THE SV OICE .G OF
T
EORGE
SUMMER 2014
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North & South America
History, Graduation, New Beginnings—In this issue we remember great events in Serbian history, and we feature the young people of our parish who have received their high school diplomas, completed their college degrees, professional, and other graduate school degrees. How thrilling it is to read of their achievements, dreams, and gratitude as they prepare to enter a new stage of life. We also announce the arrival of several new lives who one day will also be a graduating generation. Along with these blessings, we are reminded of the suffering of many of our families in the Balkans as homes, and even whole towns, were inundated with torrential rainfall. The world is no longer separated by time and events as we are instantaneously brought together through internet communications. Enjoy your summer; but don’t forget your church! Christ Is Risen!
3025 Denver Street • San Diego, CA 92117 telephone: (619)276-5827 web: http://saintgeorgeinsd.com
Church Officers & Staff PARISH PRIEST
V. Rev. Protopresbyter Bratislav Krsic email: frbratso@sbcglobal.net PARISH DEACON
Rev. Deacon Paul Germain (on bishop-approved sabbatical) CHURCH OFFICE VOLUNTEER
Dorothy Vukotich PRESIDENT
Nemanja Selezan VICE PRESIDENT
Vladan Trifunovic TREASURER
Linda Alemany SECRETARY
Ana Miletic-Sedy MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Toma Jovanovic, Vojkan Popovic, Jeffrey Wilgus, Dusan Selezan STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY
Toma Jovanovic AUDITING BOARD
Miro Copic, President; Sean Wright, Dusanka Urosevic TUTORS/VESTRYMEN
Mico Lukic, Jeffrey Wilgus, George Skaljac, Vojkan Popovich, Miro Copic, Milan Miljkovic S.S.S. ST. GEORGE CHOIR
Velimir Jovanovic, President CIRCLE OF SERBIAN SISTERS (KOLO Sestara)
Snezana Pantovich and Bojana Rajkovic Co-Presidents CHURCH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
Mira Jovanovic MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE (SENIOR)
Dobrila Undheim, Director ADULT ORTHODOX FELLOWSHIP
Nemanja Selezan VOICE OF ST. GEORGE
Marsha Jovanovic, Editor (619)988-0650 • FAX (619)588-5767 email: marsha@marshaj.com Srdjan Dragic, Cover
Thank you to Morava Senior for dancing for so many occasions, spreading the good will of Balkan culture everywhere, and a special thank you to their visionary director, Dobrila Undheim. Morava Senior is always eager for new members, contact Dobrila for an application. Practices are Thursday evenings in the St George Church Hall. See more on Page 18. (Picture: Serbia meets Polynesia at The Nations of San Diego event)
In this issue... Vidovdan Address of Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic, 1916 Family Life and Modern Society The Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Orthodox Christian Church Contemporary Moral Issues Facing the Orthodox Christian Liberty and Technocracy Beacon of Hope St. George Parish Celebrates its Krsna Slava CHURCH CALENDAR 2014 Church Family News News from your Kolo Sestara St George Choir MORAVA! Junior Morava Folklore Ensemble PeeWee Kolo Stewardship List Treasurer’s Report St George Graduates 2014
3 4 6 7 8 9 11 13 14 16 17 18 19 19 20 22 24
Vidovdan Address of Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic, 1916 We recently passed the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. This act of terrorism on the part of Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip sparked the beginning of a horrendous world war, which later was followed by a still greater war. Although the real causes for these wars were many, Serbs have largely taken the blame for generations. The following speech was given by the now sainted Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović on the second anniversary of the shooting as well as the anniversary of the great battle of Kosovo in 1389. He addressed a congregation gathered at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. His sorrowful words explain the role most believe the Serbian nation played in protecting Europe from Islam. He ends by pleading that Europe come to the aid of Serbia even as Serbia had protected Europe in 1389 and for hundreds of years, thereafter.— Voice Editor
I am coming from Serbia, from European “midnight”. There is no ray of light, not a single trace. All the light went from the ground to the sky and the sky is the only place where the light is coming from. Nevertheless, we that are weak in everything are strong in faith and hope that dawn will soon arrive. I am grateful to Lord Archbishop, Randall Cantuar, that allowed me, on this holy day, Vidovdan, year of Our Lord 1916, in this beautiful church of Saint Paul, to address his majesty, King George V and the most prominent Englishmen. Gentlemen and friends! I spent the whole day yesterday looking at this magnificent temple, which is the pride of England and Christianity. I have seen that it has been built by using the most expensive material, brought from various parts of the empire, where the sun never sets. I have seen that it has been built from granite and marble, that the waves of the hundreds of seas and oceans rinsed them to the shore. It is also decorated with the gold and precious stones,
which were brought from the most valuable mines in Europe and Asia. I have convinced myself that this temple is accounted for the one of the architectural wonders of the world for a reason. However, my friends, I am coming from a little country in the Balkans, and there is a temple that is bigger, holier, and more beautiful and precious than this one. That temple is located in Serbian town of Niš and its name is the Skull Tower. That temple is built from the skulls that belong to my people. They have been standing there for five centuries, like a stout dam for Asian sea, on the Eastern European gate. And if all the skulls and bones were used to build the temple, that temple would be three-hundred meters tall, with identical width and length, and every Serb could have come in today, raise his arm and point at each one of them “This is the skull of my grandfather, my father, my brother, my neighbour, my friend, my godfather, my best man.” For five centuries, Serbia has been defending Europe with its bones and skulls, so Europe could live peacefully. We made the Turkish sabres blunt with our bones; we threw down the savage hordes that were rushing down like a mountain whirl wind towards Europe. Not for a decade, nor for a century, but for all those centuries between Rafael and Shearer. During all those “white and red centuries,” while Europe was experiencing religious reformation, scientific revolution, political revolutions, work reformations, the reformation of the overall way of life, using words, we carried out our role with our lives. While Europe was heartily revising gods and people from the past, and while it was going through a purgatory both physically and spiritually, we, as patient slaves, were slaughtered by the European enemies, forbidding entry into that same purgatory. In other words, while Europe was becoming the Europe we know today, we were its fence, the impenetrable wall, and the wild thorns around the gentle rose. On Vidovdan, year 1389, Serbian tsar Lazar came to Kosovo with his brave army, on the frontier of the Christian Europe, and in order to defend the Christian culture, he gave his life. At that time there were as many Serbs as Englishmen now. Today, there are ten time less Serbs than then. Where are they? They died, protecting Europe. Now it’s Europe’s turn to pay back the debt.
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Family Life and Modern Society Are we at the end of an era in which family was considered the foundation of society? The family is the most ancient and enduring unit of any society. It is the very pillar of society. Whether nuclear or extended, the family functions as an autonomous social organism. It is shaped by religious precepts, morality, and customs deeper than law and state policies. But, what happens when the state law redefines what constitutes the family? How far will that law be legislated and what institutions will be affected by it? All these are legitimate questions for us ministering in the Church today. Slowly, our religious liberty is being infringed. This is a cause for concern for many of us, though, from a historical point of view, for us Orthodox, this is nothing new. The Orthodox Church in many countries has been attacked from without, thus limiting its mission and the liturgical life. The cases in Serbia (former Yugoslavia) or Russia are prime examples of the state limiting the expression of religious freedom. However, the Church has survived and risen from the catacombs and persecution because ulti-
mately suffering and death led to the resurrection and a new life of the Church and her members. In the light of resurrection, we move onward to examine the aforementioned state of our contemporary society. In America presently there is a divorce every thirteen seconds. According to available data, seventeen states of our Union have legalized same sex marriage. Yet all this does not limit the mission and freedom of the Church. However, the freedom is threatened because our neighbors fail to understand why we believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.
tion for marriage, the teachings of the Holy Fathers on marriage, participation in the Sacramental life of the Church, stewardship (management) of family finances, time and talents, conflict resolution in the light of Gospel, sexual relationship in marriage and so on. But, prior to all these pre-marriage preparations and family Christian living, we must not overlook the importance of sexual purity prior to marriage. This purity keeps young men or women from the emotional harm that often times they suffer from giving themselves into a physical relationship thinking that it will improve the bond between them. In actuality, the opposite is true.
Could same sex marriage be one of the symptoms of the breakdown of marriage and family life? This then brings up more questions. What are we to do in the midst of these challenges and what do we propose to remedy them?
The third proposal is to encourage those with homosexual proclivity to struggle in keeping it under control. This way the very struggle with their propensity will become a way of healing and purification that leads to sanctification.
The first proposal would be to speak the truth with love.
The Church has the conviction and ability by the power of the Holy Spirit to rebuild the family—the basic pillar and the most enduring unit of society. We can do this if we speak the truth with love and defend the very truth by which we live—The Orthodox Faith.
The second proposal is to help young men and women prepare for marriage by imparting the teachings of the Church on marriage and family life; giving them tools to manage their domestic church – the home. Examples of this would be: the importance of prayer, the biblical founda-
Father Bratso Krsic
Sunday of Orthodoxy 2014 Clergy and believers from the San Diego Orthodox community met at St George Church to celebrate The Sunday of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of Great Lent this year. The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 has been the victory of the icons. In 843, the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726, was finally laid to rest, and icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday in Lent. Ever since, this Sunday has been commemorated as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy.”
