
Life in the monastery was meant to be life according to the Gospel of Christ, and we attempt, as much as we can, to fulfill that goal. Of course, we don't achieve this completely, but as much as is possible, the entire structure of the monastic life in the monastery is such that we live according to the Gospel. The essence of man's life in this world is a battle between good and evil. God created man as a free being, and that is the greatest treasure God gave us, and, of course, He Himself values and never wants to destroy the freedom of the human person. Therefore, man chooses on his own whether he will do good or bad, that is, whether he will fulfill the evangelical commandments that our Lord left us in the Gospels and to acquire the evangelical virtues, or will follow one's passions and commit sins. In the Orthodox Spiritual Tradition, it is said that the goal of the Christian life is for the heart to be cleansed of the passions. This goal is not final. It is transient, while the final goal is to cleanse it of the passions so the Holy Spirit might dwell in it, and, thus, acquire deification. And at the end of everything comes that for which reason we do all of this, and that is to be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom. Knowing all of that each day, we read about the spiritual battle. Those
are books that speak to us of how the passions are defeated and virtues acquired. There are a number of passions through which the evil spirits, our enemies, tempt all of mankind. And sins themselves are, in fact, only a manifestation of that which is inside of us. It can happen that one doesn't commit a certain sin at a specific time; however, this doesn't mean that that passion doesn't exist inside of that person to bring about that sin. Rather, it only means some external event has not occurred that could produce the manifestation and committing of such a sin at a specific time. And so human behavior depends mostly on the manifestation of those passions that are inside of us and our battle against them; that is, whether we battle them, or have adjusted to them. Those monks who have shown the most zeal and success against these passions attain much experience in that spiritual battle. And those monks become spiritual fathers who, based on their personal experience, can later lead many other people; therefore, not only monastics but also people who live in the world. The history of the monasteries on Mount Athos is very rich. We know that there are twenty monasteries there. How did it come about that the peninsula of Athos became a monastic “republic” and is the Athos history tied to the Most Holy Theotokos?
The entire Athonite peninsula was a place of idol worship before the coming of the Most Holy Theotokos who deigned to stop there on her way to Cyprus. We know that demons abided in the idols that gave answers and predictions to the people who lived in spiritual delusion and in that manner were fooled. With the coming of the Most Holy Theotokos, however, by God’s power, these demons spoke the truth and called all of the people of Mount Athos to come and prostate themselves before the Mother of the one, true God. It is not known for certain at what place that ship with the Most Holy Theotokos arrived, however she later appeared in visions many times on Mount Athos and we know of those places and I would say something about this.
When the Most Holy Theotokos arrived on Mount Athos she loved the entire place and she desired that it be placed under her protection and quickly afterward that place of idolatry became the place of monastics and prayer. The largest monastery on Mount Athos is called the Great Lavra and its founder is St. Athanasius of Athos who is revered in Mount Athos as the greatest monastic who ever lived there. The monastic battle is difficult and the temptations in the monasteries are great, and so once because of the poverty in the monasteries they were unable to obtain foods, the monks began to complain to their abbot, and in the end they all lost their patience and endurance and many of them left the monastery so that even the abbot, Saint Athanasius, decided to leave the monastery and find another place for this spiritual struggle. When he was some two kilometers from his monastery he at once saw a woman dressed in black and was surprised to find a woman on Mount Athos as even at that time women were not permitted there. She asked him where he was going. But he replied angrily: And who are you to ask me and how can you even be here when it is forbidden for women to be here. The Most Holy Theotokos said: you are a monk and you are required to answer me with patience and not address me so harshly. St. Athanasius felt a great power from her words even though he still didn't know who she was and was compelled to patiently explain to her why he left the monastery. She then calmly reproved him and said: how is it that you monks who are required to show great patience surrender so easily and leave the monastery, don't you place your hope in God's help; but don't worry, return to your monastery, I will take care of you from this day forward. And then St. Athanasius asked: who are you that you can promise such a thing. She said to him: I am the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Athanasius asked her: how can I believe that since I know that even the demons can at times dis-
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 9
guise themselves as holy angels and I'm afraid that this isn't some demonic deception. Then the Most Holy Theotokos said to him: strike that stone with the staff you hold in your hand. When he did that a great spring of water gushed forth. That spring gives a great abundance of water to this day. The water is very cold and refreshing, monks and all pilgrims that visit the Great Lavra drink from it with great joy and faith in the Most Holy Theotokos which is considered to be a great blessing. I should also note that Russian pilgrims like to bathe in this water, particularly during the winter months. The Most Holy Theotokos made another visitation; it was on the shore in front of the monastery called St. Paul and at that time Serbian monks lived there. Mara Brankovic, the daughter of the Serbian rulers of the Brankovic family, was given to the Turkish sultan at that time to be his wife, but she kept her Orthodox faith. She desired to give a gift to the St. Paul monastery and the ship docked at the pier, and since she was the wife of the sultan she thought the rule forbidding women to enter Mount Athos doesn't apply to her, so she went herself bearing gifts to the monastery. However, some one hundred meters from the shore the Most Holy Theotokos herself appeared to her and forbade her to go any further. The abbot and monks came and took the gifts and she quickly returned to the ship and in honor of that visitation of the Most Holy Theotokos a small chapel was built which still stands to this day. There are other examples of the visitations of the Most Holy Theotokos which are recorded in the history of Mount Athos. More of this interview will be published in future issues of the Voice.
C E L E B R AT I O N * D E D I C AT I O N * P R O G R E S S * V I S I O N Diaspora—the scattering of God's children as the seed of His teaching We often use the word diaspora when speaking about our Serbian Orthodox church-school congregations and the people who live outside the Homeland. That is, outside the borders of Serbia, Republika Srpska, Montenegro, or even the other former Yugoslav republics: Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, etc. Due to historical circumstances our people fled their homes and places of origin to new environments, thereby solving their status in new countries where—as many have said —they came to work temporarily. Of course, they used the limited resources and knowledge that they had. For example, use of the foreign language in their new country, as well as the way of life in their new environments (which for many of them was both strange and unattractive). Some historians and analysts of the Serbian immigration divided the immigrants—the ones to the United States in particular—into three or four waves. First were those immigrants up until World War II (according to some chroniclers, the Serbian name is mentioned in America as early as 1814). Some of them even returned to Serbia and enlisted voluntarily for the First World War. Next is the wave after World War II, followed by the immigrants during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Finally, the last wave of immigrants came about as the results of sanctions, the bombing of Serbia during NATO’s war in Kosovo and Metohija caused by Albanian terrorists and extremists, the violent expulsion of Serbs from Krajina, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and so on. What is striking is the fact that many of the first immigrants wished to return once they secured their family financial situation. However, life in a new country proved to be much more difficult and
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!
