Page 14 - Western Diocese Annual 2023

DIOCESE OF WESTERN AMERICA
Bishop Grigorije of Germany Speaks at the 6th Annual Sts. Sebastian & Mardarije Orthodox Institute
After a two year hiatus,
due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Saints Sebastian and Mardarije Or- thodox Institute resumed this year with its work and the
6th annual gathering was held Monday, February 20 through Wednesday, Febru-
ary 22, 2023. His Grace Bish-
op Maxim of Western Amer-
ica and St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in San Di- ego, California hosted this year’s event in collaboration with the Serbian Orthodox Insti- tute for Faith and Culture of San Diego.
The arrival of clergy late Mon- day afternoon and registration was followed by Vespers served by Rev. Marko Bojovic from the St. Sava Church in Jackson, CA, and Protodeacon Dragan Stoja- novich. On behalf of Bishop Max- im who was en route by plane from Chicago where he served at the funeral of the newly reposed Protopresbyter Slobodan Jovic in Libertyville, His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America wel- comed everyone to this year’s event, particularly this year’s speaker, His Grace Bishop Grig-
orije of Dusseldorf and Germany. Also in attendance were His Grace Bishop Longin of New Gra- canica and Midwestern America and His Grace Bishop Mitrofan of Canada.
Following dinner Bishop Irinej spoke about Bishop Maxim’s art- work, a sample of which was on display in the hall, which includes a number of famous Serbs. “An artist takes what’s around him and preserves it for posterity,” His Grace noted. He pointed out that in Bishop Maxim’s paintings we see a mixture of Western and Byz- antine elements and further ex- plained that “in classical Western painting one begins with the lightest values and then one
shades and goes into the darkness. So then the light is superimposed from the out- side on the work of art. How- ever, when a painting is done in the Byzantine style you start with the darkest value and bring out the highlights, the lightest value. That makes the light emanate from with- in. Thus, the icon in the Or- thodox tradition becomes its own source of light as op- posed to the West where light comes from the outside.”
The Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on the second day of the Institute, on the Leavetaking of the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, marked the beginning of the first full day of the Institute. Bishop Mitrofan served the Di- vine Liturgy. Concelebrating with His Grace were both diocesan and visiting clergy. “We invoke the prayers and blessings of the two great saints and missionaries Saints Sebastian and Mardarije, to whom this Institute is dedicated and named after. That it be blessed and profitable to all of us who take participation in it,” Bishop Mitrofan said at the conclusion of the liturgy.
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