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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 My dear fellow co-workers in Jesus Christ We pray for consolation, strength and guidance in the midst of tragedy. The destructive floods in Serbia, Republika Srpska, and other regions left us stunned—such a great force of enormous destructive magnitude. Images of people climbing to their roof tops waiting to be rescued or of those less fortune ones who were washed down by the powerful stream in the streets trying to catch something, anything, to avoid being pulled into this enormous lake of filthy water covering and breaking into streets, parks, homes, businesses, hospitals, churches and just about anything in its way. The Holy Assembly of the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement calling our faithful to respond with humanitarian efforts and to route all donations to the Patriarch Pavle Fund for the purpose of assistance to those affected by the floods. The response is commendable of our parishes throughout North and South America. The expression of their faith in action, solidarity, care and brotherly love are qualities to emulate and take to heart. These efforts will have to continue well into the summer and beyond as the rebuilding of devastated lives, homes and infrastructure will be an ongoing process for the next several years. A tragedy of this proportion brings to mind many questions. Why? Why Serbia and the Serbian regions? Haven’t we suffered enough already? Unfortunately, no easy answer can be given; no answer will satisfy our search for justice in this fallen world. I can say that this and similar tragic events in our modern technologically advanced age teach us that we are still finite and inadequate human beings. Our dependency needs to rest on God as we journey in this life towards His Kingdom. We must admit though, as hard as it might be at this time as we sort out our emotions mixed with anger, doubts, and
questions, that ultimately God is in charge of our life; not technology, nor sophisticated means for predicting and preparing for the weather. The Almighty Creator of the Universe, the Master of all creation is in charge. As with everything that happens to us daily, so it is with this tragedy that we are called to continuously reflect on our life and realign ourselves with the teachings of our Lord who conquers evil and death. We see this in the life of Job, who is a great example of a faithful servant who in the midst of tragedy and suffering, was not cursing God as if evil and suffering come from Him, rather he was reflecting on his own life and his own sins. Job’s sorrow and suffering turned around when he saw and experienced God in the midst of his own pain; he realized that he was not alone, God was with him. I hope that Job’s life can serve as a comfort and an example of the genuine reality that God is always present in our own days of tragedy. God has not forsaken us; God is there; He is real; He is almighty; He is our loving Father; God is with us. We pray these days: O Lord Almighty, Master of heaven and earth, we beseech Thee to be ever with us. Only from Thee do we seek help and refuge in our suffering and distress, we look unto Thee, O Lord of Hosts, have mercy on us all. The Lord is calling us to Himself: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 We pray to God that no more rainfall occurs at this time. We pray for the protection of those affected by the floods, for those assisting in the rescue efforts, for those who have lost their lives, for their families, our Church and for all those who are assisting with financial help to those currently in need in the affected areas. No one at this time can measure the impact of this catastrophe on Serbia, Republica Srpska and the surrounding regions. However, there is one facet of our life that we can and should measure; VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 5
that component is our action. They should be measured up with the Gospel of Christ. As Patriarch Pavle of blessed memory used to say “budimo ljudi” – let us be the people – the people of Christ, witnesses of the Truth. Solidarity, unity and humanitarian efforts are at the forefront in Serbia, Serbian regions and here in the Americas. Let us unite in rebuilding our homeland, our suffering Serbian people and ourselves having Christ as our foundation. To Him we look for strength, wisdom, guidance, hope and support for better days ahead in our cooperation with Him and each other. As always, I am thanking God. It is a privilege doing the work of God with all of you, my beloved parishioners, as together we strive to serve our Lord with our personal and corporate life, through humility, obedience, peace, patience, friendship, fellowship, and love for all. May the Lord bless our endeavors! I conclude by thanking God for blessing me with all of you. In our Lord Who has revealed Himself as the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Orthodox Christian Church Why infant Baptism? Holy Baptism is one of the Sacraments in the Orthodox Christian Church. Together with the Sacrament of Holy Chrismation it joins the candidate to the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Some people argue that the only valid baptism is that of an adult who believes in Christ first. They argue that to baptize a helpless infant only a few weeks old who is unable to believe is meaningless. So why baptize a baby when it doesn't know yet what is happening? Why not wait for the baby to grow and believe in Christ and ask for baptism? If we were to follow this line of reasoning, we wouldn’t inoculate the baby against diphtheria until he grows up and asks for it! But we know better. Baptizing infants before they know what is going on is an expression of God's great love for us. It shows that God loves us and accepts us before we can ever know and love Him. It shows that we are wanted and loved by God from the very moment of our birth. Nothing shows the nature of God's grace more than infant baptism. Baptismal Names It is the practice of our Church to give the name of a saint to a newborn child. By accepting/choosing the name of a Saint, we honor and express our gratitude to a Holy Person for their exceptional contributions to our faith and provide the newborn with an example worthy of emulation. The Godparent With the appearance and prevalence of infant baptism between the mid second
and fifth centuries, there has been a subtle change in the role of the godparent. Instead of acknowledging the sincere intentions of the person who is seeking to be baptized, the sponsor is given the honor by the Church to assist the parents in the spiritual nurturing and upbringing of the child. It is the role of the godparent, during the Baptismal service to respond on behalf of their godchild to the questions posed by the Church. The Service of the Catechumens The Sacrament of Baptism is divided into two distinctive services. The first service takes place in the Narthex of the Church and is known as The Service of the Catechumen. It is during this service that several things occur, first, three prayers of exorcism are read, asking God to “empower,” the soon to be baptized Christian, “to triumph over Satan and his vile spirits so that having found mercy with You, (God), they may be found worthy of Your immortal, heavenly mysteries and offer up glory to You O God….” The Sacrament of Baptism The Blessing of the water begins with a Doxology (Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages) that announces the Kingdom of God as the theme, the content, and the ultimate goal of Baptism. The Sacrament of Baptism begins the spiritual journey of the soon to be enlightened Christian, and the initial doxology reveals and announces its final destination: the Kingdom of God. The candidate is baptized with the triple immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, during which the entire Church “seals” each action with an “Amen.” The Sacrament of Holy Chrismation Immediately after Baptism, the newly baptized receives the Sacrament of Chrismation, the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. This sacrament is the fulfillment of Baptism and signifies the participation of everyone who is baptized into the Spirit of Pentecost, consecrating the person as the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
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Gift to God The priest also cuts hair from the infant’s head in the form of a cross. This is done on behalf of the child who offers a gift to God, to thank Him for the great gift of eternal life that he has just inherited. The newly baptized Christian is then dressed in a white baptismal garment, symbolizing purity and righteousness. The priest then places a cross around the child’s neck while repeating the words of Christ: “He who wishes to follow me, let him pick up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) All Those Who Have Been Baptized The celebrant then leads the newly baptized with their sponsor(s) in a circular procession around the baptismal font, while the congregation chants the verse from Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (3:27) “All those who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ forever, Alleluia!” This is followed by the reading of the Epistle (Romans 6:3-11) which speaks about our new life in Christ, and the Gospel (Matthew 28:1620) which contains the Great Commission of Christ commanding us to “Baptize all nations….” The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist Finally, the newly baptized partakes of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. By partaking of Holy Communion, the child becomes part of the Church. How long should you wait to baptize your child? Since an unbaptized child has not yet received the fullness of the gifts and promises spoken of by Christ, it would seem to be a logical and spiritually prudent decision to baptize him/her soon after the churching. This often takes place when the child is anywhere from 3 to 9 months old. In all cases, parents are encouraged to give the life, health and salvation of the child top priority over all other social circumstances so as not to delay this important event for sake of less important matters.
Contemporary Moral Issues Facing the Orthodox Christian Pornography The Orthodox Church throughout its history has held firmly to the teaching that sex is a God-given human capacity which is properly exercised in marriage. Sexual relations, in the context of marriage, contribute to and express the bond of love of the spouses, meet the bodily needs of the partners and serve creation and nurture of the human race. As a result, for the Church, sex is a blessed and holy part of the life of most persons when practiced in the only setting appropriate to it: marriage. For Orthodox Christians the sacrament of Holy Matrimony clearly places the relation of husband, wife and family in the kingdom of God, blessing and sanctifying all the relationships within the marriage bond, including sexual relations, thus protecting this aspect of life from misuse, abuse, and corrupt distortion. "Let their bed be undefiled," the Church prays in the marriage service. The Church knows and honors, as well, the state of consecrated virginity in which the sexual aspect of life is totally restrained as a sign of devotion and dedication to God. Both the celibate life, and married life, whether they be of clergy or laity are honored and respected by the Church. A Sad “New Logic� Sex, however, in the unredeemed condition in which mankind finds itself, may turn from its proper purposes and readily find improper and inappropriate expressions. One of these is pornography. The secular society finds it difficult to define pornography and to control it. This is because it has strayed from the proper understanding of sex in life. Motivated by hedonism, exaggerated individualism, and a complete misunderstanding of freedom, it has become subject to what Archbishop Iakovos has called the "extravagant thinking and speaking and false reasoning which has become the 'logic of our times.'" (Keynote address, 22nd Clergy Laity Congress, 1974) This "new logic" has led to many changes in the public attitudes of our society regarding sex, and in particular to pornography. The Church's position however has remained clear, direct and unequivo-
cating from the earliest times to the present on this matter. The Wisdom of the Old Logic The early Church responded to the equivalents in those times of "R" and "X" rated films and literature. Clement and Alexandria (3rd century) and St. Gregory of Nyssa (4th century) condemned pictures depicting pornographic scenes. St. John Chrysostom (4th century) strongly condemned the theater of his day which depicted lewd events on the stage. The Council of Trullo (692) in its 100th Canon condemned pictures which incite persons to the enkindling of base pleasure. The Church has a long history of advising against immoral pictures, literature and theatrical presentations and has urged abstention from the use of such sexually stimulating material not only because it arouses passions inappropriately, but also because it distorts the true place of sex in human life. Is Pornography a Right? Much of the public discussion today on the issue of pornography is cast in the framework of constitutional rights in the face of the right of society to protect itself from public immorality. The 1970 Presidential Commission on Obscenity and Pornography which urged the repeal of all legislation on pornography in reference to consenting adults, was generally rejected by the public and has never been implemented. Though Orthodox Christianity supports the value of freedom and individual rights, it also recognizes that there are limits to those rights. Orthodoxy, in particular, is sensitive to the need to maintain a climate in society as a whole which will foster those values which encourage family, home, and marriage. As a Church, we are concerned about the increasing display and distribution of materials which degrade, trivialize and cheapen sex, taking from it, its God-given sanctity and removing it from its God-given context and framework: marriage and family. We are rapidly becoming a "pornographic society" in which the individual is immersed in an atmosphere which corrupts and distorts. As a Church, we are alarmed at this tendency which we see as threatening the spiritual and emotional well-being of our children. Further, the genuine meaning of sex in relation to the whole pattern of love in marriage is undermined. It is clear that this emphasis
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on hedonistic indulgence will further weaken the fabric of our nation and society, threatening its order and survival. A Public Stance Orthodox Christians must become fully aware that pornography is not in any way compatible with our belief that each of us is called to grow in the image and likeness of God toward theosis. As citizens we must oppose the spread of pornography in films, on television, in books, periodicals and other print media. Since this is such a widespread phenomenon, Orthodox Christians will want to work together with other concerned persons in ecumenical efforts to limit this social evil. Where such cooperation exists already the Orthodox Church through its pastors and laity will want to "expand its participation in the various movements and commissions to eliminate pornography." (Clergy-Laity Congress, 1970). This means that as a Church we support civil laws which reduce the exposure of society in general to pornographic materials. We understand the problem of the conflict between the demands of public morality and the rights of adults in our pluralistic society. We believe, however, that the laws of our nation ought to have a bias toward supporting the stability of the family and wholesome attitudes toward sex in our society. A Wholesome Attitude Finally, as a Church, we must develop in our children a wholesome Christian attitude to the place of sex in their lives as future husbands, wives, and parents. This is not only the appropriate way for them to live their our Christian lives, but it will contribute to a wholesome environment for the future of the Church and society in general. As St. John Chrysostom noted, speaking on the proper upbringing of children, "the root being made good, good branches will shoot forth, and still become better, and for all these you will receive a reward." Happy lives, in which sex is seen as a divine blessing uniting husband and wife in complete union, as well as an orderly, undistorted and happy society will be the reward. Stanley S. Harakas
Liberty and Technocracy: JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and an Orthodox Fourth of July July 4 on the Old Calendar would mark the feast of the Royal Martyrs of Russia, the last Orthodox emperor and his family, slain on the Fourth of July.
