Page 22 - Western Diocese Annual 2023

DIOCESE OF WESTERN AMERICA
gian Orthodox Church), Metropolitan Tikhon (American Orthodox Church) and bishops: Alexios, Gregory, Michael, Demetrios, Anthony, Sevastianos, Apostolos, Joachim, Andrei, Ioannis, Athenagoras and Constantine from the various jurisdictions mentioned above, and priests and deacons. Bishops Spyridon, Timothy, Nicholas and Nathaniel also at- tended the liturgy.
The first part of the liturgical celebration was en- hanced by the mixed and melodious singing of chanters from the Greek Church of St. Sophia and then, for the most part of the Liturgy, by the choir of the Church of St. Sava. After the Gospel reading, Bishop Maxim delivered his sermon in which he re- ferred to the meaning of the holiday of St. Sava and taught everyone gathered about the mission that the first Serbian Archbishop founded amongst the Ser- bian people. Among other things, the Bishop said the following:
“And so, with his presence, Sava would enchant and transform his environment: ecclesiastical, social, political... Contrary to our present-day manners, Sava did not oppose East and West, but strove for their synthesis. As St. Nikolai of Zhicha said, “in it East and
West met in full harmony... He was prone to deep thinking like an Easterner, and energetic in action like a Westerner”. He is constantly sacrificing Himself for the liberation, the continuous progress and the sancti- fication of the sheep. Realizing that the Church in the Serbian nation needs self-government to breathe fully, Sava goes to Nicaea in 1219. The Lord blesses his inten- tion. With the support of Emperor Theodore I Laskaris and “the Most Venerable Patriarch and the whole Constantinopolitan assembly”, St. Sava received the blessing that Serbian archbishops receive consecration from their own bishops’ assemblies. When this sincere Christian ecumenist worked to organize the local Ser- bian Church, “he only wanted to make his people a worthy member of the universal Orthodox family of Christ through a nationally organized church. He was personally imbued with the spirit of Christian ecu- menism,” says St. Nicolai, and adds: “As such, he feels at home in every Orthodox community of every race and language.” And from this each of us can draw real lessons. And we see in Sava’s case, that when the Good Shepherd calls the sheep by name and sacrifices Him- self for them, He creates new good shepherds by grace. Sava organized his church into dioceses headed by
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