realizing those original plans did not go unchallenged. Another striking fact is that the first and second wave of immigrants (unlike the third and fourth), were much more stable in terms of religious and cultural life. We can see this from how quickly they organized and formed church-school congregations, the church and liturgical life in general, the building of churches, etc. Based on this we see that the first and second wave of immigrants had a good religious, cultural, and ethnic foundation. The building of Serbian Orthodox communities was nothing but a practical application of their beliefs and disposition. Of course, like the last two waves of immigrants, they also had their challenges. But we note the difference in how they responded to those challenges; where, for instance, the previous generation had greater support of the community—that is, resolving problems was a task of the entire community—there was a family but also a shared communal responsibility, authority, and structure. Today, however, there is more of an expression of individualism, individual rights, and subsequently a lack of accountability to the community. This is clearly evident in our church communities throughout America. Certainly, there are positive qualities in the diaspora, opportunities that offer the possibility of fulfilling the task at hand due to historical circumstances, which we in the Church recognize as being God's providence—with it, therefore, as the seed of God, sown through a silent acting (blowing, or, breathing) of the Holy Spirit we now have the gift of giving the faith of the Fathers, of St. Sava, of Orthodoxy, to the people in the West, more specifically, to those in America. Just as Sts. Cyril and Methodius once did among our ancestors, we now can do in America: “Go and teach all nations,” says the Lord. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church has always called upon and gathered its people. She has done so and continues to do so to this day. Through her clergy she calls, preaches the Word of God, and brings to mind that through one's free union with Christ man is given the great-
est riches this world can ever offer—salvation and life in the Kingdom of God. The diaspora, therefore, in the eyes of the Church is God's providential acting through Her members. The people of God who are called to plant the Word of God responsibly, conscientiously, with an open heart and mind, in the vineyards and countries of the world as well as amongst their neighbors with whom they share God's creation and care. We shall all have to give an answer on the day we meet the Lord and experience the very moment that all the books, our thoughts, words and deeds have written. What will be written for our salvation and unto life eternal—or shame and damnation— depends upon each of us. Freedom is a gift which becomes exactly this, or it finds its true meaning only in Him Who is freedom and does everything out of love—Christ our Savior, the God-man, Logos and Son of God. The diaspora—the scattering of God's children throughout the world as the seed of Christ's Teaching offers new views, a new responsibility of a nation, a people. God has chosen us to be the salt of the earth. God has called us to be the light on the hill of the arena of contemporary history. We are a historical people, but our actions must prove this. History records only those prepared for selfless sacrifice, never those who are closed within themselves—chained up by their own personal, short-sighted goals. The diaspora seeks after the man and idealism that can only be revealed through Christ's way, through ontological thinking, never horizontally, west trajectory, but eastern, patristic, vertical; leading man into new clothes, imperishable, transfiguring, worshiping, primordially true and existing. The diaspora is our responsibility, our goal, our new “battle” for survival as the people of God. The Lord leads us through history, but we must always be ready to follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life in His never-ending day. Protopresbyter Bratislav Bratso Krsic
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 10
Дијаспора – расејање деце Божије као семена науке Његове Дијаспора је реч коју често употребљавамо када мислимо на Српске Православне црквено-школске општине и народ изван Матице, тј. изван граница Србије, Републике Српске, Црне Горе, или пак, осталих бивших република Југославије, нпр. Хрватске, Македоније, Словеније, итд. Услед историјских околности наш народ се одселио са својих огњишта и родних места у нове средине решавајући свој статус у новим земљама где су, како су многи говорили, дошли привремено да раде. Наравно, користили су средства и знање којима су располагали, нпр. у многим случајевима ограничено знање језика земље где су се нашли, а и сам начин живота у тим новим срединама који многима је био стран и непривлачан. Неки историчари и аналитичари Српске имиграције поделили су групе имиграната, конкретно, у Америци на три или четири таласа. Прва група би била имигранти до Другог светског рата (по неким хроничарима српско име у Америци се помиње чак у 1814. години), неки од њих су чак ишли назад у Србију и добровољно се пријављивали за Први светски рат, затим талас имиграната после Другог светског рата, о онда известан број имиграната за време 60тих, 70-тих и 80-тих година, и најзад, задњи талас имиграната који је продукат санкција, бонбардовања Србије од стране НАТО-а, рат на Косово и Метохији проузрокован од стране Албанских терориста, насилно протеривање Српског народа из Крајине, рат у Босни и Херцеговини, итд. Оно што је запањујуће је чињеница да су многи први имигранти имали жељу да се врате назад после обезбеђивања финанцијских средстава својим породицама. Но међутим, живот у новој земљи показао се много тежим и остваривање тих оригиналних планова није ишло без изазова. Друга запањујућа чињеница је да су први и други талас имиграната, за разлику од трећег и четвртог, били много више стабилнији у погледу верског и културног живота. То се види из
њиховог брзог организовања и формирања црквено-школских општина, уопште, Литургијског и Црквеног живота, грађења храмова, итд. Из тога можемо да видимо да су први и други талас имиграната у Америци имали добре верске, културне и националне основе те грађење Српских Православних заједница је било практична примена њихових веровања и настројења. Наравно, имали су они, као и задња два таласа имиграната, своје изазове. Примећујемо, међутим, разлику у одговору тим изазовима, где рецимо, пређашње генерације имале су пристум заједнице, тј. решавање проблема био је задатак заједнице као целине – постојала је породична али и заједничка одговорност, ауторитет, и устројство. Данас, пак, више се осећа и испољава индивидуализам, лична права, а самим тиме и недостатак одговорности према заједници. Ово је свакако евидентно у нашим црквеним заједницама широм Америке. Свакако, дијаспора има својих позитивних особина и прилика које нуде могућност испуњавања задатка који нам је дат услед историјских околности, а који ми у Цркви схватамо и знамо да је промисао Божија - с њом, дакле, као семе Божије, расејано тихим делањем (дувањем, односно удахњивањем) Духа Светога ми сада имамо дар давања вере светоотачке, светосавске, Православне, народу на западу, тј. конкретно у Америци. Као што су то некада чинили Свети Ћирило и Методије међу нашим претцима, исто тако, ми сада да чинимо међу народима Америке, “Идите и научите све народе”, рече Господ. Вођена Духом Светим, Црква је увек позивала и окупљала свој народ. Она је то чинила и исто тако чини и данас. Преко својих свештених служитеља позива, проповеда Реч Божију, и подсећа да кроз слободно седињење са Христом човек задобија највеће богатство које овај свет не може никада понудити – спасење и живот у Царству Божијем. Дијаспора, дакле, у очима Цркве је делање промисли Божије кроз удове Њене, тј. народ Божији који је позван у земљама света да одговорно, савесно и са отвореним срцем и умом сеје Реч Божију на њиви народа, тј. суседа који их окружују и са којима деле творевину Божију, а за чије старање сви ћемо
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 11
одговор дати на дан Господњег и нашег сусрета када ће се отворити све књиге које писасмо својим мислима, речима и делима. Како и шта ће убележено бити, на спасење и живот вечни, или пак срам и погибао, до сваког од нас зависи. Слобода је дар који постаје управо то, односно, налази свој прави смисао само у Њему Који је слободан и чини све из љубави – Христу Спаситељу, Богочовеку, Логосу и Сину Божијем. Дијаспора – расејање деце Божије по свету као семе Науке Христове нуди нове погледе, нову одговорност једне нације, једног народа. Бог нас је изабрао да будемо со земљи. Бог нас позива да будемо светила на гори арене савремене историје. Ми смо историјски народ, али наша дела то морају да потврђују. Историја бележи само оне спремне на несебичну жртву, никако оне који су се затворили у себе – учаурили својим неким личним, кратковидим циљевима. Дијаспора тражи данас човека и идеализам који могу да се открију само Христовим путем, размишљајући онтолошки, никако хоризонталном, западном путањом, него источно, светоотачки, вертикалом, која узводи човека у ново рухо, непропадљиво, преображавајуће, обожавајуће, исконски истинито и постојано. Дијаспора је наша одговорност, наш циљ, наша нова “борба” за опстанак као народа Божијег. Господ нас води кроз историју, али ми морамо да свагда спремни будемо да следимо Пут, Истину и Живот у незалазни дан Његов.
Протојереј Братислав Брацо Кршић
The Ladder of Divine Ascent — How a Pilgrim Progresses On fourth Sunday of Great and Holy Lent we commemorate St. John Climacus, a 7th century monk from the holy monastery on Mount Sinai. He is famous for writing the epic dissertation on the ascetical life called the “Ladder of Divine Ascent”. He based this treatise on the story from the Old Testament about Jacob’s Ladder, the ladder which leads to heaven. So now let us jump to the 17th century and the Christian allegorical novel written by John Bunyan called The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come; Delivered under the Similitude of a Dream. Both describe in their own unique way the basic tenets of the Christian life and how to enter into a relationship with God. Much time could be devoted to the comparison and contrast between these two works, but in this brief article I will focus on just a couple. The most basic and necessary practice every serious Christian must undertake in order to form a relationship with Jesus Christ is repentance. If there is no repentance, there is no reconciliation with God. With no reconciliation we are in a word rejecting God’s death on the Cross, His sacrifice for us. Did He not die for our sins? We know that we sin, yet if we reject the means of reconciliation through repentance and confession, we miss participating in the salvific work done by our Lord. Repentance and confession is not a legalistic act as a once a year obligation. We should actually seek out and embrace this practice. This is a hard pill to swallow in our modern society, where man and this world have taken precedent over the commandments of God. Unfortunately, so many don’t understand the freedom God gives to those who repent and confess. This freedom is like no other. Not a freedom based on our feelings or earthly cares. A freedom that only the Holy Spirit can give someone’s soul, releasing them from anger, pride, greed, gluttony, etc. Imagine a day when you didn’t stress about this or that because God had taken some burdens from your heart. A soul
that has been freed from so many cares is one that can find peace in any situation, good or bad. St. John and John Bunyan offer some excellent perspectives on repentance and how to achieve this freedom. The main character in Pilgrim’s Progress, whose name is Christian, discovers the Bible, and through his studies the Holy Spirit
begins to work in him. He starts to realize that he carries a very big burden of sin in his soul. He commits himself to the Christian path and along the journey God strengthens him. He goes through many trials, suffers rejection, pain and sheds many tears. After about halfway through the story does he finally recognize that through true repentance, he can find much needed relief. The author describes the shedding of Christian’s sins with the release of a large sack he had carried on his back. When this happened, Christian had a new life - he was reborn. Christian repented, confessed and was baptized with his tears. This isn’t new to Orthodox Christians, we know about this by reading the lives of the Saints. Have you ever heard of a Saint who wasn’t repentant? However, Christian’s struggles didn’t end with his repentance. Instead he learned from that point forward that repentance was necessary in order to keep climbing the ladder and at the same time continue to grow in virtue.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 12
St. John, as a monastic, had a deep understanding of repentance and provided those who are interested a toolbox to use in their daily struggle. As John Bunyan told a story, St. John provides the user’s manual! There are 30 steps in St. John’s formula and step 5 describes penitence. Notice how early in the process repentance enters. St. John says in the first paragraph of step 5, “Repentance is the renewal of baptism and is a contract with God for a fresh start in life. Repentance is critical awareness and a sure watch over oneself. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the refusal to despair.” Repentance is certainly a type of virtue, and with any virtue one can use it to fight off the passions. With the taming of the passions, higher virtues begin to reveal themselves in us, like simplicity, humility and discernment. This leads to a union with God through pure prayer and love. Another interesting similarity between the two books is how the Christian path begins, the discovery of faith and the acceptance of the need for a change of life. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian realizes that he has to make a break with the world, his current lifestyle and all the vices that go along with it. He begins by renouncing that which is opposite of God’s calling. He then detaches himself from that which is causing him to go against God’s commandments. As he continues on the path, he realizes he is entering into exile, separating himself from anything that interferes with reaching the goal. This includes family and friends who disagree with this path, and even attempt to talk him out of going forward. The Lord Jesus teaches us in Mark 10: 29-31, “So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” If Christian didn’t attend to this commandment, his burdens would have remained.