mystery of relationship that is not objectifiable.
nion, exemplified for some in the Russian term sobornost.
Of course, Lewis and Tolkien weren’t Orthodox Christians.
In the early twentieth century, Fr. Sergei Bulgakov wrote of the Orthodox view of society as a household, emphasizing (more than Western individualistic or libertarian notions of human rights) the centrality to this of human dignity in community–in personal relationships to one another, across generations, spiritually in the Church and cosmos and spiritual realms, and to God.
That coincidence brings up the meaning of Orthodox ideas of government in relation to what C.S. Lewis decried as modern technocracy, which J.R.R. Tolkien also criticized as the “iron crown” of modern totalitarian states and industrial capitalism.
But Tolkien was heavily influenced by pre-Scholastic Christian views that were Orthodox, as noted in my essay on “Tolkien’s Cosmic-Christian Ecology” in the collection Tolkien’s Modern Middle Ages, as well as in my introduction to The Origins of Tolkien’s Middle-earth for Dummies (which, by the way, has a still uncorrected publishing typo of pantheism where it should read panentheism, but that’s another story).
There are no more Orthodox empires.
Lewis expressed his admiration for
So where do we as Orthodox Americans fit in relation to twenty-first-century American democracy, if at all?
The U.S. Constitution reflected early efforts to combine in America’s framework aspects of democracy (the House of Representatives), aristocracy (the Senate), and monarchy (the President and Commander-in-Chief), as explicated by the early American writer James Fenimore Cooper among others. It also likely was influenced by traditional Iroquois or Haudenosaunee ideas of community, in terms of separation and balance of powers, and federalism.
In mid-twentieth-century Britain, Lewis and Tolkien, as a traditional Anglican and conservative Catholic respectively, held out a fantasy vision of kingship in line with their vision of Christianity. We see this in Tolkien’s idea of The Return of the King and Lewis’ monarchy of Narnia under the rule of Aslan, a symbol for Christ, son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea. Narnia, by the end of Lewis’ Chronicles, turned out to be a more real version of earth understood in light of divinity from Aslan’s Country, just as Human and Hobbit realms of Middle-earth were an opportunity for Tolkien to play with ideas of his imaginary “anarcho-monarchism,” a sense of personal kingship based on relationships and not on objectifying bureaucracies, whether corporate or governmental. In the conclusion of Lewis’ Space Trilogy, That Hideous Strength, he used the term “technocracy” to describe the melding of the worst aspects of communism, fascism, and capitalism in a corporate state: The melding of government and corporate bureaucracy, taking away the dignity of human beings in God’s image, in his view would remove the experience of each of our identities as essentially a
That overlaps perhaps with modern traditional Catholic emphases in distributivism, such as subsidiarity (decentralization), but also involves Orthodox ideas of harmony between Church and State in empire, as in St. Basil the Great’s Basiliad and philanthropia.
Orthodox Liturgy and spirituality in his visit late in life to the Greek isles. His prime scholarly focus on the Elizabethan Edmund Spenser’s poetry focused on work by an early Anglican writer heavily influenced by Greek patristics, according to the Orthodox scholar Harold Weatherby. How, if at all, do such Christian ideas get translated into modern Anglo-American political thought? Not easily, and neither, of course, do Orthodox traditions about empire such as the symphonia between Church and State, or even of community as commu-
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Tadodaho Sid Hill (spiritual leader of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy today) has noted that one flaw from a traditional Iroquois perspective in the document was its lack of a clear connection between spirituality and government, in other words its principle of “separation of church and state.” Yet the Declaration of Independence referred to “laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” and to human beings as created equal, while a later founding document, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, referred to the “Nation, under God.” The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibited establishment of religion by Congress yet protected religious rights. Many of the original State constitutions of the U.S. referenced religious establishment or Christian faith. A “soft establishment” of a generic Judeo-Christian
civil ethos arguably persisted in America as a whole until around 1950, when court decisions began dismantling it. All of this doesn’t answer the complex question of where Orthodox Americans end up in terms of a political philosophy today. There are many of us across the whole spectrum of American politics and parties, as there have been since Orthodox communities were first started here. Arguably, Orthodoxy encourages us to focus like the biblical Patriarch Abraham on another country, as Christians not of this world. But in the process our faith can also encourage us to think outside the box, and prayerfully make a contribution to a more civil union. For example, opposing on grounds of our faith what Lewis called technocracy, we may find ourselves sharing views with some on the American political Right and Left, opposed to over-reaching government and collusion between government and large corporations. We may question how both corporations and government often are treated as equivalent or superior to human persons in modern American law. We might share what is sometimes called a “geo-libertarian” view that natural resources are a gift from God and in that sense a public (though not necessarily governmental) good–a view that unites some libertarians on the Right with more Henry George-style populists or liberals on the Left. We may believe that aspects of life that are more fundamental than the state, such as personhood, should not be redefined governmentally, legally, or economically–whether in terms of abortion or marriage or consumerism or socioeconomic class. What we do to one another, or what we leave undone, we also do or leave undone to Christ. The Apostle Paul reminds us that in Christ there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free. The Liberty Bell bore a quote from Leviticus on its side, to proclaim liberty throughout the land. With all the dire memories of modern totalitarianism entwined with the history of Orthodox Christians in the past century, as English-speaking Orthodox we can appreciate the rejection of
technocracy by Lewis and Tolkien in the symbols of their writing, while embracing the Orthodox sense of hierarchy in its original patristic meaning: A network of divine energies in which every person can be touched and transformed directly by God.
Dr. Alfred Kentigern Siewers, Posted by the Orthodox Christian Network.
perous’ Hapsburg empire,” says Dr. Svirčević. “Serbia, a small kingdom with political freedoms on par with Western Europe – especially after the victories in the Balkans Wars – became a beacon of hope for many seeking their place under the sun. Numerous foreigners became Serbs – Georg Weifert (Ђорђе Вајферт), Paul Sturm (Павле Јуришић Штурм), and others. Even the Czech politician and statesman Tomas Masaryk had a Serbian passport, such was the prestige of the Kingdom of Serbia in the world, especially during the Great War.”
Beacon of Hope A century ago, in its Golden Age, Serbia was the world’s second most popular destination for immigrants, after the United States. The Belgrade daily Evening News (Večernje Novosti) explains why
The bravest unit defending Belgrade in the Great War, the Syrmian Volunteer Company chetniks, were commanded by Ignat Kirchner, a former Austrian officer. He remembered his Serbian roots and came to defend the fatherland he had never before seen, and had been told all the worst about.
A CENTURY AGO, families with names like Sondermeyer, Krakow, Roche and Deroko stood in defense of Serbia, shoulder to shoulder with the Sturms and Kirchners. Men and women, young and old, wore the uniform of soldiers or physicians. After fighting as volunteers in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, the barely-18 sons of these families fought in 1914 as experienced soldiers and officers.
The legendary Serbian general Pavle Šturm was born in Prussia as Paulus Sturm. His father was “Wendish” – the German name for Sorbians, living in Lusatia. Sturm left his career as a decorated Prussian officer and became a Serb in the Balkans Wars. His brother, Eugen (Евгеније) also became a Serbian soldier.
“Today, when many Serbs are giving up their identity, it is difficult to imagine that people once wanted to become Serbs,” says the historian Dr. Miroslav Svirčević. “However, this happened often in the latter half of the XIX and the early XX century, when Serbia was second in the world by the percentage of immigrants arriving, right after the United States. And as immigrants to America wished to become Americans, those moving to Serbia wished to become Serbs.” Unlike Serbia, which was a major destination for immigrants, Dr. Svirčević points out that Austria-Hungary was a major source of them. “Unable to make a living, Serbs and other South Slavs were leaving what the Western historians often call the ‘prosVOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 9
Šturm’s nephew, Pavle Jr, was promoted to Major during the Great War. After the April 1941 war, he joined the Yugoslav Homeland Army [the royalist resistance]. Caught by the Gestapo, he was offered mercy in exchange for loyalty to the occupation authorities, as he was considered a German. Pavle Jr. refused and told them he was a Serbian officer, after which he was shot. “Serbia was a country of laws, in which a man could live off his labor and prosper,” explains Dr. Mile Bjelajac, another historian. “This was very attractive to experts in various fields. Look at the old surnames of bakers, pharmacists, and engineers in every Serbian town, and you will realize how popular Serbia was [as a destination for immigrants]. These people chose to become Serbs, thought of Serbia as their only homeland, and were willing to fight for it to the death.”
