His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr.. Porfiry presided over the Archdiocesan Liturgy at St. Sava Cathedral in London on November 24, 2024 and on this occasion introduced His Eminence Mr. Nectarius.
His Holiness the Patriarch, in addition to the newly enthroned His Holiness the Bishop of London and British-Irish Mr. Nektaria, served: His Eminence Metropolitans Dositheus of Scandinavia, Arsenius of Nis and Joseph of Western Europe from the Romanian Orthodox Church; Most Reverend Bishops Esikhii of Valin, Nikon of Enopolis, Matei of Surovia from the Moscow Patriarchate and Anastasia Bogdanskaya from the Romanian Orthodox Church; Archimandrite Nektarius, Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Archimandrite Methodius, Abbot of the monastery of Hilandar; Hieromonk Nektarius Hilandarak; Archpriests Archpriests Aleksandar Pavlovic, Aleksandar Samardzic, Milan Vukašin, Goran Spajic, Aleksandar Ilić, Žarko Nedić and Nenad Popović; Archpriest Demetrius Nedostupenko from the Moscow Patriarchate and Pavel Eliot from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; Archpriests Djordje Lukic, Roman Fischer and Milan Živanović; Priests Viktor Stoychev and Gavrilo Galev from the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archdiocese; Pres. Borislav Kovacevic; Archdeacon Pavel from the Romanian Orthodox Church; Archdeacons Dragan Radic, Radomir Vrucinic and Damjan Božić; Deacons Djordje Filipović, Momčilo Dimitrijević and Filip Milivojević; and subdeacons Dejan Nakic and Vladimir Jelić.
Present at the solemn service were: His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent with his daughter Princess Gabriella Kingston; Mr.. Nikola Selakovic, Envoy of the President of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Culture in the Government of the Republic of Serbia; Princess Katarina Karageorgevic; Dr. Vladimir Roganovic, Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia; Mr.. Edward Ferguson, British Ambassador to Serbia; Mr. Goran Aleksic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the United Kingdom; Mr. Will Lane, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; Archimandrite Nifon Tsimalis, Envoy of the Archbishop of Thyatira and the British Patriarchate of Constantinople; Archbishop Ladislav Cardinal Nemeth of Belgrade; His Eminence Canon Robert Plourde and the Most Reverend Miguel Peraza of the Roman Catholic Church; His Holiness Bishop of London. Abraham of the Assyrian Church of the East; the Rev. Hakan Wilhelmsson of the Church of Sweden; the Rev. Dr. William Taylor, Vicar of Kensington, Chairman of the Association of Anglican and Oriental Churches and Ecumenical Advisor to the Church of England; Rev. Alan Treigle of the Association of Anglican and Oriental Churches; representatives of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and a large number of clergy, monks and devout people of the newly founded British-Irish Diocese.
Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church in London
At the regular meeting from May 14 to 18, 2024, the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church decided to divide the British-Scandinavian Diocese, so the Scandinavian Diocese with headquarters in Stockholm and the British-Irish Diocese with the headquarters in London was formed, for which the Archbishop, the current Vicar Patriarch of Serbia, His Holiness Bishop Jegarski was elected. Nectarines. It is believed that there are about forty thousand Orthodox Serbs living in and around London. Most Serbs settled in London after the Second World War. They were mostly military and political migrants, allies of the British army, fleeing their communist-ruled homeland. After the wars of the 1990s, the influx of Serbs fleeing the hardships caused by the breakup of Yugoslavia increased.
London Serbs gather at the famous St. Sava Cathedral, which was built in 1903 as an Anglican church dedicated to St. Columbus. Later it was converted for Orthodox services. His Holiness Bishop Nicholas of Žička and Ohrid performed the hierotony in 1952. The building is very spacious, decorated with frescoes, which are mostly copies of the walls of Serbian monasteries from the 13th century from the area of Kosovo and Metohija. Of special value is the iconostasis, made of walnut wood and richly decorated with icons. In front of the altar are two thrones, also carved from walnut wood. One is for the bishop and the other for the royal family. In addition to the members of the Serbian royal family who lived in exile in London, Queen Elizabeth II, godmother at the baptism of Prince Alexander, son of King Peter II, and Maria Tatjana, daughter of Prince Andrija Karageorgevich, sat on the royal throne in 1945 and 1957. The chairman of the municipality of the Serbian Orthodox Church in London was once also the great Serbian writer Miloš Crnjanski. At the Cathedral Church of St. Sava there is a Sunday school, choir, folklore school and "Circle of Serbian sisters".