St. John dedicates steps 1 through 4 as introductions to discovering the Christian perspective of the world and its influences that separate us from God. Focusing on step 4 especially, obedience can bless or curse, depending on which way one leans. St. John says “The Fathers have declared the singing of psalms to be a weapon, prayer to be a wall, and honest tears to be a bath. To them, blessed obedience is confession of faith, without which no one subject to passions will see the Lord.” The question is, are we obedient to that which contradicts God? We are obedient to showing up for work on time, but come an hour late to Church. We are obedient to getting the children to soccer practice, but don’t pray before meals. We are obedient to paying our mortgage, but lack in sharing our time and treasure for those in need. We are obedient to surfing the internet news, but don’t prepare regularly to partake of the lifegiving Body and Blood of Christ. Modern man rejects spiritual obedience to God, even thinks it unnecessary. He fears exile, and would rather conform to the things of the world rather than the things of Heaven. As each of these stories progress to the end, the final destination is of course the Kingdom of Heaven. Bunyan uses the moniker Celestial City; St. John describes a union with God or Theosis. Along the ladder there are many temptations, accompanied by falls and recoveries. Throughout it is clear that the entire process is a steep uphill climb. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt 11:12) This force is our struggle to perfection, our willingness to follow Christ’s commandments and our actions before God in this short life. We aren’t saved by simply proclaiming we believe in Christ. We are saved through God’s grace, faith and works. Works like repentance, obedience, humility, discernment and love. Amen Deacon Paul Germain
St George, the Trophy Bearer St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, San Diego, will celebrate its Slava this year on Sunday, May 3; however, the actual saint’s day is May 6. Everyone is welcome to join in this important event, and we hope if you don’t already know the history of this important saint, you will read about him here. St. George is most commonly depicted in early icons, mosaics, and frescoes wearing the armor of a Roman soldier. After the fall of Constantinople and the association of St. George with the crusades, he is more often portrayed mounted upon a white horse. At the same time St. George began to be associated with St. Demetrius, another early martyred Roman soldier. The two saints are often portrayed together mounted on horses; in this respect they are likened to earthly manifestations of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. (Equating George with Michael is understandable, as many icons of Michael also portray him on a horse slaying a dragon.) St. George is always depicted upon a white horse and St. Demetrius on a red horse (or a black horse where the pigment used has decayed). According to tradition, George was born to a Christian family during the late 3rd century. His father was from Cappadocia and served as an officer of the army. His mother was from Lydda, Palestine. She returned to her native city as a widow along with her young son after the martyrdom of George's father, where she provided him with a respectable education and raised him in piety. The youth, it would seem, followed his father's example in joining the army soon after his coming of age. He proved to be a charismatic soldier and consequently rose quickly through the mili-
tary ranks of the time. By his late twenties he had gained the titles of tribunus (tribune) and later comes (count). By that time George had been stationed in Nicomedia as a member of the personal guard attached to Roman Emperor Diocletian (reign 284–305). In 303, Diocletian issued an edict authorizing the systematic persecution of Christians across the Empire. His caesar, Galerius, was supposedly responsible for this decision and would continue the persecution during his own reign (305–311). It is believed that George was ordered to take part in the persecution but instead confessed to being a Christian himself and criticized the imperial decision. An enraged Diocletian proceeded in ordering the torture of this apparent traitor and his execution. Then, after innumerable forms of torture, George was executed by decapitation in front of Nicomedia's defensive wall on April 23, 303. The witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to also become Christians, and so they also joined George in martyrdom as consequence. George's body was then returned to Lydda for burial, where Christians soon came to honor George as a martyr. Adapted from the Orthodox Wiki
Fresco in monastery Kaona, near Sabac
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 13
Dear Fellow Parishioners,
big and small, brief and long-term, skilled and unskilled. Please offer your time and talent. Don’t wait to be asked! Please contact Fr. Bratso or any member of our church board to volunteer.
I am humbled that you have asked me to be the new president of our parish. The church board you elected is a wonderful blend of old and new board members who are all dedicated to sustaining and strengthening our parish. At the board meetings we have held so far, our board members have proven themselves to be eager to work together toward our common goals for the church.
As many of you know, two of our longtime parishioners demonstrated their love for our parish by remembering St. George in their wills and trusts. Truly, they continue to be stewards of our church even after their passing. The least we can do is to follow their example by being stewards of our church while we are living. Please become a steward of our church by considering what financial offering you can make and by completing a stewardship card.
This season of renewal and hope is the ideal time for each of us to examine what is most important in our lives and to rededicate ourselves to a life of faith, family, and service. I hope you will include service to St. George Church among your highest priorities. There are many ways to help at our parish —both
We can sustain and strengthen our parish by working together as a family of faith.
From the Church President
Kate Thickstun, Church Board President
Taking on the tough task of estate planning can be a gift to your family and church
The planning and writing of a will is both a civic obligation and a personal privilege. We live in a nation of laws. During all of our lifetime, different laws apply to our living. When we are born, our birth is registered as required by law. When we are alive, we comply with legal requirements when purchasing a home, making loans, securing a passport and in many more of life's activities. When we die, our life's passing is noted in securing a death certificate and in the probate process. In all of life's activities, the law is there. One of the most important legal activities that we each, individually, face is to decide how that which we have acquired is used and who will benefit from those possessions. While living, we are present to make those decisions. Before we die, we can determine who will receive our estate with a will. Should we not make that determination with our own will, then the State or others will decide for us, often ignoring our important preferences. Deciding not to write a will reflects a lack of civic responsibility and compliance, and a last opportunity to demonstrate our love to those whom we cherish.