Ever since Serbia became an autonomous principality [in 1830], the rate of immigration kept rising. Immigration reached its peak between 1903 and 1914, when the military became a strong factor in politics. Foreign sources at the time claim that the officers who brought the Karađorđević dynasty to the throne were vigilant in case the new king turned out to be a dictator like the last Obrenović. However, this was no military junta, as the political parties fought fiercely for parliamentary democracy. That balance of power made Serbia an increasingly attractive place for living. “The Constitution at the time was committed to political freedom, introducing a near-universal franchise that enabled almost all the able-bodied men to vote,” says Dr. Svirčević. “There were five modern political parties and ten daily newspapers, not to mention the periodicals. The intellectual elite was very strong. There were even translators of Japanese haiku poetry! The expanding education system, inspired by Western ideas at the time, enabled the successful integration of various communities living in Serbia. Belgrade became the capital of culture, led by a new generation of thinkers who argued for ‘French’ ideas of political liberty. For immigrants from the half-feudal Austria-Hungary, Serbia was America.” He stressed that the image of Serbia as a land of illiterate, bloodthirsty savages and conspirators was created in Vienna, as Hapsburg war propaganda – and then accepted in Europe, which treated Vienna as the source of reliable information about the Balkans, even though the reality was rather different. “What is forgotten is that Serbia had a strong parliamentary tradition,” explains Dr. Svirčević. “Turnout at the polls would be 70 percent, incredible by today’s standards. Serbia was a ‘peasant democracy’ of free farmers, not serfs as in the half-feudal Central European monarchies. Serbs were free men, creators of their own statehood, and considered it their right to decide its destiny. Today’s Serbia is unaware of this time, its memory erased by the Communist
ideology that considered the Serbs its worst enemy.” Ideology has almost erased the memory of people who willingly chose to be Serbs, invest their property into preserving Serbian heritage, and invest their lives for their new homeland. One such forgotten hero was Đorđe Roš (Ђорђе Рош), whose father was German and mother Slovenian. After taking part in the Balkans Wars, he was one of the “student corporals” in 1915. Seriously injured during the heroic defense of Belgrade, Roš saved the memory of the Great War’s most haunting order, by his commanding officer Major Gavrilović: “Soldiers! Heroes! The Supreme Command has erased our regiment from the rolls. Your lives no longer exist. You have nothing to worry about. Forward, to glory! Long live the King! Long live Belgrade!” Sentenced to death in absentia by the Communist regime, Roš left Serbia in 1944. He never stopped being a Serb, though. When he found out the Hilandar monastery was left destitute and was collapsing into ruin, he moved to the fishing village on Mt. Athos and used his money to save the Nemanjić legacy. Few in Serbia today know that Đorđe Roš is the only layman ever buried inside Hilandar, as a sign of recognition by the grateful monks.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 10
Polish Heroes The youngest soldier of the First Balkan War was Stanislav Krakow, 17, who joined the chetniks of Warlord Vuk. His father, Sigismund, came from Poland and became a medical officer in the Serbian Army in the late 1800s. In the Great War, Stanislav became an officer and a hero; later he was a journalist, author and director of the first Serbian war film – “For the Honor of the Fatherland.” The youngest soldier at the start of the Great War was also a Stanislav – from the Polish family Sondermeyer. All the Sondermeyers were in uniform between 1912 and 1918. Col. Dr. Roman Sondermeyer, founder of Serbian war surgery, was the head of the Army Medical Corps. Sons Tadeus (Tadija) and Vladimir were student-officers by 1914. The 16-year-old Stanislav enlisted as a volunteer, serving in the Second Cavalry Regiment. He died in 1914, during a charge in the Battle of Cer. Copyright Večernje Novosti; translated by the Reiss Institute. All rights reserved.
St. George Parish Celebrates its Krsna Slava On Sunday, May 4, 2014, with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, the parish in San Diego celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women and their Church Slava—Parish Patronal Feast Day of St George the Great Martyr. Though the Feast Day of St. George falls on Tuesday, May 6th, the parish according to established practice, celebrates their Church Slava on the Sunday closest to the actual Feast Day. His Grace Bishop Maxim served the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with concelebrants: protopresbyter-stavrophor Velimir Petakovic, protopresbyterstavrophor Bozidar Draskovic, both former parish priests, protopresbyter Bratislav Bratso Krsic, the parish priest, Deacon Paul Germain, parish deacon, in the presence of many parishioners and the faithful from other Orthodox parishes of the San Diego area. Protopresbyter-stavrophor Milan Vukovic, parish priest at the neighboring parish of St. Petka in San Marcos, joined in the celebration later during the banquet and program. On the third Sunday of Pascha according to the Orthodox liturgical calendar we commemorate the Myrrh-bearing women who brought ointment and spices
to anoint the body of Christ and to finish the final acts of customary burial tradition. Among those women were: Mary Magdalene, Mary, the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary), Joanna, Salome, Mary the wife of Cleopas (or Alphaeus), Susanna, Mary of Bethany, Martha of Bethany. Besides the myrrh-bearing women on the third Sunday of Pascha we also commemorate: St Joseph of Arimathea and St Nicodemus. The Matins service preceded the Liturgy. Following the Liturgy, a customary Lytia, (procession around the church) was made with prayers for the St. George community, living and departed parishioners, the city, and the country, for God’s continued protection and blessing over them. The blessing of the Slava kolach took place after the Lytia. The Kum and Kuma for the Church Slava were: Vojkan and Nada Popovic. Later during the program, Kum Vojkan conveyed his greetings and expressed his thanks for the honor of being Kum, asking the parishioners to continue supporting St. George parish and its renovation project. His Grace Bishop Maxim in his sermon explained the deep spiritual meaning of the third Sunday of Pascha, calling the faithful to continue offering their oil of good works, faith, and sacrificial love just as the holy myrrh-bearing women did. He then added that to minister to the Lord is the most rewarding and uplifting
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 11
service that we can do as the members of His Church. The program in the social hall during the banquet was inspirational, facilitating encouragement to the faithful to continue building up parish ministries and the community of St. George the Great Martyr. Oksana Germain and her sister Kaija Germain, daughters of Deacon Paul and Natalija Germain, performed a selection of songs and piano opuses. Rankin Fisher entertained guests with his selection of Serbian and Russian songs. Nemanja Selazan, Church Board President, thanked the capable kitchen crew led by his mother, Jelica Selezan, for preparing the delicious Slava food. At the conclusion of the program, the parish priest, Fr. Bratso, called his parishioners to more actively participate in the Liturgical life of the Church and the educational and philanthropic ministries established in the parish and diocese. The program was closed with the singing of Svjetisja, Svjetisja Novi Jerusalime… (Shine, Shine…) and the blessing of His Grace Bishop Maxim with farewell greetings. Western Diocese website More pictures of the Slava on the next page.
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CHURCH CALENDAR 2014 JULY 13-19
Diocesan Summer Camp; http://www.campstsava.org Week One,
20-26
Diocesan Summer Camp; http://www.campstsava.org Week Two
27-Aug 2
Diocesan Summer Camp; http://www.campstsava.org Week Three
AUGUST 4
Semi-Annual Stewardship meeting
14
Dormition Fast Begins
28
Dormition Feast Day
29-31
Diocesan Days Weekend at St. Sava Church in Jackson, CA - Church Closed
SEPTEMBER 11
MORAVA Folklore Ensemble 2014/2015 Dance Season Begins
14
Sunday Church School begins
21
KOLO Slava
OCTOBER 11
Annual SERBFEST
12
Talija Artistic Co. Belgrade Concert
17
St Stefan and Jelena (Stiljanovic)
17-19
Opolo Wine Harvest Festival
NOVEMBER 15
Cevap Challenge
23
Stewardship Sunday
27
Thanksgiving Day
28
Nativity Fast Begins through Jan 6, 2015
DECEMBER 19
St Nicholas - Serbian Children’s Day
21
Serbian Children’s Day
28
Serbian Mothers’ Day
31
New Year’s Eve (Gregorian Calendar)
For more information please call Fr. Bratso Krsic at 619-276-5827 or visit www.SaintGeorgeInSD.org
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 13
Church Family News Baby Shower for the Lukich family. On May 31, baby Kenton Milos Lukich, son of Rei and Slavko Lukich and grandson of our faithful church tutor, Mr. Milos (Micho) Lukich, was welcomed with a festive and fun baby shower in the church hall. Kenton was born last fall in Japan. The shower was organized by Nada Milicevic and Radmila Kasic, with decorations and games by Silvia Ivanovic and her daughter Maria Cano. A delicious variety of food was provided by the attendees (“potluck”). This event was a prelude to a three-month visit to Serbia and Krajina for the proud Deda Micho.
Mira & Velimir Jovanovic now have four little Jovanovic grandsons as of April 24! The fourth is Milan Jovanovic, brother of Luka and son of Marko & Dijana Jovanovic of New York City.
+Nada Pantovich, long-time St George Steward, is happy to announce the birth of twin grandbabies, Maya and Maksim Timarac, born January 25, 2014, in Royal Oak, MI. Parents are Sally and Michael Timarac.
But Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens. (Matthew 19:14) VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 14
Marsha & Misha Jovanovic are happy to announce the birth of another granddaughter, Kim Louise Jovanovic, born 20 May 2014, to their son Sasha and his wife Ariann. Big sister is Cora, who is happy to welcome a new little playmate. Maternal grandparents are Dr Joan Jensen & Jeffrey Brown, who moved to San Diego from Minneapolis last year, and Bill & Annie Russ of Baltimore, MD. Radmila & Rade Kasic are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Elizabeth to Nemanja Zdralo of St Petersburg, FL, formerly of Sarajevo. His parents are Zarko and Milka Zdralo. A wedding in Florida is planned for May 24, 2015. Elizabeth is completing an intensive course in nursing in January. Congratulations to everyone!
sunrise, sunset... quickly pass the days
Happy Birthday to Millie Mrja. Long-time St George stewardship member and former Church Treasurer and Financial Secretary, Millie celebrated her 80-something birthday in May with her daughter Pam Naughton and granddaughters Avery and Mary. Millie has been home bound for several months after breaking her hip in 2013 and her arm recently—unfortunately, on her first Sunday back with us at St George. She is recovering very well.