Patriarch Porphyrios: Our spiritual joys and salvation begin with repentance
Patriarch Porfiry preached on the Gospel portion read at the Holy Liturgy:
- The word of Christ is always the same, because it is true. We just need to interpret this word correctly in every time in which we live. The interpreter of the word of God is the Church of Christ, so even here, now gathered in the Church of St. Sava, in a crowded city where many cultures, many ideas, many spiritual and ideological winds intersect, the word of Christ has the same power, the same meaning, the same significance, which it had when the Lord spoke to His disciples, especially on the altar which St. Nicholas served, on the altar which he consecrated, and on the place where many tears of prayer and tears of lamentation were shed for the salvation of himself, his people and the whole world.
- It is logical and habitual that we are all weak and powerless, that we all fall and fall the most in our relationships with each other, because very often we do not show and affirm love, but are selfish, see each other as competitors. As common adversaries, as usurpers, and in this story the rich man will change, change, however, when a person leaves this world, he no longer has the chance and opportunity to change his attitude. In fact, changing one's attitude can and should be done here and now. This story calls us to a change of mind, to repentance, and repentance is not sprinkling our heads with ashes and self-punishment. Repentance, as the saints say Fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, is a joyful sadness, a moment when we realize that we made a mistake, that we did not respect our neighbor, that we did not love him, that we did not embrace him, that we did not take on his cross, his pain, when we see all this and much more. as our failures, disrespect and non-observance of God's commandments and the desire to be different. It is a moment when we are sad because of our fall, sin and failure, but we rejoice in it even more, because when we notice our mistake, we immediately feel God's love, his grace, that it is bigger, wider and deeper than any of our shortcomings. It is enough only to know ourselves and turn to Him, our Lord, in prayer," said His Holiness Patriarch Msgr. Porphyria, whose sermon can be read in full HERE .
Bishop Nectarius: Following the example of Christ the Great Priest, I did not come to be served, but to serve
Following the enthronement of the Bishops of London and British-Irish, His Eminence Bishop Mr. Nectarige, a summary of which you can read HERE , gave an opening speech in which he said, among other things:
- The extraordinary mystery of God's Providence continues to manifest itself in my life. I addressed today in this holy place, this blessed stasidia, from which man observes and governs, preaches and witnesses and most importantly "serves" in imitation of Christ the Great Sanctifier, because the Lord has woven these words into our hierarchies as the meaning and program of episcopacy in the Church Militant: "I did not come to be served but to serve. I serve." It is with that faith that I come here today and begin my new ministry. Even today my heart trembles because I am enthroned on the sacred throne of the British-Irish Bishops as the first Bishop of a newly founded diocese, but I stand in the place from which the Venerable Hierarchs of our Holy Church preached the Light of the Gospel of Christ, Blessed Bishop Lawrence, the unforgettable missionary and preacher, and our good Metropolitan Dositheus, for more than thirty years he zealously preached in these parts the love of the Incarnate God both by word and by personal example. From that hour on, the "meek yoke of Christ" was laid upon my neck, so that in serving God and His Church, I might find salvation.
Bishop Nectarius' full opening remarks can be read HERE .
King Charles III: The establishment of the new diocese will contribute to the renewal of strong ties between our peoples
During the solemn enthronement of the first Bishop of London and Britain-Ireland, Msgr. Nectarius, His Majesty's Message was also read out King Charles III, which states, among other things:
- On the occasion of the enthronement of the newly-elected Bishop of London and of Great Britain and Ireland, Msgr. Nectarius, I extend my warm greetings to the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people. I fondly remember my visit to Serbia in 2016, the time I spent with His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia, Msgr. Irinej, as well as my visits to the Kovil Monastery, where I was graciously received by the then Metropolitan and now His Holiness Patriarch Mr. Irinej. Porphyria.
- Today's ceremony represents the realization of the decision of the Holy Council of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church to establish for the first time a British-Irish Diocese. It is my sincere hope that the establishment of this new diocese will contribute to the renewal and deepening of the permanent ties between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church, as well as between our peoples. My wife joins us in extending our best wishes to Bishop Nektarije as he begins his pastoral ministry in our country - in accordance with the message of King Charles III.