Banquet and celebration to follow Kumovi: Vladan and Milica Trifunovic with children: Luka and Kaja Vidovdan Celebration Sunday, June 28, 2015 9:30am Matins 10:30am Divine Liturgy Banquet and program to follow Recognition of graduates St. George and Dr. Srbich high school scholarship awards
DEADLINES Scholarship Applications May 7 See pp. 25-28
Yours in Christ,
Your Will Is a Way to Help Your Church
Church Slava Sunday, May 3, 2015 9am Matins 10am Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
Graduate biographies and photos for the VOICE SUMMER issue might be received before June 15! Send directly to the editor: marsha@marshaj.com
There are some vital details we each are allowed in writing our will. Each person on his or her own have the legal right to write a will. Additional details include the naming of a personal representative, deciding who will serve as guardians of our minor children, proving guidelines concerning how they will be raised, and expressing gratitude for all of life's blessings. Life involves a string of choices, and the most important choices we make involve the use and disposition of what we have. This is called stewardship, the management of our resources. Our acts during our lifetime become a statement of faith. Our last act, our will, serves as a final testimony of our faith journey in life. We exercise a spiritual privilege when we plan and write our own will. Before putting together your will, ask each primary beneficiary (spouse, children, your church) to express their preferences on personal treasures; it will help you decide who gets what. If you have your will made out, ask your attorney to add a line stating that you bequeath to the Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church, 3025 Denver Street, San Diego, CA, 92117. If you have planned a future gift to our parish, let us know so that we can express our gratitude. If you have some questions and concerns, please contact your financial advisor, or attorney, or our church office at 619-276-5827.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 14
2015 Great & Holy Week Services
%*4+56 +5 4+5'0 +0&' %*4+56 +5 4+5'0 +0&''& *' +5 4+5'0
April 4
ɏɊɂɋɌɈɋ ȼɈɋɄɊȿɋȿ ȼȺɂɋɌɂɇɍ ȼɈɋɄɊȿɋȿ
April 5
Lazarus Saturday 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 5:00 pm Vespers and Vrbica
PASCHA—EASTER CELEBRATION Sunday, April 12th, 2015
Palm Sunday (ɐɜɟɬɢ) 9:30 am Matins 10:30 am Divine Liturgy 12:30 pm Lenten Luncheon
Resurrection Divine Liturgy: 10:00 am
April 7
Annunciation Feast Day 10:00 am Divine Liturgy
April 8
Great & Holy Wednesday 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Presanctified Gifts 6:00 pm Confession 7:00 pm Holy Unction (ɋɜ. Ɍɚʁɧɚ ȳɟɥɟɨɫɜɟʄɟʃɚ)
April 9
Great and Holy Thursday 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 7:00 pm Matins & Passion Gospels
April 10
Great and Holy Friday 10:00 am Decoration of Christ’s Tomb 7:00 pm Vespers/Burial Service with Lamentation
April 11
Great and Holy Saturday 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 12:00 am (Midnight) Resurrection Matins
April 12
Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ PASCHA—ȼɚɫɤɪɫ 10:00 am Divine Liturgy and Banquet
April 13
Resurrection Monday 10:00 am Divine Liturgy
Banquet: 12:30 pm Traditional Meal with all the trimmings. Music will be provided. Reservations are required—Deadline is April 5th Seating is Limited Adults: $25; Children 5-12: $10; Under 5: Free
ɉȺɋɏȺ—ȼȺɋɄɊɋ ɇȿȾȿȴȺ, 12. ɚɩɪɢɥ 2015 10:00 ɱɚɫɨɜɚ ɋȼȿɌȺ ɅɂɌɍɊȽɂȳȺ ȼɚɫɤɪɲʃɢ Ȼɚɧɤɟɬ ɉɨɫɥɟ ɋɜɟɬɟ Ʌɢɬɭɪɝɢʁɟ ɉɟɱɟʃɟ ɫɚ ɞɨɞɚɬɧɢɦ ʁɟɥɢɦɚ ɉɨɬɪɟɛɧɟ Ɋɟɡɟɪɜɚɰɢʁɟ Ɉɞɪɚɫɥɢ: $25 Ɣ Ⱦɟɰɚ 5-12: $10 Ɣ Ⱦɟɰɚ ɢɫɩɨɞ 5: Ȼɟɡɩɥɚɬɧɨ
Welcome! Ⱦɨɛɪɨ Ⱦɨɲɥɢ!
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 15
CHURCH CALENDAR 2015 APRIL 4
Lazarus Saturday (Vrbica) and Diocean KSS Women’s Retreat.
5
Palm Sunday
7
Annunciation
9
Great and Holy Thursday
10
Great and Holy Friday
11
Great and Holy Saturday / Midnight Matins
12
Pascha/Vaskrs
MAY 3
Church Slava
6
St George Feast Day
9
Bacon and Wine Tasting
21
Ascension of Our Lord - Spasovdan
31
Pentecost
JUNE 8
Apostles Fast begins
20
MORAVA Folkfest
28
Vidovdan Celebration and Honoring of Graduates
JULY 12
Diocesan Summer Camp (http://www.campstsava.org - First week
19
Diocesan Summer Camp (http://www.campstsava.org - Second week
26
Diocesan Summer Camp (http://www.campstsava.org - Third week
AUGUST 14
Dormition Fast begins
28
Dormition Feast Day
29-31
Diocesan Days Weekend at St Sava Church in Jackson, CA (church closed)
SEPTEMBER 13
Sunday Church School begins
20
Kolo Slava
OCTOBER TBA
SERBFEST
16-17
Opolo Wine Harvest Festival in Paso Robles, CA
17 TBA
St Stefan and Jelena (Stiljanovic) Cevap Challenge
NOVEMBER 26
Thanksgiving Day
28
Nativity Fast begins (through January 6, 2016)
29
Stewardship Sunday
30
Diocesan KSS Slava (Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos)
DECEMBER 19
St Nicholas Day - Serbian Children’s day
For more information call Fr. Bratso Krsic at 619-276-5827 or visit www.SaintGeorgeInSD.org
Христос вoскрсе! Ваистину вoскрсе! Hristos voskrse! Vaistinu voskrse! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 16
Sunday Church School We are grateful to our great team of teachers. We appreciate them very much and pray for their continued ministry in our cherished parish. • Joanna Aud • Elizabeth Kasic • Nemanja Zdralo • Anastasija Krsic
Fr. Bratso, Deacon Paul and our teachers love when parents take the initiative to find out what our children are learning in Church School. Fr. Bratso has sent out many emails updating parents about lessons being taught. Our teachers provide a lesson copy for each student that they can take home and share with their parents and family. We suggest that parents build upon the weekly lessons at home with supplemental teaching. We also suggest to parents to build upon the Scripture readings, hymns, and commemorations of Saints and feasts that the children encounter in the Divine Services of the Church. Explain to your children what the readings and hymns mean and tell them the stories of the Saints and feasts commemorated. Our diocesan website (www.westsrbdio.org) offers daily lives of saint from the Prologue. Educating your children means that you must be educated in the Faith yourself. This is the parents’ responsibility. Immerse yourself in the life of the Church. Worship and pray in as many of the Divine Services as possible, attend adult education classes, read the Holy Scripture, and consult the commentaries and sermons on the Scripture by the Holy Fathers.
Fr. Bratso has mailed to everyone in our parish explanation of home blessing and a form for families to fill out and schedule a pastoral visit and home blessing. This is a great opportunity for families to ask questions about our Orthodox Faith. Last day of Sunday School: Sunday, April 26, 2015 is the last day of Sunday school for this semester. Please, come to celebrate with us. Summer Camp: Please, visit (http://campstsava.org) to register for St. Sava Summer Camp. Fr. Bratso will be attending the second week of camp. We need volunteers for the second week and third week of camp. Please, contact Fr. Bratso for details: 619-316-2362 or frbratso@sbcglobal.net. Words of Wisdom St. John Chrysostom’s instructions to fathers on telling stories from Holy Scripture: Tell him this story one evening at supper. Let his mother repeat the same tale; then, when he has heard it often, ask him too, saying: ‘Tell me the story,’ so that he may be eager to imitate you. And when he has memorized it thou wilt also tell him how it profits him. The soul indeed, as it receives the story within itself before thou has elaborated it, is aware that it will benefit.. (Laistner 104) Go leading him by the hand in church and pay heed particularly when this tale is read aloud. Thou wilt see him rejoice and leap with pleasure because he knows what the other children do not know, as he anticipates the story, recognizes it, and derives great gain from it. And hereafter the episode is fixed in his memory. (Laistner 105)
In the home, set up a family altar or icon corner. Read the Scripture readings and lives of the Saints daily. Pray together as a family every day, at least in the morning and/or evening. Joanna Aud graduated from SDSU 2014 in Public Health Joanna Aud earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health from San Diego State University. Joanna has always enjoyed helping people and chose this field to begin a professional career doing what she loves. Joanna is the daughter of Matthew and Laurie Aud, older sister to Tisa, granddaughter of Boris Batinica, and great niece to Branko Kukich and our dearly loved and missed +Borislava Kukich. Jo is so grateful to be part of the St. George family, attending Sunday School as a child and always being involved in church activities. She learned folklore dancing as a Morava “Pee Wee” under Protinica and Milena Draskovic. Jo would sing the songs she learned at practice for weeks on end with her sister Tisa. Joanna continued dancing and is currently in Senior Morava. Joanna is also one of the Sunday School instructors, and she also teaches the “Pee Wee” Morava group. She takes great joy in getting little feet to dance folklore. In addition, Joanna has also been singing in the choir since she was little, surrounded and supported by our wonderful church choir members. Joanna is currently employed in biotechnology as a lab technician. She has always enjoyed science and plans to use her experience and education to help people in the public health sector. Jo is also an artist who loves to draw and paint in her spare time. Congratulations, Joanna! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 17
St George Choir The St. George Choir held its annual meeting on March 15th and the three following board members were re-elected for 2015: • President: Velimir Jovanovic • Vice President: Rankin Fisher • Secretary: Milos Belcevich • Treasurer: Mira Jovanovic
The choir started rehearsing the special songs that we sing during Good Friday and Resurrection services. Remember: We are always looking for new members. Velimir Jovanovic, Choir President
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!
Choir Singing during Worship Words not chanted in Orthodox worship are sung by the choir. The Church uses eight tones or modes, which are broad categories of melodies. Within each of these tones are many small more precise melodies. All of these tones and their melodies rotate weekly so that during each
week a particular tone is used for singing music. Singing in an Orthodox service is as varied and multi-faceted in its forms as chanting and vestments, it changes with the Church seasons of commemoration. The power of music is used to its full effect to bring about spiritual renewal in the listeners during an Orthodox service.