Nada Pantovich passed away July 1, 2014, at age 84. She is survived by her three daughters: Vera (Barton) Fisher, Mila, and Sally (Michael) Timarac and grandchildren: Jasmina, Maya, and Maksim. The Funeral Liturgy will be conducted at St. Lazarus Serbian Orthodox Church. You can share memories with the family at wujekcalcaterra.tributes.com/condolences. Nada was a pilar of St George Church in San Diego for as long as I can remember. She was always a friendly and ready helper. She was an active promoter of Serbian culture, and even though she was American born, she was extremely proud of her Serbian ancestry. As far as I could tell, her only concession to being an American-born Serb was to add an “h” to the end of her surname. She taught me much about how the Serbian culture “operated” in America, and I was grateful for her unbiased instruction. She was an active member of the Serb National Federation and was a founding member of its San Diego Lodge #89. She often submitted articles for publication in the Voice, and she often sent me choice VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 15
poems and other tidbits to use as filler. She had a youthful demeanor, and it was only after suffering painful problems with her joints, that she slowed down a bit. She worked as an editor for Ornament Magazine long after typical retirement age. And I know it was with deep sadness that she “pulled up stakes” and returned to Michigan for her last years—to be close to her large extended Serbian family. I have missed Nada since she moved, and I will now have to wait until we all are gathered in heaven to see her again. Her last Voice contribution is on the previous page. Rest in Peace, dear friend. Marsha Jovanovic, Voice Editor
News from your Kolo Sestara The Sisters have had a busy year so far. We purchased 200 banquet chairs by Easter for the big Easter dinner. It really was a beautifully set and served Holy Feast Day. Milica Plavsic decorated the hall, and Simona Trifunovich and crew prepared the traditional lamb gozba (feast). In addition to thanking them all, we want to mention the copious amount of beautiful pastries made by our ladies. It is so marvelous how generous everyone is of their time and talent! Since that time, with additional donations, we have been able to purchase 100 more banquet chairs. Thank you to Mel and Jimmy Milicevic and others who have contributed to this fund. It should also be mentioned that when the chairs were delivered to our church they had to be unloaded and inspected. So we thank Fr. Bratso, Velja Jovanovic, and Nada Milicevic for doing that rather exhausting work. You’re great! To help the victims of the terrible flooding in Western Serbia and Bosna our kolo decided to donate all proceeds from Sunday lunches in the month of June. We had had one special lunch where with your help we were able to raise and donate well over $1,000. Thank you to all who have contributed. We will be sending the June proceeds as well soon. If you have a desire to add to the fund, please contact any Kolo member. All of us were enor-
mously proud of and deeply moved to hear that Novak Djokovich donated all his winnings from the tournament at Roland Garros to the Serbian people affected by the floods. Noble instincts arise in times of crisis. Let’s continue as Christians to help our brethren. In addition to our regular Sunday lunches we have chaired or headed the kitchen crew for both the church slava of St. George in May and Vidovdan at the end of June. Jelica Selezan came all the way from Beograd to be with her sons and volunteered to be chef for St. George Slava. It was a wonderful meal, of course. Her helpers were Lepa Radosavljevic, Dobrinka Jojic, Maca Asimovic, Radmila Kasic, Ljubinka Plavsic, Dusanka Amanovic, Nada Milicevic and others. Linda Alemany and Protinica Lisa set the tables and decorated. For Vidovdan, Lepa Radosavljevic was head chef with help from Jelica, Dusanka, Dobrinka, Maca, Bojana, and many others. They are so awesome; they just do everything so effortlessly. We hope you will notice that we almost have our kitchen cabinets completed.! It is so gratifying to see a project near completion. The counter tops have to be chosen and installed as well as locks on our cabinet doors. We have to once again thank Stevo Basic for his donation and input as well as Simona Trifunovich who worked so hard on this project!
We, the Kolo, want to be a vital presence in our church and to be all our Lord asks us to be. With your help, we can do it— together! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 16
The Sisters have not been able to organize a group trip but several of our members managed to get away for a few weeks to Serbia. Welcome back, ladies! And remember we always welcome new members. Here are some more activities coming up for Kolo: A cookbook with all recipes followed by an acknowledgement of the cook/baker; home visits to parishioners who are unable to come to church; and participation in preparing and cooking on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at God’s Extended Hands (GEH). WE ARE ON FACEBOOK: KoloSestara SanDiego
We have email: circleofserbiansister@gmail.com
So won’t you please send your recipes, let us know if you would like a visit from a couple of your sisters or know of someone who would benefit from a visit, or perhaps let us know that you would give a couple hours cooking or serving dinner at GEH. We, the Kolo, would like to continue having a vital presence in our church and to be all that our Lord asks us to be, and with your help we can do it—together! Mira Jovanovic, Kolo Secretary
St George Choir The St. George Choir made a $200 donation for flood relief to those affected in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Individual choir members also made separate donations. These funds will be sent through the Serbian Orthodox Church. Our choir hosted the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble at St. George Church on Sunday, June 15, at 1:30 p.m. It starting with sacred music in the church, then was followed by folk music in the church hall. Our choir has hosted this group and similar groups for more than ten years. They have a different program every year, except they always finish with Kalinka.
Our choir was invited to be the Honored Guest Choir by the Stevan Hristich Choir of Phoenix at their annual Fall Concert, September 26-28, and we have accepted their invitation. They are planning a welcome dance on Friday, the concert on Saturday, and a banquet on Sunday, following the Liturgy. Our choir will sing during the concert and the responses during the Liturgy. Our choir has gone to Phoenix six times so far, and we have always had a good time, and we are looking forward to this trip. Our Choir Director, Kate Thickstun, is also the Choir Director of the Pacific Women's Chorus, and they gave a fine performance of American songs on June 1. Velimir Jovanovic, Choir President
God's Extended Hand Mission is in CRISIS—Help Needed! Dear Faithful SD Area Orthodox Christians, especially those who serve in our FOCUS ministry at God's Extended Hand, God's Extended Hand (GEH) Rescue Mission/Ministry is in Crisis. Pressure from the City, likely related to the new Condo Complexes being built across the street, mean that in the short term, zoning compliance is being ramped up... even over the next couple of weeks. Help might be needed in the form of work parties to clean out storage areas, move things from one building to another or perhaps make repairs. In the longer term, either major work will need to be done at the existing location, or the ministry may be forced out and need to find another suitable facility, obtain a Conditional Use Permit and do whatever work might be necessary to begin providing services at the new facility. So, #1, Pray! #2, anyone with time, and/or related knowledge and expertise, your help would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Patty or Fr. Simeon and we'll either include you in future e-mailings about upcoming work opportunities, or put you in touch with Pastor Curtis and the GEH Board to help them as they work together to formulate a plan to correct the code violations and hopefully keep the ministry functioning. Christ is Risen! Through Him all things are possible. He's recently raised up Churches from the Ashes and He can deliver GEH from this present trial. Thank you for your prayers, help and consideration. Fr. Simeon B. Corona, St. Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church, 619/593-0707 Cell: 619/760-6373 frsimonb.corona@yahoo.com Patty Diaz Ministry Coordinator FOCUS San Diego pdiaz@focusna.org Home: 858-679-9283 Cell: 858-231-1092
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 17
Continuing thanks to our Choir The St. George choir continues to lead us in singing and beautifying our services. What would we do without them? Our sincere appreciation and prayers to all the members and especially our choir directors: Kate Thickstun, Pam Naughton, Dobrila Undheim, & Rankin Fisher.
non Serb venues in which organizers and audiences share their enthusiasm at seeing a Serbian folklore performance.
MORAVA! Dear Friends and Supporters,
By the time you read this article Morava will have finished with its 27th Annual Folkfest! A great big thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this huge undertaking happen. 2014 participants were GRACANICA, Akron OH; DUKATI & BISERI, Chicago, IL; SRBIJA, Cleveland OH; SV. SIMEON FOLKLOR, Las Vegas NV; KALEMEGDAN, San Gabriel CA; SOKOLO, Alhambra CA; AVALA, San Marcos CA. Thank you to all for performing at Morava's folkfest. Thanks also go out to the St. George Church Board for always supporting Morava in its endeavors to perpetuate Serbian culture through song and dance. On June 27, 2014, Morava (35 people) departed for a 10-day tour of eastern Canada at the invitation of Serbian Folk Ensemble Kolo. The visit included Niagara Falls, Montreal, Toronto and Hamilton. Morava has had a very busy schedule representing St. George Church at many
Looking back at dance season 2013/ 2014, it has indeed been a whirlwind. Lots of goodwill and cultural exchange. None of this can have been accomplished without the dedication and commitment of the dancers. Every week, sometimes twice a week, they show up (on time!) and dance and practice and do whatever it takes to keep this well-oiled machine going. At the end of this dance season, I would like to thank each and every dancer for their participation in Morava. We also say farewell to Stefan Trifunovic and wish him luck as he embarks on his college journey that takes him to Boston. Morava takes a nice break from practice over the summer and resumes on September 11, 2014. Rehearsals are held every Thursday on the stage at St George Church Hall. For more information, visit www.stgeorgeinsd.com/morava/ or Find Us on Facebook! A great big SHOUT OUT from Morava to its SPONSORS for Morava's 2013/ 2014 dance season and Folkfest 2014: OPOLO VINEYARDS and WESTPAC WEALTH PARTNERS. www.opolo.com OPOLO has been a major donor for over a decade and continues to support Morava on a recurring
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 18
basis! If you haven't yet tried Opolo wines, you are missing out! You had a chance to sample it at Morava's Bacon and Wine tasting on May 17, 2014. Rick, you ROCK! Recent sighting of Opolo's Mountain Zin 2012 at Von's! www.thewp2.com WESTPAC Wealth Partners is new to the San Diego area and a new sponsor to Morava. Recently, Nemanja Selezan, President of St. George Church, joined WestPac Wealth Partners and introduced its CEO, Nebojsa Subotic to Morava. Hvala Nemanja! WestPac engages in visionbuilding dialogues and shows you valuable new ways of thinking about your financial strategy. Whether for personal or business solutions, give Nemanja or Neso a call to find out how WestPac can help you. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Dobrila@cox.net. Morava is accepting new members. If you are 16 years of age or older and have the ability to learn dance steps, have lots of stamina, and like to have fun, please consider joining. For a member application, contact Dobrila@cox.net Warm regards, Dobrila Undheim Director Morava Folklore Ensemble 760-212-5891
Junior Morava Folklore Ensemble Junior Morava has had a very exciting 2013-2014 season, and we are all looking forward to the start of next season after we return from summer break. Our Junior Morava Ensemble has had the privilege of being taught by two instructors this past year, Marina Skendzic from the Senior Morava Folklore Ensemble and Lazar Ruzicic from the Talija Art Company in Serbia. The group has been able to add a new dance to our expanding repertoire, Sopske Igre choreographed by Dragan Pantelic of Talija. A big thank you to both of our instructors who have done a splendid job teaching our kids. I wanted to thank all the parent and grandparent volunteers who put in so much of their time and effort in order to make this group a success. A special thank you to Dusanka Amanovic, who has continuously donated her time to create such beautiful costumes for Morava Folklore Ensemble. I am also pleased to announce that registration for next season will be on Sunday Sept 7 at St George Hall after liturgy. Contact Cristina Dukovich at cristina.dukovich@gmail.com if you are interested in getting your children involved in folklore. It is a great way to create life long friendships and to continue our Serbian heritage through the art of folklore. Hvala svima!