His Holiness the Patriarch, in addition to the newly enthroned His Holiness the Bishop of London and British-Irish Mr. Nektaria, served: His Eminence Metropolitans Dositheus of Scandinavia, Arsenius of Nis and Joseph of Western Europe from the Romanian Orthodox Church; Most Reverend Bishops Esikhii of Valin, Nikon of Enopolis, Matei of Surovia from the Moscow Patriarchate and Anastasia Bogdanskaya from the Romanian Orthodox Church; Archimandrite Nektarius, Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Archimandrite Methodius, Abbot of the monastery of Hilandar; Hieromonk Nektarius Hilandarak; Archpriests Archpriests Aleksandar Pavlovic, Aleksandar Samardzic, Milan Vukašin, Goran Spajic, Aleksandar Ilić, Žarko Nedić and Nenad Popović; Archpriest Demetrius Nedostupenko from the Moscow Patriarchate and Pavel Eliot from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; Archpriests Djordje Lukic, Roman Fischer and Milan Živanović; Priests Viktor Stoychev and Gavrilo Galev from the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archdiocese; Pres. Borislav Kovacevic; Archdeacon Pavel from the Romanian Orthodox Church; Archdeacons Dragan Radic, Radomir Vrucinic and Damjan Božić; Deacons Djordje Filipović, Momčilo Dimitrijević and Filip Milivojević; and subdeacons Dejan Nakic and Vladimir Jelić.
Present at the solemn service were: His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent with his daughter Princess Gabriella Kingston; Mr.. Nikola Selakovic, Envoy of the President of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Culture in the Government of the Republic of Serbia; Princess Katarina Karageorgevic; Dr. Vladimir Roganovic, Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia; Mr.. Edward Ferguson, British Ambassador to Serbia; Mr. Goran Aleksic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the United Kingdom; Mr. Will Lane, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; Archimandrite Nifon Tsimalis, Envoy of the Archbishop of Thyatira and the British Patriarchate of Constantinople; Archbishop Ladislav Cardinal Nemeth of Belgrade; His Eminence Canon Robert Plourde and the Most Reverend Miguel Peraza of the Roman Catholic Church; His Holiness Bishop of London. Abraham of the Assyrian Church of the East; the Rev. Hakan Wilhelmsson of the Church of Sweden; the Rev. Dr. William Taylor, Vicar of Kensington, Chairman of the Association of Anglican and Oriental Churches and Ecumenical Advisor to the Church of England; Rev. Alan Treigle of the Association of Anglican and Oriental Churches; representatives of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and a large number of clergy, monks and devout people of the newly founded British-Irish Diocese.
Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church in London
At the regular meeting from May 14 to 18, 2024, the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church decided to divide the British-Scandinavian Diocese, so the Scandinavian Diocese with headquarters in Stockholm and the British-Irish Diocese with the headquarters in London was formed, for which the Archbishop, the current Vicar Patriarch of Serbia, His Holiness Bishop Jegarski was elected. Nectarines. It is believed that there are about forty thousand Orthodox Serbs living in and around London. Most Serbs settled in London after the Second World War. They were mostly military and political migrants, allies of the British army, fleeing their communist-ruled homeland. After the wars of the 1990s, the influx of Serbs fleeing the hardships caused by the breakup of Yugoslavia increased.
London Serbs gather at the famous St. Sava Cathedral, which was built in 1903 as an Anglican church dedicated to St. Columbus. Later it was converted for Orthodox services. His Holiness Bishop Nicholas of Žička and Ohrid performed the hierotony in 1952. The building is very spacious, decorated with frescoes, which are mostly copies of the walls of Serbian monasteries from the 13th century from the area of Kosovo and Metohija. Of special value is the iconostasis, made of walnut wood and richly decorated with icons. In front of the altar are two thrones, also carved from walnut wood. One is for the bishop and the other for the royal family. In addition to the members of the Serbian royal family who lived in exile in London, Queen Elizabeth II, godmother at the baptism of Prince Alexander, son of King Peter II, and Maria Tatjana, daughter of Prince Andrija Karageorgevich, sat on the royal throne in 1945 and 1957. The chairman of the municipality of the Serbian Orthodox Church in London was once also the great Serbian writer Miloš Crnjanski. At the Cathedral Church of St. Sava there is a Sunday school, choir, folklore school and "Circle of Serbian sisters".