FOCUS needs you! Please join us as we prepare and serve FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve) dinner for our brothers and sisters in need at God's Extended Hand (1625 Island Ave. SD 92101) every third Wednesday of each month. Help is needed as follows: • Food Prep (we need 4 people): 3-6 pm • Doormen (we need 2 people): 5:20-7:20 pm • Serving/cleanup (we need 10 people): 6-7:30 pm • Sermon will be given around 5:40 pm
***Please share this information with friends or family in our parish, and encourage them to join you in serving. *** We absolutely need more people participating regularly to keep this important ministry functioning successfully! Please let me know the approximate time you can be there, and if you have any questions or need more information. Thank you SO MUCH! God bless you ALL! You are in my daily prayers. Fr. Bratso Krsic
Fr. Bratso Krsic, Deacon Paul Germain, Mira and Veljo Jovanovic, Dragan Kukulj and Kaija Germain. Mirko and Sylvia Ivanovic are not in a picture, but they served meals every Wednesday. We also have some other participants on a more regular basis: Cristina Dukovich, Dragan Vasic, and others. Don’t miss out on the blessing you will receive by serving the Lord in this important way. The Lord said: 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.(Matthew 25:40)
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 18
Kolo Sisters—operating like a well-greased machine Marija Milasinovic has been keeping most of the electronically connected women of St George parish informed of all the activities and nuances of orchestrating those activities through email sharing of detailed meeting minutes. I must say, just reading these minutes should shame those of you who are not a part of this vital organization. At its last meeting, only five women (Maca Asimovic, Marija Milasinovic, Snezana Pantovic, Ljubinka Plavsic, and Christina Zuber) attended; but like the energizer bunny, the group kept on going, handling the big business of planning and executing the many social and philanthropic activities of St George Church. I think I was out of breath just from reading the minutes of that one meeting! Thank you Kolo members, all of you, for keeping our beloved parish in such great condition. Here is a list of current activities in the works: • They are buying new round tables for our fellowship hall. Shopping for the best value, Ljubinka found a Costco special, $22 off regular price, and soon Marija put out the word via email, asking all of us to “sponsor” a table for $82.99 + tax (roughly $91)! Consensus of the five present was to go through Costco, since they stand by the quality of their products. Snezana suggested we aim to purchase 20 round tables purchased by Easter. And without batting an eye, Maca offered to purchase one table, and Snezana, and Christina. These women put their money where their months are! I hope many more of you have joined the round table crusade for Easter. • Next order of business—collect money for candles and flowers immediately for Christ's grave for Easter. The savvy Kolo marketers once again have young girls collect for this after church, since this has been most effective in the past. Ljubinka coordinates the collection.
the rest of the details and Christina will coordinate culinary students to help out again. And, of course, email needs to go out to solicit cookies for Easter. • Then there was the dishwasher again and father Bratso was asked to call Ratko Jovanovic to come and check it. • And just when we thought Easter was taken care, along comes Church slava May 3. Marija will send out an email asking 1-2 members if they would like to chair. And once again email needs to go out for soliciting cookies for slava. Christina will get students again for this event. And the beat goes on.
Slava Bread Recipe Slava bread or slavski kolac is an important part of the religious aspects of Krsna Slava, the celebration of a patron saint day. The parish priest must first bless the bread before any festivities can begin. Recipes and decorative designs for this bread differ among Serbian families, just as recipes for apple pie differ among American families. The following is a basic recipe taken from an Eastern European web site. It makes one round loaf of Slava Bread.
• Oops, I almost forgot—Easter egg dying! Snezana offered to chair this project. Milica Trifunovic has donated all the eggs in past years. They will ask her to donate again. Snezana will do the silk tie style and asked people to bring the gold Orthodox cross stickers found on the bottom of our Slava candles, since she wants to use them, too.
• 2 packages active dry yeast
If you aren’t a member of this dynamic group, don’t you think it’s about time? Dues are only ten dollars, the blessings are endless. Contact any Kolo member for more information.
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon sugar • 3 tablespoons flour • 1/2 cup warm water • 1 1/2 cups warm water • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 cup butter, softened • Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon • 4 tablespoons sugar • 6 to 7 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Voice Editor
Prep Time: 60 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Then on to the Easter banquet; Simona Trifunovic had already offered to chair the event. Ljubinka will follow up with her on
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 19
• Jojic, Julijana and Vesko
• Milovancev, Miroslav, Mira and Family
Stewardship List—March 2015
• Jorling, Joe and Nina
• Mitrovich, Desanka
• Alemany, Linda and Family
• Jovanovic, Marko and Dijana
• Mitrovich, Jelena
• Allen, Mike and Markay
• Jovanovic, Misha and Marsha
• Mitrovich, Predrag and Family
• Amanovic, Diana
• Jovanovic, Ratko and Koka
• Mitrovich, Risto and Linda
• Aud, Matthew, Laurie and Family
• Jovanovic, Slavko and Tanja
• Mrja, Millie
• Banjac, Dario & Karen Rubio
• Jovanovic, Slavica
• Naughton, Pamela
• Basic, Stevo and Stana
• Jovanovic, Toma and Vesna
• Nedel, Naden
• Begovich, Michael and Samantha
• Jovanovic, Velimir and Mira
• Nedic, Sava and Spomenka
• Belcevich, Milos and Lepa
• Jovanovic, Verica
• Nikolic, Dragan and Gordana
• Borojevich, Mildred and Wally
• Kalfas, Peter
• Orlich, Petar
• Borovic, Radovan and Family
• Kasic, Rade and Radmila
• Pantich, Tom and Helen
• Bradic, Aleksandar and Jelena
• Kezic, Vladimir and Ivana
• Pantovic, Snezana and Dole
• Brucker, Mitch and Lidija
• Kinach, Alex and Seka
• Papac, Wayne and Sandie
• Caldes, James and Ljiljana
• Klacar, Neven
• Perisic, Milan
• Caric, Brigitte and Family
• Kostic, Tordis
• Petakovich, Deyan and Natasa
• Connor, Evelyn
• Kovacevic, Biljana
• Copic, Miro, Laura and Family
• Krsic, Proto Bratso and Protinica Lisa
• Petakovich, Proto Velimir and Protinica Ljubinka
• Cronemeyer, Jamie and Zorica
• Kukich, Branislav
• Denton, Natalie
• Kunac, Maria and Dusan
• Dimich, Marlene
• Kurkjian, Robert and Ann
• Drakulich, Persida
• Lazovic, Alexander and Carole
• Draskovic, Proto Bozidar and Protinica Bozana
• Lopez-Anthofer, Alex and Kira
• Ducich, Nick and Tia
• Lukic, Milos
• Elez, Sladjana and Family
• Masic, Milenko
• Freeman, Lillian
• Markley, Scott and Nada
• Fulton, Jeff and Radmila
• Markovic, Predrag and Maja
• Galashty, Natalia
• Marin, Mike, Tina and Family
• Gavrilov, Gleb
• McCarthy, Svetlana
• Germain, Deacon Paul, Natalija and Family
• McKienzie, Sally-Ann
• Glusac, Milena • Grijakovic, Vladimir • Groza, Horia and Joanna • Hyduke, David • Ilic, Boris • Ilic, Petar and Rosa • Irick, Olga • Ivanovic, Mirko and Sylvia • Janich, Thomas and Marcia • Jaich, Dennis, Rhonda and Family • Jojic, Dobrinka
• Lukic, James-Ljuban and Petka
• Medigovich, Samuel • Melnick, Stanley and Pauline • Mihailovic, Gordon • Mikler, Zora • Miladinovic, Radmila • Miladinovic, Miroslav • Milanovich, Jennifer • Milasinovic, Zeljko and Marija • Milicevic, James and Melanie • Milicevic, Nikola and Nada • Miljkovic, Milan and Diane • Miljkovic, Vecki and Miodrag and family
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 20
• Petric, Alex, Shari and Aci • Petric, Milovan and Jelena • Petrovic, Djordje and Marija • Plavsic, LJubinka • Plavsic, Milan and Ljubica • Plavsic, Mara-Seja • Plavsic, D. Dee • Popa, Cornelia • Popovic, Darko and Family • Popovich, Dolly • Popovich, Vojkan and Nada • Potkonjak, Michael, Sheila and Joseph • Pugh, Zachary and Milica • Purlia, Gloria • Radomirovic, Vladimir and Family • Radosavljevic, Mika • Radovanovic, Dragoslav and Ljiljana • Raicevic, Vladimir, Silvana and Family • Rakich, Danielle • Rakic, Marko, Vera and Family • Radojevic, Slobodan and Dr. Vesna • Radojevic, Protinica Nadezda • Radomirovic, Vladimir • Radovanovic, Dragoslav and Ljiljana
• Raicevic, Vladimir and Silvana and Family • Rhoads, Howard and Lydia • Rutherford, Kathleen • Ruzic, Stevan and Marija • Saathoff, Stephanie • Sacchetti, Cynthia • Savchuk, Nikolaj and Olga and Family • Schrandt Jeff and Natalija V. • Sedy-Miletic, John and Ana and Family • Selezan, Dusan • Selezan, Nemanja • Serdar, Sophie • Serebryakova, Elena • Skaljac, George and Bernadette • Smith, Justin, Zorana and Family • Smolan, Tom • Srbich, Eva and Jeanette • Starr, Tatyana • Stojadinovic, Djordje and Julijana • Stojanovic, Robert and Sandra
• Topalovic, Vojkan, Maja and Family
Children’s Stewardship List
• Trifunovic, Alexandra
• Krsic, Anastasija
• Trifunovic, Dr. Robert, Simona and Family
• Krsic, Luka
• Trifunovic, Vladan and Milica and Family
• Krsic, Nikolaj
• Tully, George
• Leff, Dylan
• Undheim, Robert and Dobrila • Urosevic, Branislav and Elaine • Valliu, Becky • Vasiliu, Laurentiu and Daniela • Vasich, Branko and Family • Vasic, Milica • Vlasovich, Milanka • Vladic, Milan • Vucelic, Inge • Vukotich, Dorothy • Vukotich, May and Stefan • Vukotich, John and Jean • Vuksanovic, Dusan • Yancey, Peter • Zivkovic, Miodrag and Sarah • Zivkovic, Tina and Jovan
• Stoyanoff, Jordan and Beatriz • Suliman, George and Dorina
Milunka Savic a Serbian woman, became the woman with the greatest number of medals awarded in the history of warfare. Before the First Balkan War in 1912, she trimmed her hair, dressed as a man and reported as a volunteer fighter under the name Milun Savic. She did it to save her only young brother from going to war. In 1914, during the height of World War I, she was awarded her first Karadjordje Star with Swords after the battle of Kolubara where she single-handedly captured 20 Austro-Hungarian soldiers. She received her first medal and rank of Corporal in the battle of Bregalnica. During the battle she was wounded, and it is only then, when she was taken to the hospital, that it was discovered she was a woman. At the battle of Crna Reka on September 28, 1916 she attacked a Bulgarian trench, cleared it out with grenades , rifle fire and the bayonet, and took alone 23 Bulgarian soldiers prisoner.s.