PeeWee Kolo
PeeWee Kolo is always eager for new members. Practices are held Sundays after lunch (1pm). Contact Joanna Aud or Tia Ducich for further information (tia.ducich@gmail.com)
Cristina Dukoviich
MORAVA is off for the summer! We’ll see you in September! VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 19
• Jovanovic, Marko, Dijana & Family
• Nedel, Naden
Stewardship List—Adults, as of June 6, 2014
• Jovanovic, Misha and Marsha
• Nedic, Sava and Spomenka
• Jovanovic, Ratko and Koka
• Nikolic, Dragan and Gordana & family
• Alemany, Linda and Family
• Jovanovic, Slavko, Tanja & Family
• Orlich, Petar
• Allen, Mike & Markay
• Jovanovic, Slavica
• Pantich, Tom and Helen
• Amanovic, Diana
• Jovanovic, Toma, Vesna & Family
• +Pantovich, Nada
• Aud, Matthew, Laurie and Family
• Jovanovic, Velimir and Mira
• Pantovic, Snezana and Dole
• Basic, Stevo and Stana
• Jovanovic, Verica
• Pantovic, Rajko & Linda & family
• Begovich, Michael , Samantha & Family
• Kasic, Rade and Radmila
• Papac, Wayne and Sandie
• Belcevich, Milos
• Kezic, Vladimir, Ivana & Family
• Perisic, Milan
• Borojevich, Mildred and Wally
• Kinach, Alex and Seka
• Petakovich, Deyan and Natasa
• Bradic, Aleksandar and Jelena & Family
• Klacar, Neven
• Brucker, Mitch and Lidija & Family
• Kostic, Tordis
• Petakovich, Proto Velimir and Protinica Ljubinka
• Caric, Brigitte and Family
• Kovacevic, Biljana
• Connor, Evelyn
• Krsic, Proto Bratso and Protinica Lisa
• Copic, Miro, Laura and Family
• Kukich, Branislav
• Cronemeyer, Jamie and Zorica
• Kunac, Maria and Dusan
• Denton, Natalie
• Lazovic, Alexander and Carole
• Dimich, Marlene
• Lukic, James-Ljuban and Petka
• Ducich, Nick, Tia & Family
• Lukic, Milos
• Drakulich, Persida
• Masic, Milenko
• Draskovic, Proto Bozidar and Protinica Bozana
• Markley, Scott and Nada
• Elez, Sladjana • Freeman, Lillian • Fulton, Jeff and Radmila • Galashty, Natalia • Gavrilov, Gleb • Germain, Deacon Paul, Natalija and Family • Glusac, Milena • Gregovich, Ljubica • Grijakovic, Vladimir • Hjembo, Karl, Alyssa and family • Ilic, Boris • Ilic, Petar and Rosa • Irick, Olga • Ivanovic, Mirko and Sylvia • Janich, Thomas and Marcia • Jaich, Dennis, Rhonda and Family • Jojic, Dobrinka • Jojic, Julijana and Vesko • Jorling, Joe and Nina
• Marin, Mike, Tina and Family • McCarthy, Svetlana • McKienzie, Sally-Ann • Medigovich, Samuel • Melnick, Stanley and Pauline • Mihailovic, Goran • Mikler, Zora • Miladinovic, Radmila • Milanovich, Jennifer • Milasinovich, Zeljko, Marija and family • Milicevic, James, Melanie and family • Milicevic, Nikola and Nada • Miljkovic, Milan and Diane • Miljkovic, Vecki and Miodrag and family • Milovancev, Miroslav, Mira and family • Mitrovich, Desanka • Mitrovich, Jelena • Mitrovich, Predrag and Family • Mitrovich, Risto and Linda • Mrja, Millie • Naughton, Pamela & Family
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 20
• Petric, Alex, Shari and Aci • Petric, Milovan and Jelena • Petrovic, Djordje and Marija • Plavsic, Milan, Ljubica & Family • 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, Sam and Gloria • Raicevic, Vladimir, Silvana and Family • Rakich, Danielle • Rakic, Marko, Vera and Family • Radojevic, Slobodan and Dr. Vesna • Radojevic, Protinica Nadezda • Radomirovic, Vladimir • Radovanovic, Darko • 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 • 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 • Stoyanoff, Jordan and Beatriz • Suliman, George and Dorina • Thickstun, Kathryn • Topalovic, Vojkan, Maja and Family • Trifunovic, Alexandra
• Trifunovic, Dr. Robert, Simona and Family • Trifunovic, Vladan and Milica and Family • Tully, George • Undheim, Robert and Dobrila
• Vuksanovic, Dusan • Yancey, Peter • Zivkovic, Miodrag and Sarah • Zivkovic, Tina and Jovan
• Urosevic, Branislav and Elaine
Stewardship List—Children
• Valliu, Becky
• Krsic, Anastasija
• Vasiliu, Laurentiu, Daniela & Family
• Krsic, Luka
• Vasich, Branko and Family
• Krsic, Nikolaj
• Vasic, Milica
• Leff, Dylan
• Vlasovich, Milanka
If we have overlooked or misspelled anyone’s name, please, inform our church office (619-276-5827), and we will immediately make the necessary corrections. Thank you!
• Vladic, Milan • Vucelic, Inge • Vukotich, Dorothy • Vukotich, May and Stefan • Vukotich, John and Jean
Message from Stewardship Chairman I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our very generous 2014 Stewards. We are able to survive and flourish because of your commitment to St. George. I have stated many times in the past that it is not just your monetary commitment that makes a difference. Every time you take time to help out at a Sunday luncheon or at one of our events, or with building and grounds maintenance and upgrades, or with Sunday school, or in any other way, you are being an active steward and contributing to our community’s success. Events are coming up all the time—the Serbian Festival, and the Cevap Challenge, to name a couple, and we could always use your help preparing for and helping out at these events. During the summer season, many of you are out of town, and we typically see a decrease in attendance and monetary contributions at Church. But while you may not be around, our bills stay the same. We do everything we can to keep our costs down at St. George, but it takes a lot just to keep up our property and pay our monthly fixed costs. When your donations come in sporadically, it becomes difficult to manage our cash flow. Many of our Stewards fulfill their full pledges up front, and some pay regularly by credit card or check. Thank you for making our job easy. For the others, please take the time now to review your pledge for 2014 and see where you are at with fulfilling it. If you would like to know where you stand, email me and I will let you know. I know that these are still hard economic times for many of us, so I try my hardest not to bug you too much about your donations. But please don’t forget or ignore St. George, your second home. Thank you once again. Toma Jovanovic, Stewardship Chairman, tomasjovanovic@hotmail.com
David Batrich, Stewardship Chair for the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America with St George Stewardship Chair, Toma Jovanovic VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 21
Treasurer’s Report Dear Parishioners, I would like to start by saying “Thank you” to those who make the church’s ministry possible. Our parishioners need to know that their giving makes a difference. One of the results of this giving is the completion of the south wing of our church hall. In the past year, we saw the demolition of the bar area, which flourished into a beautiful structure, not only from the outside, but to our amazement, on the inside. There is so much to say, but I would like to emphasize the most important facts and share them with you all. Prior to 2012, we began the preliminary compliance of filing for permits with the City of San Diego, followed by structural engineering and architectural design requirements, in order to begin the bar remodel phase. Permits issued by the city have a specific duration, and, if not used within the time permitted, we would have to start from the beginning again. So we had compelling reasons to start, even if we didn’t have the necessary funds at hand to begin. With the brave initiative from our president that year, Vladan Trifunovic, and our executive board members, the decision to start was made and executed.
In 2013, our total income revenue was $289,321.34, and our total operating expenses were $281,100.23, which resulted in a profit of merely $8,221.11 for our general account. The Restoration account totals for 2013 was an income of $71,298.70, and our expenses were $72,240.25, resulting in a negative figure of $941.55. Many formulas were implemented in order to have the available funds to pay the expenses as the bar remodel began and advanced. The most significant one, was to borrow the funds in order to proceed. Now, we have the obligation to return the loans allocated on a monthly basis, well until 2016. So please keep this in mind and reinforce giving as an act of worship.
ment of a beautiful and brand new bar and social gathering area. We also have to thank the various and generous donations made by our auxiliary organizations: Church Choir, Kolo Sestara, Sunday School, and Morava. Without these components, we would not be where we are today. We still have a ways to go! To everyone who pledged to donate for the purchase of much needed items for the completion of the bar, we thank you and we kindly ask you to fulfill your donation. I would also like to inform everyone that we raised $13,304.00 for the flood relief in Serbia. Thank you! With gratitude and best wishes,
I would like to give thanks to the faithful givers of our congregation for their generous giving during the completion phase of our remodel, to Westpac for sponsoring The Annual Gala Fundraiser chaired by Nemanja Selezan, to Zeljko and Marija Milasinovic for giving us a personal loan without constrictions, to Vladan Trifunovic for his contribution and countless hours overseeing the entire project and to Voikan Popovic for his involvement and participation. In addition, I would like to mention that there were many individuals who used their resources, and donated their time, their talents and possessions to complete and enhance the bar remodel.