Patriarch Porphyrios: Our spiritual joys and salvation begin with repentance
Patriarch Porfiry preached on the Gospel portion read at the Holy Liturgy:
- The word of Christ is always the same, because it is true. We just need to interpret this word correctly in every time in which we live. The interpreter of the word of God is the Church of Christ, so even here, now gathered in the Church of St. Sava, in a crowded city where many cultures, many ideas, many spiritual and ideological winds intersect, the word of Christ has the same power, the same meaning, the same significance, which it had when the Lord spoke to His disciples, especially on the altar which St. Nicholas served, on the altar which he consecrated, and on the place where many tears of prayer and tears of lamentation were shed for the salvation of himself, his people and the whole world.
- It is logical and habitual that we are all weak and powerless, that we all fall and fall the most in our relationships with each other, because very often we do not show and affirm love, but are selfish, see each other as competitors. As common adversaries, as usurpers, and in this story the rich man will change, change, however, when a person leaves this world, he no longer has the chance and opportunity to change his attitude. In fact, changing one's attitude can and should be done here and now. This story calls us to a change of mind, to repentance, and repentance is not sprinkling our heads with ashes and self-punishment. Repentance, as the saints say Fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, is a joyful sadness, a moment when we realize that we made a mistake, that we did not respect our neighbor, that we did not love him, that we did not embrace him, that we did not take on his cross, his pain, when we see all this and much more. as our failures, disrespect and non-observance of God's commandments and the desire to be different. It is a moment when we are sad because of our fall, sin and failure, but we rejoice in it even more, because when we notice our mistake, we immediately feel God's love, his grace, that it is bigger, wider and deeper than any of our shortcomings. It is enough only to know ourselves and turn to Him, our Lord, in prayer," said His Holiness Patriarch Msgr. Porphyria, whose sermon can be read in full HERE .
Bishop Nectarius: Following the example of Christ the Great Priest, I did not come to be served, but to serve
Following the enthronement of the Bishops of London and British-Irish, His Eminence Bishop Mr. Nectarige, a summary of which you can read HERE , gave an opening speech in which he said, among other things:
- The extraordinary mystery of God's Providence continues to manifest itself in my life. I addressed today in this holy place, this blessed stasidia, from which man observes and governs, preaches and witnesses and most importantly "serves" in imitation of Christ the Great Sanctifier, because the Lord has woven these words into our hierarchies as the meaning and program of episcopacy in the Church Militant: "I did not come to be served but to serve. I serve." It is with that faith that I come here today and begin my new ministry. Even today my heart trembles because I am enthroned on the sacred throne of the British-Irish Bishops as the first Bishop of a newly founded diocese, but I stand in the place from which the Venerable Hierarchs of our Holy Church preached the Light of the Gospel of Christ, Blessed Bishop Lawrence, the unforgettable missionary and preacher, and our good Metropolitan Dositheus, for more than thirty years he zealously preached in these parts the love of the Incarnate God both by word and by personal example. From that hour on, the "meek yoke of Christ" was laid upon my neck, so that in serving God and His Church, I might find salvation.
Bishop Nectarius' full opening remarks can be read HERE .
King Charles III: The establishment of the new diocese will contribute to the renewal of strong ties between our peoples
During the solemn enthronement of the first Bishop of London and Britain-Ireland, Msgr. Nectarius, His Majesty's Message was also read out King Charles III, which states, among other things:
- On the occasion of the enthronement of the newly-elected Bishop of London and of Great Britain and Ireland, Msgr. Nectarius, I extend my warm greetings to the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people. I fondly remember my visit to Serbia in 2016, the time I spent with His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia, Msgr. Irinej, as well as my visits to the Kovil Monastery, where I was graciously received by the then Metropolitan and now His Holiness Patriarch Mr. Irinej. Porphyria.
- Today's ceremony represents the realization of the decision of the Holy Council of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church to establish for the first time a British-Irish Diocese. It is my sincere hope that the establishment of this new diocese will contribute to the renewal and deepening of the permanent ties between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church, as well as between our peoples. My wife joins us in extending our best wishes to Bishop Nektarije as he begins his pastoral ministry in our country - in accordance with the message of King Charles III.
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