Otherwise, if you’re sure you returned your card, and you are not on this list, it is possible we have lost your card, in which case, you should also inform the Stewardship Chairman immediately. And if we have misspelled your name, also inform the church office (619-2765827), and we will immediately make the necessary corrections. Thank you! Toma Jovanovic, Stewardship Chairman, tomasjovanovic@hotmail.com
• Thickstun, Kathryn
Milunka Savic, the most decorated woman in warfare history
If your names are not on this list, the Stewardship Chairman did not receive your pledge card. So please fill it out and return to the church office as soon as possible. It is important for the church to have your pledge for budget and planning.
Milunka was awarded the French Legion d'Honeur (twice); the Russian Cross of St. George, the English medal of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael, and the Serbian Milos Obilic medal. She was the only woman in the world awarded the French Croix de Guerre (War Cross) with Gold Palm. Milunka Savic is the greatest woman warrior among the Serbian people, a woman many historians call the Serbian Joan of Arc. She gave birth to one daughter and adopted 3 orphan girls from World War I and spent the rest of her life working as a cleaning lady.
ing in a crumbling house in Vozdovac with her three adopted children: Milka, a forgotten child from the railway station in Stalac; Radmila-Višnja; and Zorka, a fatherless girl from Dalmatia. Later, when she attended the jubilee celebrations wearing her military medals, other military officers spoke with her and heard of her courageous actions. News spread and at last she gained recognition. In 1972, public pressure and a newspaper article highlighting her difficult housing and financial situation led to her being given a small apartment by the Belgrade City Assembly.
During the German occupation of Serbia of the Second World War, Milunka refused to attend a banquet organized by Milan Nedic, a Serbian general collaborator which was to be attended by German generals and officers.She was arrested and taken to Banjica concentration camp, where she was imprisoned for ten months.
She died in Belgrade on 5 October 1973, at the age of 84.
In 1945, she was given a state pension, and continued to live in her house in Belgrade's Vozdovac neighborhood. By the late 1950s her daughter was in hospital, and she was liv-
Misha Jovanovic
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 21
In 2013, a documentary film, Milunka Savic, Heroine of the Great War, was made by Sladjana Zaric. So now these many years later, the Serbian people can honor her contributions during the Great War.
undertaking for a self-funded organization. As such, we gratefully are accepting donations to help us realize this goal.
MORAVA! Dear Friends and Supporters, Morava held it 1st PIG GIG on February 14. Everyone who was there knows that the little piggies were finger-licking good! Thanks to BBQ chefs Miodrag Miljkovic and Sava Ninkovic for buying, preparing, and barbecuing the pigs. Also thanks to Alexi Porobic and Danielle Rakich for chairing the event and all of Morava for taking on a shift or two. Although there was a small turnout, we sold out of meat, and it was very apparent there is a demand for pig by the pound and if we had had more pig, people would have bought and taken it home. We plan to do this again next February and hope more people can make it! Morava represented Serbia at Nations of San Diego on March 21 at the famous Spreckles Theater in downtown San Diego. There were 22 nations being represented with over 300 dancers. We hope they will have us back next year! Next on our schedule is Little Italy for Dance on the EDGE, April 25-26. May heats up with Kolobration at St. Stevens, Bacon and Wine Tasting at St George on May 9, and Avala’s kolofest at St. Petka on May 16. June 20 is Morava’s 28th Annual Folkfest being held at St. George. A late season event is the much anticipated Trio Balkan Strings Concert being held at St George on August 15. If you have never heard Trio Balkanske Zice, go check them out online. World fusion jazz with a balkan flair—amazing! Our big focus is on Spain and France in June 2016. We forewent any trips this season to save our pennies for this European trip next year. Morava will be participating in a large international folk festival in Costa Brava, Spain, and then going to Paris for a concert with our friends Mladost Pariz. If you recall, Morava hosted them here for a memorable visit in 2012. This is a large
As always, if you or anyone you know is 16 years of age or older and has an interest in dance, please contact me. Rehearsals are held every Thursday from 7pm—9pm at St. George. Ziveli! Dobrila Undheim Director, Morava Senior Ensemble 760-212-5891, Dobrila@cox.net
Mark your calendars for these exciting MORAVA events at St George!!! **Bacon & Wine Tasting May 9, 2015 7:00pm **28th Annual Summer Folkfest June 20, 2015 at St. George **Trio Balkan Strings (Trio Balkanske Zice) August 15
Call us when you’re ready to roll!
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 22
MORAVA SENIOR CALENDAR 2015 Sat/Sun
Apr 25/26
Dance on the EDGE, The PGK Project SD ArtWalk
11am-6pm
Little Italy, SD
Sat
May 2
Kolobration – St. Stevens
6pm
Alhambra
Sun
May 3
St. George Slava
1pm
St. George
May 9
Bacon and Wine Tasting Fundraiser
7 – 11pm
St. George
Sat
May 16
Avala Kolofest
St. Petka, San Marcos
Sat
Jun 20
28th Annual Summer Folkfest
St. George
Sun
Jun 28
Vidovdan Program
1pm
St. George
Sat
Aug 15
Trio Balkan Strings Concert
6pm – 11pm
St. George
Sixteen goin’ on Seventeen... baby, you’re on the brink! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 23
MORAVA Junior Junior Morava is dancing their way into the Spring Season! We are happy to announce that Joanna Aud from Senior Morava Folklore is our new instructor for the remainder of the season. Joanna also currently teaches the Pee Wee group and is looking forward to an exciting Spring Season. Junior Morava is always accepting new members, and we rehearse Monday at St George Church Hall from 7:308:30pm. Please join us at a practice if your children are interested or contact Cristina Dukovich at cristina.dukovich@gmail.com.
Come grow with us! Practice and one day you may become one of the world-traveling MORAVA Seniors!