Linda Alemany, St George Church Treasurer
Your generous donations support our parish ministries
Those individuals worked behind the scene and asked nothing in return, so that all of us can have the pride and enjoy-
Questions Answered!!
Another way to help your church
“What is eScrip?” – eScrip is a fantastic easy & free fundraising program for St. George! Participating business partners (i.e. Vons, Major Market, Lazy Acres, Bristol Farms, Cardiff Seaside Market ) contribute a percentage of your purchases to St. George at no cost to you. Once you are registered there is no more for you to do! “How do I register?” -The eScrip program allows you to securely register your grocery store club cards, credit cards, debit/ATM cards on-line and a percentage of your purchases go automatically to the school – nothing else for you to do! You do not need to register all your cards, but you must register the grocery club card.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 22
Click on www.escrip.com , select “sign up”, follow prompts to support our group {St. George’s group ID info: “St. George Serbian Orthodox Church” (3025 Denver St., San Diego) – 137331530}, register credit card/ATM AND/OR grocery club card (no charges will be put on your card for being an eScrip member); (Vons Club Card is not your telephone #, rather it is Club Card # - if you don’t have your Vons Club Card #, you may call: 1-877-723-3929). Be sure to ask your family, friends, and neighbors to enroll too! “Can I view my monthly contributions?” – Yes! Sign into your account at www.escrip.com , select tab “My eScrip”, enter your password, & select “view my monthly purchase reports”. “Why are my Vons/Pavilions contributions not registering?” – Vons/Pavilions has changed their policy to read: “Please note, payment with a credit card will not earn eScrip contributions, but any other form of payment will (i.e. cash, check, ATM/debit card, Gift Card)!” “I make a lot of online purchases from various stores, can that help?” – YES, absolutely!! Register any card on eScrip (this does not have to be the card you use for online purchases!! Even a grocery club card
will do.) Then follow the eScrip Online Mall portal link at www.escrip.com to access the website you will be shopping from (over 400 stores!) This portal link allows the merchant to know you would like them to support St. George. You pay exactly the same as you would normally shopping online but also receive an additional contribution to St. George. (Some examples of contributions are: Amazon – 2.4% on qualifying purchases; Macy’s – 3%; 1-800-flowers – 12%; hotels.com – 4.8%). “I shop online, but I always forget to use the portal through eScrip, isn’t there an easier way?” – Yes – there is! When you click on "AutoEARN" (located at www.eScrip.com Online Mall link) and download eScrip’s automatic contribution tracking software, you no longer have to remember to go through the Online Mall portal first!!
“I shop at Ralphs. Do they have a similar program?” – YES!!! If you enroll in the Ralphs Community Contribution Program, Ralphs will gladly make a contribution to St. George on your behalf each time you use your Ralphs rewards Card. Just follow these steps: 1.
Go to www.ralphs.com and either Sign In or Create an Account to register your Ralphs rewards Card.
o
You will need your Ralphs rewards Card number (not your tel. no.) to register. It can be obtained at 1-800-660-9003.
2.
At top right of page, click “My Account”
3.
At top, select “Community”
4.
On the left side, select “Community Contributions”
5.
Scroll down (under “Participant”) and select the "Enroll" button
6.
Our organization is: St. George Serbian Orthodox Church – ID: 93561. Select our church and save your
7.
Ralphs contributions end August 31 and must be renewed each year, beginning September 1. Be sure to
changes. ask your family, friends, and neighbors to enroll too!
“I shop at Albertsons. Do they have a program too?” – Unfortunately Albertson’s through California does not have a contributions program. “Do I need to renew each year?” – Yes – please select “renew” on both eScrip and Ralphs every fall. “I have questions that have not been answered here or on www.escrip.com ?” Feel free to contact our coordinator Tia Ducich at: tia.ducich@gmail.com
Thank you to all supporters of the eScrip program!
Thank you to all of our supporters of this program!!!
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 23
2014 St George Graduates High School
College
Arturo Alemany
Alexander Mishko Kennedy
Milan Copic
Kathleen Vasquez-Plavsic (2013)
Post graduate and Professional school Marija Milasinovic
Oksana Germain
Natasha Radojevic
Nikolija Jojic
Marina Skendzic
Avery Naughton Mary Naughton Stefan Trifunovich Vaso Vasic
Congratulations! Graduates and their Families
Zuza Vetrenski
Arturo Alemany Arturo Alemany, Jr., the son of Linda and Arturo Alemany, graduated from Francis Parker School as a Lancer. Arturo established an enviable academic record during his high school years, earning him honors Awards in 20122013 and 20132014. He also earned medals in the National Spanish Exams, is a member of Spanish Honors Society, and took Advanced Placement classes in his senior year. A dedicated student, he has excelled academically and has honed his leadership skills through sports and community services. Arturo has been recognized for his accomplishments on the Parker football team and on his high school’s Lacrosse team. As the team’s only goalie during the season, he was a major contributor in winning the 2012 C.I.F. Championship Division II Francis Parker Lacrosse, and was given the C.I.F. Sportsmanship Award. Arturo also participated in the Parker Surf Team in his senior year. He displayed award winning talent while playing classical bass guitar as well as competing with his school in the Forum Music Festival Awards in Anaheim California.
Arturo’s broad range of interests reflect a young man’s curiosity for learning new things and becoming involved in diverse activities, and he has been recognized on many occasions by his high school and his peers for his outstanding achievements. Equally important, Arturo is respected and admired by his classmates, teammates and faculty. We are proud of Arturo’s acceptance to New York University, and we are confident that his demonstrated initiatives and capabilities will continue during his undergraduate program at NYU, particularly as regards his keen interest in international business. Arturo had the honor of being baptized by Fr. Bozidar Draskovic at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, and remains grateful for his life-long guidance and mentorship. With great love, pride, and confidence, his father, his mother, and his siblings, Alexander, Alexandra, and Lazar, wish Arturo all possible success in building the bright, beautiful, and honorable future we know he will work hard to create.
Scholarship Winners Oksana Germain Stefan Trifunovich St George Church Award Milan Copic Dr. Alexander Srbich Award
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 24
Milan Copic My name is Milan Copic and I’ve been involved at St. George Serbian Orthodox church ever since I can remember. I served as an altar boy since I was 6 years old. I am graduating from Canyon Crest Academy with academic distinction. I am blessed to be graduating from one of the top 100 high schools in the United States, with high academic standards and amazing fellow students who have kept me constantly challenged. I received a merit scholarship for achievement in academics, sports, and creativity through the DFS program at my school.
keep in shape, and was one of the few athletes who earned a varsity letter in track all four years. I received all academic varsity team honors for both sports from the Union-Tribune. On top of a winning season, this year my soccer team also received the award for the highest CIF team average GPA in San Diego County. Since I was 8 years old, I have played competitive soccer on a traveling club team. Since early childhood, I’ve been interested in math, science, and engineering. After an SDSU survey course in engineering my freshman summer, a UCSD Academic Connections course in mechanical engineering my sophomore summer, and the Worcester Polytechnic workshops in biomedical engineering and robotics this past summer, I am confident about my decision to pursue a career in engineering. I helped found the engineering club at my high school where we have completed projects like building a 3D printer and an autonomous drone. I have enrolled at Santa Clara University where I plan to major in mechanical engineering and graduate with a M.S. degree through a 5-year program. I am honored to receive the Dr. Alexander L. Srbich Scholarship and look forward to continuing Dr. Srbich’s legacy of academic excellence.
Sports have been an important part of my life. I earned varsity letters in both soccer and track and field, ran cross country to
Oksana Germain Oksana Germain is the daughter of Deacon Paul & Djakonica Natalija Germain, older sister to Kaija, as well as the granddaughter of Zora Mikler. She was bandaptized by our dear Fr. Bozidar Draskovic and has grown up in the St George Church. She is thankful to have been raised as an Orthodox Christ-centered home-schooler her entire life and graduated from Heritage Christian School on June 13, 2014. Oksana also took classes at Grossmont College while finishing her high school studies. She was chosen as the recipient of the 2014 St George Scholarship, which is an honor and a blessing, and for that, she is very grateful! Oksana's musical journey, which began at a very young age, and has progressed with God's grace. At the age of 15,
Oksana's dream came true when she made her debut performing with the San Diego Symphony as a "Best & Brightest" Young Artist Winner. She has performed in the US and in Germany at various events, competitions, and festivals, hoping to bring glory to God and the joy of classical music to others. By God's grace, her 13 years of dedication and countless hours at the piano have paid off. Oksana has been blessed with a 100% acceptance rate to the top music conservatories in the country. She is thankful to God for these opportunities and especially for the blessing of attending Eastman School of Music in the fall. She is very excited and would like to thank everyone at St George for all their love and support over the years! She humbly asks you to please keep her in your prayers as she faces this challenging, yet exciting time in her life.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 25
Mary Naughton
Avery Naughton Avery Naughton is the daughter of Pamela Naughton, twin sister of Mary Naughton, and granddaughter of Millie Mrja. She is also an honors graduate of Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) in North San Diego County. As well, Avery has won many awards and has been recognized often for her talent, service, and leadership. She has received the following: • Presidential Scholarship • AP Scholar with Distinction • Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the White House • Raven Award for Top Senior in Journalism
Mary Naughton is the daughter of Pamela Naughton, twin sister of Avery Naughton, and granddaughter of Millie Mrja. She is an honors graduate of Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) in North San Diego County. Mary has won many awards and has been recognized often for her talent, service, and leadership. She has received the following: • Provost Scholarship
• San Diego Union Tribune -- AllAcademic Team • National Student Leadership Conference
Avery also served as Editor-in-Chief of the CCA Newspaper and was Captain of Varsity Softball Team and voted MVP. After visiting colleges all around the country with her mother and sister, Avery decided to attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, majoring in history.
• AP Scholar with Distinction • Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the White House
Nikolija Jojic
• Departmental Distinction in History
Nikolija Jojic graduated from Westview High School, and will be majoring in Biological Sciences at California State University San Marcos.