Happy Easter, Everyone! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 24
1 St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
Annual Scholarship Application, 2015 St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Scholarship
Background The $1,000 St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Scholarship was established to encourage high school seniors of St. George Parish to attend college and continue their academic and spiritual growth. Scholarship Deadlines Applications are available April 1, 2015 and final applications are due May 7, 2015. Decisions will be made by May 22, 2015 (and th winner notified by May 25). The scholarship award will be made at the Annual St. George Vidovdan Celebration on Sunday, June 28 , 2015. th
Completed applications can be turned in electronically or they can be mailed/turned into St. George by Thursday, May 7 . Email the completed applications to Fr. Bratso Krsic (frbratso@sbcglobal.net) no later than 5 PM, Thursday, May 7. Hard copy applications are th due to Fr. Bratso by 5 PM, Thursday, May 7, or have a May 7 postmark (and received via mail on Thursday). If mailing, send all completed applications to: Fr. Bratso Krsic St. George Serbian Orthodox Church 3025 Denver Street San Diego, CA 92117 Attn: St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Scholarship If you have any questions, please contact Fr. Bratso or Kate Thickstun (). IMPORTANT: If your application arrives incomplete (by email or mail), it will not be considered. Student Qualifications: There are some qualifications that the student is required to meet to be considered for this scholarship. If the student does not meet these qualifications, then he/she will not be considered. 1.
2. 3.
Academic: A minimum GPA of 3.5 (out of a 4.0 scale) is required. Students must submit their high school transcripts through Fall of their senior year and their highest SAT/ACT scores. a. Submit a list of colleges you are applying to and relevant admittance letters. b. Submit any SAT subject tests (e.g., Math, Chemistry, etc.) or AP test scores The student (or their family) must be a steward in good standing at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in San Diego. The student must have taken an active role in parish educational programs.
Application Questions Please answer all questions and attach the appropriate documentation (High School transcripts, college acceptance letters, SAT/ACT scores, etc.) with your application. If there is a question you cannot answer or is not applicable, please put –NA-. Student Name: _____________________________________________Date of Birth:_______________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ____________________________Home________________________________Mobile Email Address:________________________________________________________________________ Name of Steward in Good Standing for 2015:________________________________________________ Name of Parents: Mother:______________________________________________________________________________ Father:______________________________________________________________________________
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 25
2 St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
Annual Scholarship Application, 2015
Names of Siblings (and their ages): 1. Sibling One (Name):_____________________________Age:____________________________ 2.
Sibling Two (Name):_____________________________Age:____________________________
3.
Sibling Three (Name):____________________________Age:____________________________
4.
List Other Siblings and Ages Here:
Name of High School:__________________________________________________________________ (Attach most recent full transcript-Fall of current academic year) Grade Point Average (GPA) Through Fall 2014:______________________________________________ SAT/ACT Scores: _____________________________________________________________________ (Attach copies of results, best score only)
High School Extra-Curricular Activities Both On and Off-Campus (for example, varsity sports, clubs, student government, Boy or Girl Scouts, etc.): ___________________________________________________________________________________ Colleges/Universities Applying: (Attach acceptance letters) 1. _____________________________________________________________________________ 2.
_____________________________________________________________________________
3.
_____________________________________________________________________________
4.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Essay Questions: Complete the following two essay questions. Both questions are required. Each essay should be at least 250 words (approximately one page). You may write more but are limited to 500 total words for each essay. Please attach a separate page for each essay. 1.
Why are you applying for this scholarship and what are your educational plans for the future (major area of study, etc.)?
2.
Please describe your commitment to Orthodox Christian Faith in your life and your commitment to St. George parish?
Application Check List: This is the checklist of items that must accompany your application to be considered complete. It is the responsibility of the student, not the review committee, to make sure the application is complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Your application will th remain open until the 5 PM, May 7 deadline to make sure all elements are received. The only exception is the acceptance letter. If you are waiting for an acceptance letter, please note that in your application. Scholarship funds will be disbursed only when a student is accepted to a college or University. 1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Completed Application—making sure you qualify a. Minimum 3.5 GPA b. Student/Family is a Steward in Good Standing at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Complete High School transcripts including Fall 2014 Grades SAT or ACT scores and copy of test scores Any other SAT subject tests or AP tests List of Extra-Curricular Activities College acceptance letter(s)
Please make sure all these documents accompany your application—whether mailed or submitted electronically (transcripts, SAT/ACT scores and College acceptance letters can be submitted as PDF documents).
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 26
2015 Dr. Alexander L. Srbich Scholarship Application Background The $1,000 Dr. Alexander L. Srbich Scholarship was established to encourage high school seniors of Serbian descent to attend college. Throughout his life Dr. Srbich believed in education, his Serbian heritage and the Serbian Orthodox Church. Born in Zajecar, Yugoslavia, Dr. Srbich served in the prestigious King’s Guard of the Royal Yugoslav Army during World War II. As a scholar, he earned 5 degrees in management and industrial engineering. He traveled around the world consulting for companies including General Dynamics and he taught engineering, management and economics at the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University, retiring as a Emeritus professor. Dr. Srbich spoke multiple languages in addition to Serbian and English including Russian, Latin and French. While at SDSU, he particularly enjoyed mentoring students but he always took particular interest in students of Serbian descent who wanted to attend college. He was active in the Serbian Orthodox Church, serving many terms as Church President and fostering both Serbian culture and the Orthodox faith. Established by his family as a way to preserve and carry on Dr. Srbich’s legacy, the scholarship rewards students who demonstrate a commitment to learning, the Orthodox Faith and Serbian culture. Scholarship Deadlines Applications are available April 1, 2015 and final applications are due May 7, 2015. Decisions will be made by May 22, 2015 (and winner th notified by May 25). The scholarship award will be made at the Annual St. George Vidovdan Celebration on Sunday, June 28 , 2015. Completed applications can be turned in electronically or they can be mailed/ turned into St. George by Thursday, May 7, 2015. Email the completed applications to Fr. Bratso Krsic (frbratso@sbcglobal.net) no later than 5 PM, Thursday, May 7. Hard copy applications are due to Fr. Bratso by 5 PM, Thursday, May 7 or have a May 7 postmark. If mailing, send all completed applications to: Fr. Bratso Krsic St. George Serbian Orthodox Church 3025 Denver Street San Diego, CA 92117 Attn: Dr. Alexander Srbich Scholarship If you have any questions, please contact Fr. Bratso or Miro Copic (mirocopic@aol.com). IMPORTANT: If your application arrives incomplete (by email or mail), it will not be considered. Student Qualifications: There are some qualifications that the student is required to meet to be considered for this scholarship. If the student does not meet these qualifications, then he/she will not be considered. 1.
2. 3.
Academic: A minimum unweighted GPA of 3.5 (out of a 4.0 scale) is required. Students must submit their high school transcripts through Fall of their senior year and their highest SAT/ACT scores. a. Submit a list of colleges you are applying to and relevant admittance letters b. Secondary consideration: Submit relevant AP test scores or other SAT test scores (e.g., SAT Math II scores) The student (or their family) must be a steward in good standing at a Serbian Orthodox Church in San Diego County (St. George or St. Petka) At least one parent must be of Serbian Heritage.
Application Questions Please answer all questions and attach the appropriate documentation (High School transcripts, college acceptance letters, SAT/ACT scores, etc.) with your application. If there is a question you cannot answer or is not applicable, please put –NA-. Student Name: _____________________________________________Date of Birth________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: _________________Home________________________Mobile___________________ Email Address: _______________________________________________________________________ Church of Student/Family Stewardship (e.g., St. George):______________________________________ Name of Steward in Good Standing for 2015: _______________________________________________ Name of Parents: Mother: _____________________________________________________________________________ Father: _____________________________________________________________________________
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 27
Names of Siblings (and their ages): 1. Sibling One (Name):_____________________________Age:____________________________ 2.
Sibling Two (Name):_____________________________Age:____________________________
3.
Sibling Three (Name):____________________________Age:____________________________
4.
List Other Siblings and Ages Here: _________________________________________________
Name of High School:__________________________________________________________________ (Attach most recent full transcript- through Fall of current academic year) Unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA) Through Fall 2014: ___________________________________ SAT/ACT Scores: _____________________________________________________________________ (Attach copies of results, best score only) AP Test or Other SAT Qualifying Test Scores (e.g. SAT Math II Test, etc.): ________________________ Colleges/Universities Applying: (Attach acceptance letters) 1. _____________________________________________________________________________ 2.
_____________________________________________________________________________
3.
_____________________________________________________________________________
4.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Detail of Serbian Ancestry: ______________________________________________________________ (Describe your Serbian Heritage) Essay Questions: Complete the following two essay questions. Both questions are required. Each essay should be at least 250 words (approximately one page). You may write more but are limited to 500 total words for each essay. Please attach a separate page for each essay. 1.
Why are you applying for this scholarship and what are your educational plans for the future (major area of study, etc.)?
2.
Please describe your commitment to Serbian culture and language and the role of the Serbian Orthodox Christian Faith in your life?
Application Check List: This is the checklist of items that must accompany your application to be considered complete. It is the responsibility of the student, not the review committee, to make sure the application is complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Your application will remain open until the 5 PM, May 7, 2015 deadline to make sure all elements are received. The only exception is the acceptance letter. If you are waiting for an acceptance letter, please note that in your application. Scholarship funds will be disbursed only when a student is accepted to a college or University. 1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
Completed Application—making sure you qualify a. Minimum unweighted 3.5 GPA b. Student/Family is a Steward in Good Standing at St. George or St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Churches c. Student has at least one parent of Serbian heritage Complete High School transcripts including Fall 2014 Grade SAT or ACT scores and copy of test scores AP Test Scores or Other SAT Scores (e.g., SAT Math II, Chemistry, etc.) College acceptance letter(s)
Please make sure all these documents accompany your application—whether mailed or submitted electronically (transcripts, SAT/ACT scores and College acceptance letters can be submitted as PDF documents).
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 28
EMIGRANTSKE PRICE Pevaj brate emigrante
najblizih u poslednjih 24 sata jer kasni, ali svoj mobilni telefon nece zaboraviti da ponese sa sobom ….u svakoj prilici.
….svaka emigrantska prica je drugacija…nesto kao DNK….ne postoji nacin da bude ista ili nalik nekoj drugoj prici ili zivotu. Zato preko Okeana odlaze siromasni da bi postali bogati, bogati odlaze da bi bili srecniji, a nesrecni jednostavno, samo odlaze, bez pozdrava ….svi oni znaju da tako treba. Zasto ? HM, na to pitanje niko nema odgovor…..iz nekog razloga, smo svi mi odlucili da odemo I stignemo bas ovde u Rajsku zemlju, punu slatkih plodova od kojih su nekima porasli novcanici, nekima stomaci nekima secer u krvi a nekima skupo placeni rejting u domovini kada se vrate sa punim novcanicima dolara……Ovde Svi zivimo zajedno a odvojeni razlicitim zivotima, nadajuci se svakog jutra jedinoj sreci koja je u nasim zivotima bila moguca samo ovde u Kaliforniji……
I tako, svi rodjeni pod istim Suncem sa razlikom u geografskim duzinama I sirinama mesta zivljenja ali navikama ponetim iz porodice iz koje su potekli I saznanjem sta mi ljudi predstavljamo jedni drugima ili da li je prevazidjeno razmisljati da u zivotu treba ostaviti trag po dobrim delima a ne samo na racunu u banci, razmisljamo ponekad kao u u magli, sta to bese postovanje, kako se I zasto neko dolazi na ideju da ofira coveka, sto nikada nece biti vrlina, I da je coveku Bogom dano da predano pomogne u nevolji, ostaju sve vise I cesce , samo slova na papiru kao podsecanje da je losa misao, rec ili delo, uvek greh, I to ce tako ostati dok god ljudskog roda bude bilo. Ali pusta dusa balkanska, nikome nije obecala nista sigurno, pa zato I ne brine mnogo o svome srcu I o povredama drugoj ljudskoj dusi.
Fenomen emigranta, nije ni blizu laka niti jednostavna tvorevina coveka u sopstevnom telu a u tudjim ocima. To cak I ne moze da se razume na nivou svesnog. Razlika izmedju krvi u coveka koji je ostao u Matici I krv Emigranta imaju razliku u toploti, hladnoci, brzini kojom sprovode svoje emocije, zelje do srca a u ovom trenutku opste civilizacijske epokailipse I u boji krvi, jer samo glad ostavlja svoju tesku boju I trag u krvi.
A zivot tece I prolazi i nama I njima. Jedino se on ne moze nadoknaditi, refinasirati, refundirati, zameniti, od njega se ne mozes razvesti, njega nema nacina da prevaris, povredis…..Zivot je jednostavno uvek tu I tvoj dokle god tvoje vreme curi , kako onima tamo daleko I ovima ovde blizu, koji sve cesce misle da je osecati osobina ljudske zaostalosti I konacno gubljenje vremena I energije u ovome svetu gde se sve ubrzalo, od planete koja se brze okrece, tempa zivljenja, pa do brzine kojom se vozi ulicama ili freeway- ima.
Sve izgleda tako razlicito a zapravo je concept zivljenja I misljenja sustinski isti I nama I njima. Prasici za Slave se nalaze na trpezama I jednih I drugih bez obzira da li je plata 300 ili 3000 dolara. Rodbini se cestitaju Bozic i Uskrs I ponekome rodjendan, prijateljima se neprekidno objasnjava kako se nema vremena ni za sebe a kamoli za njih, brzo se zivi, radi non- stop, stalno, a muci kredit muce deca, zene sve edukovanije o svojim pravima, sve manje zele da kuvaju a sve vise vremena provode “sijamski” vezane za svoje astronautski brze mobilne telefone kucajuci SMS ove, svojim “prijateljicama”, na svakom mestu I u svakoj prilici. Mozda je zaboravila da poljubi nekoga od svojih
Samo na izgled veoma slicni a zapravo sustinski razliciti , zavetno ostajemo do kraja zivota zajedno kao narod ,negde na nekoj mapi I mi koji gazimo po zutoj zemlji suncane Kalifornije I oni koji gaze nekad plodnu a sada potopljenu zemlju Matice , znajuci zasigurno, kako jedni tako I drugi, uvek kada se sretnemo ponovo, jos dok se grlimo ,da smo jedan narod a potpuno razliciti. Jednog dana desice se I to, da te neko zagrli toliko cvrsto, da ce se svi tvoji nekada slomljeni delovi srca, duse, noge ruke kuka, ponovo spojiti. To moze samo
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 29
jedno osecanje, I na tome ti Boze hvala odakle god nam dosao u pomoc u vidu tog najcudesnijeg ljudskog leka, zvanog ljubav. I zato, Ljubi bliznjeg svog kao samoga sebe I pevaj! Brate! Srecan Uskrs svima, Hristos Voskrese ! Marina Poledica
Introducing a new Voice of St George contributor... We are pleased to introduce you to Marina Poledica, a recent emigree to San Diego from Belgrade. A seasoned radio and television journalist and media expert in Belgrade, some of you may already know her. She has published articles in various magazines and news journals about popular culture, society themes, as well as exclusive interviews. She is fluent in English and French in addition to her native Serbian. Marina was born January 7, so undoubtedly she was a very special gift that year to her Orthodox Christian family. She is married and has one daughter and has traveled extensively. In future issues, she intends to share with us vignettes about the different relations and habits of Serbs living in diaspora and Serbs in the Balkans as well as looking from history for the domestic themes of Serbs anywhere! She says: “Serbs like to discuss things that...” Thank you , Marina, for your first article, “Pevaj brate emigrante,” in the column, EMIGRANTSKE PRICE. I am sure our readers who understand Serbian will enjoy it! And those of us who don’t, get out your dictionary.—the Editor
In the Green: St George Recycling Program In an effort to gain much needed revenue and to help the environment, we are actively recycling at St. George. Did you know that every time you throw a water bottle, aluminum can, or glass beer bottle into the garbage instead of recycling it, you are throwing money away? Each can or bottle that is not recycled equals five cents gone forever. While five cents may not seem like much, every can and bottle quickly adds up.
Insuring your life helps protect their future. Vladan Trifunovic, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0G31333
1635 S Rancho Santa Fe Rd San Marcos CA 92078 tel: 760 290 3533 Govorimo srpski
It can also provide for today. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll show you how a life insurance policy with living EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV FDQ KHOS \RXU IDPLO\ ZLWK ERWK ORQJ WHUP DQG VKRUW WHUP QHHGV GET TO A BETTER STATE. &$// 0( 72'$<
Please remember to put all plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans into the blue recycling containers that are located both inside the hall as well as outside. In 2012, over 17.2 billion containers were recycled in California, saving natural resources, conserving energy, extending the life of our landfills, and helping to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse
Voice of St George Summer Issue Please submit all articles reports, events, news, photos, announcements, ads, etc.,
ON or BEFORE June 15
Voice of St George Advertising Rates Full page color $200 per issue Full page B&W
$100 per issue
1/2 page B&W
$50 per issue
1/4 page B&W
$25 per issue
ÂŽ
Receive one free ad when placing in four consecutive issues. Send your copy or information to the Voice Editor at marsha@marshaj.com or contact Father Bratso. 6WDWH )DUP /LIH ,QVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ 1RW OLFHQVHG LQ 0$ 1< RU :,
6WDWH )DUP /LIH DQG $FFLGHQW $VVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ /LFHQVHG LQ 1< DQG :,
%ORRPLQJWRQ ,/ 1203087
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE â&#x20AC;˘ SPRING 2015 30
MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! Misha Tours / Firstworld Travel
619-588-5811 / 619-588-4644 misha@mishatours.com
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2015 31
Kim & Cora Jovanovic with their Naw-Rúz baskets