• San Diego Union Tribune -- All-Academic Team
In addition, she is a three-sport athlete in soccer, volleyball, and softball, and she was managing Executive Editor of the school CCA Yearbook and co-Editor-inchief of the CCA Spring Publication.
Proud parents are Vesko and Julijana Jojic, sister Krstana, and her grandparents are Donrinka Jojic and the late Bogdan Jojic.
After visiting colleges all around the country, Mary has decided to attend Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, majoring in pre-law. Baba Millie is extremely proud of Mary, and knows she will succeed at anything she wants to do.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 26
Baba Millie is happy that Avery is going to her home state of Minnesota to begin her college education. She knows she is going to miss both Avery and Mary because she has helped raise them since they were babies. But she wishes only the best for them. She is so proud of them and loves them very much.
Apart from his school life, Stefan is very active in the St. George community, assisting with the multiple facets of church events and acting as the current Vice President of the Morava Folklore group. Through all his hard work and dedication he has been accepted into the School of Management at Boston University where he will be studying business with an undecided focus.
Stefan Trifunovich Stefan Robert Trifunovich is the son of Dr. Robert and Simona Trifunovich and the only brother of Alexandra, Katarina, and Natalia. He is the grandson of Proto Velimir and Ljubinka Petakovich and Alexander(†) and Danica Trifunovic. Stefan was born and raised in San Diego and has been part of the St. George community since his birth.
Stefan would like to tell the Stewards of St. George:
This May, he graduated from La Jolla Country Day School. Stefan spent his lower school education in Escondido at The Children’s Montessori School and moved to La Jolla Country Day in the fifth grade. At La Jolla, Stefan has pursued a few of his many pleasures such as furthering his education, attending school productions, and participating in sports with his peers. Prior to his senior year, he acquired a summer internship with Sotera Wireless, which strengthened his desire to study business.
Vaso Vasich I am Vaso Vasich, the son of Branko and +Ruja Vasich. My sister is Vesna Vasich. I graduated from San Diego High School in the International Baccalaureate® (IB) program, a worldwide program that adheres to an international standard that is much harder than typical honors classes. I took all of my core classes as IB classes (math, English, chemistry, economics). I'm planning to study some sort of engineering at San Diego State University. I have been admitted in computer engineering, but I'm not completely sure yet. I’m thinking of possibly studying constructional or electrical engineering instead.
grade. This summer, I went with the senior group to Niagara Falls, Canada, after which I went to Vancouver, and finally to the Balkans for five weeks. I love the sports of soccer and hockey. I even have had a job with the San Diego Soccer Professional Team for some time. Of course, I love everything Serbian—the food, the music, the dance, the language. I even chose to wear a full formal Krajina costume to my senior prom instead of a tuxedo! I love my family and church, and I hope to always make them proud of me and my achievements.
I have been dancing with the Morava Folklore Ensemble, since I was in 3rd
Never underestimate the power of other people's love and prayer. VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 27
Thank you for providing me with a second home and supporting my initiatives. It pains me to leave St. George and all the family I have here. However, I know that when I return everyone will be there waiting with open arms! Thank you to all who have supported me. I love you all! Love, Stefan
Zuza Vetrenski
Kathleen Velasquez-Plavsich My name is Zuza Vetrenski, and on June 5, 2014, I graduated from Otay Ranch High School. I was born in San Diego, and I have lived here ever since. After four years of hard work I graduated with a 3.9 GPA
Throughout my years at Otay Ranch, I was involved in a many activities. All four years, I played on the school’s basketball team, being on varsity for my junior and senior year. I also was on the schools track and field team with my event being the pole vault. I was also a member of the Academy of Criminology and Justice (AOCJ) all four years. In this program, we were able to learn a lot about law enforcement and certain things that happen throughout a work day such as arrests, investigations, and more. My senior year I joined ASB (Associated Student Body). I was in charge of Athletics and Elections, which meant I was able to clear students to allow them to play sports, and I was in charge of counting and distributing ballots for any vote that happened throughout the year. ASB taught me a lot about responsibility, initiative, and learning how to compromise and work well with others. In the fall, I will be attending San Diego State University, majoring in Kinesiology. I hope to go to graduate school after that and become a medical officer in the US Navy. A big thank you goes out to all my family who helped me and supported me with everything.
Kathleen Ivana VelasquezPlavsich, daughter of Drs. Breda and Juan Velasquez and granddaughter of Jelena and Rade Plavsich, graduated in 2013 with a degree in economics from University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC).Kathleen was on Dean’s Honor Roll multiple times and completed her degree in three years and one quarter. We are all very proud of her. Love, Families Plavsich and Velasquez.
Marina Skendzic Many of us have watched Marina’s evolution over the years from spunky Morava dancer to creative Serbian culture broker as she used her continued involvement with folk dance’s many expressions to pass on her knowledge to the next generation of dancers and even to represent it to Hollywood personalities on national TV at the request of none other than Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic. Now she has taken her college degree to the next level, receiving a credential to teach high school social studies. She has already received accolades from students she worked with while in training. And knowing her energetic, never ending enthusiasm for whatever she does, without a doubt she will take her students on a journey that will enlighten them and make them better citizens of the global community. Marina is the daughter of Liljiana and Ilija Skendzic and the sister of Sandra. Their pride in Marina’s achievements was displayed recently at a splendid graduation party they hosted, which included the "Ponovo" Tamburasi. The end of June, Marina joined her beloved senior Morava group to tour Canada and as always to add her spirited presence to its dance suites. In the fall, she will begin as a teacher candidate at Rancho Buena Vista High School (lucky students!). Congratulations, Marina. Voice Editor
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 28
Natasha Radojevic Natasha Radojevic, daughter of Dan and Dr Vesna Radojevic, sister of Katrina, and granddaughter of Protinica Nadezda, graduated in May with a Doctor of Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University. A strong interest in human behavior and helping people heal and grow began at an early age, which now I am aware was most likely connected to the influences of being raised by a mother who is a psychologist. This coupled with my employment history working in both non-profit and financial institutions helped me navigate my yellow brick road toward the field of psychology. My interests include working with children in a setting where I am able to work collaboratively with parents/caregivers and other systems the children are a part of.
Marija Milasinovic Marija and I go back a long time. She was one of my protegees when we both worked for the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UCSD in the late 80s and early 90s. The girl was golden, with big dreams and energy running over. I was the editor of the center’s newsletter, and it was during this time we came up with the idea to “modernize” the production of the Voice of St George, to do it on a computer (an Apple Mac) and with desktop publishing software (Adobe Framemaker). I showed Marija how, gave her a template, and away she went back to her Tata’s office, Prota Bozidar Draskovic, himself, and the rest is history! She got the ball rolling, and it has been rolling ever since! But that was not Marija’s dream. She wanted to be a doctor, to work with people, to do something directly and personally with people—not write newsletter stories and do layout, etc.
Thus far my experiences and training have chiefly focused on working with culturally diverse populations in multidisciplinary settings, ranging from preschool children, adults in residential drug and alcohol treatment centers, adolescents in an alternative educational setting, and psychodiagnostic assessments in a community mental health clinic. This year I have been fortunate enough to provide school-based consultation and prevention services, including individual and group psychotherapy to adolescent students and their parents at an alternative high school. Additionally, I am working in the comprehensive assessment services program completing assessments with children, adolescents, and adults. I believe that collaboration within the system and with family members is an integral part of the intervention when delivering psychological services to individuals, families, or children. For my dissertation project, I combined my experience and interest in working with
children and created a book for children with cancer, based in mindfulness activities.
Also during these years, Marija, her sister, Milena, and, of course, her mother, Protinica Bozana, started the Morava Folklore Ensemble summer folkfest. But that is another story unto itself. Such inspiration and energy these three women dedicated to seeing an event of that magnitude succeed and establish itself as a tradition. Marija did graduate from UCSD (can’t remember her major), and we both moved on from the university environment into the business world. She met and married Zeljko, moved to Australia, had two kids, started a business, moved back to California, worked in physical therapy at Scripps Encinitas for seven years, took some courses in physical therapy, and lots of other things I am leaving out—the point being Marija was really busy. But all along, the doctor idea did not go away. Then a couple of years ago, she finally grabbed for that dream again—she quit everything to focus on earning a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of St. Augustine for Health SciVOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SUMMER 2014 29
ences in San Marcos, CA and graduated on Good Friday—April 18, 2014. After all those years and all that hard work and sacrifice, she has become the doctor she dreamed of being when she was just a girl! Congratulations, dear Marija. The best is yet to come! Voice Editor
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Voice of St George Autumn Issue Please submit all articles reports, events, news, photos, announcements, ads, etc.,
ON or BEFORE Sept 8
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
$25 per issue
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All stewards receive one free ad when placing in four consecutive issues. Send your copy or information to the Voice Editor at marsha@marshaj.com or contact Father Bratso. 6WDWH )DUP /LIH ,QVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ 1RW OLFHQVHG LQ 0$ 1< RU :,
6WDWH )DUP /LIH DQG $FFLGHQW $VVXUDQFH &RPSDQ\ /LFHQVHG LQ 1< DQG :,
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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.
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
Stan (Diego) Krimerman, RealtorÂŽ BRE #01477653 www.standiego.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 2365 Northside Drive, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 619.940.STAN (7826) stan@standiego.com
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE â&#x20AC;˘ SUMMER 2014 30
Paracin, Serbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;my little town in central Serbia as well as many other towns near rivers suffered devastating floods from days of torrential rains. My own family home, which was slightly above ground, only sustained a few inches of water damage, which is significant enough because water ruined all the electrical appliances, floors, rugs, etc. But many others, like my cousin (brother from aunt), his home sustained major water damage, and all farm animals had to be evacuated. Others, like the family home of Radmila Kasic in Obrenovac, was totally destroyed. Her brother and his wife were living there until this catastrophe. Many have come forward to help financially and physically, and we thank God for this generosity. It will take many years to overcome this set back for the country.
Misha Tours / Firstworld Travel
619-588-5811 / 619-588-4644 misha@mishatours.com VOICE OF ST. GEORGE â&#x20AC;˘ SUMMER 2014 31