February 2025

Feb 23

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Lenten Versper Service and Dinner – Sunday, March 2 at 6:00 p.m.

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Please join us this Sunday, March 2 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana for Great Lenten Vesper Service with His Eminence Metropolitan Longin, visiting clergy, and guests. Responses by Karageorge Choir.

Lenten dinner to follow.

Click here to download a printable flyer and schedule of these special events.

See the schedule below of special Vesper Services taking place throughout Lent.

Lenten Services Schedule 2025

New Gracanica Midwestern Diocese – Southern Chicago Deanery

March 2nd Cheese Fare Sunday – Forgiveness Vespers – St. Sava Church, Merrillville, IN -6 P.M.
Homilist – Fr Dr Mile Subotic
March 9th Sunday of Orthodoxy, Inter Orthodox Vespers – Local schedule
March 16th Sunday of St Gregory Palama, Vespers – St. George, East Chicago, 6 P.M.
Homilist – Fr Aleksandar Novakovic
March 23rd Sunday of Ven of the Cross, Vespers – St. Elijah, Merrillville, 6 P.M.
Homilist- Fr. Vladimir Lange
March 30th Sunday of St John Climacus, Vespers – St. Arch Michael, Lansing, 6. P.M.
Homilist – Fr. Marko Matic
April 6th Sunday of St Mary of Egypt, Vespers – Sts. Peter and Paul, South Bend, 6 P.M.
Homilist – Fr. Aleksandar Savic
Friday, April 11th, Presanctified Liturgy – St. George, Schererville, 6 P.M.
Homilist – Fr Milorad Jancic
April 13th Palm Sunday, Vespers – St. Simeon, South Chicago, 6 P.M.
Homilist – Fr. Radovan Jakovljevic
P.S. St. Nicholas Parish in Indianapolis will hold Lenten Services with the local Churches.

Feb 20

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Join us for Zadusnice Memorial Service – Saturday, February 22 – St. Sava, Merrillville, Indiana

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Please join us for a special Zadusnice Memorial Service taking place Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Sava Church, Merrillville, IN.

We encourage anyone to attend. There is no need to bring anything special to this service other than your memories and prayers for your loved ones. However, we do encourage you to write down a list of departed family members and friends, if you wish, to bring with you to the service so that we may read the names and remember all of them.

The purpose of the memorial service is to bring comfort to both the living and the dead. As is sung in the concluding song – Memory Eternal – it also helps us keep the memory of loved ones alive.

Zadusnice, also known as Saturday of Souls or All Souls’ Day, is a day commemorating the faithful departed, particularly but not exclusively one’s relatives. This special observance takes place on a Saturday, a traditional day for prayer for the dead, because Christ lay dead in the Tomb on Saturday.

For the Zadusnice observance, there is normally a Panikhida (memorial service) served on the Saturday morning for which Koliva (a dish made of boiled wheatberries and honey) is prepared and placed in front of the cross or icon with a lit candle, before which the Panikhida is served.

After the service, the priest blesses the koliva and it is then eaten as a memorial by all present.

Zadusnice Memorial Service takes place four times per year. If you are not available this Saturday, we encourage you to join us for the next Zadusnice Memorial Service

Feb 17

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Sreten Vasiljevic – Memory Eternal ✝ Vjecnaja Pamjat

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The Clergy, Executive Board, and Members of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church express condolences to the friends and family of Sreten Vasiljevic. Memory eternal.

Sreten Vasiljevic

Sreten Vasiljevic age 84, went home to heaven on February 15th, 2025. He was born July 29th, 1940 in Vitanovice, Kosovo Serbia and immigrated to America.

Sreten loved being surrounded by his family, played the lottery every week, enjoyed gardening and helped build his beautiful church Sveti Sava in Merrillville.

He retired from Local 81 after over 30 years of his hard work and dedicated service. You could always catch him singing a tune or telling a joke. He loved spending time with his grandkids and great grandkids the most of all.

He is preceded in death by his parents Zivko and Natalija (Radivojevic) Vasiljevic and brother Milovan Vasiljevic.

Sreten is survived by his wife of 58 years, Slobodanka. His brother Miodrag Vasiljevic; 2 cherished daughters Olivera Vasiljevic & Vera (Proto Jerej Stavrofor Mijoljub)Matic; he was the loving Deda of Milica (Anthony) Kurek, Stefan Matic, Anastasija (Brandon) Webb, Luka Matic, Alexander Vasiljevic & Natalija Matic; he was the most amazing pradeda to Adrijana Webb, Dimitri, Niko & Viktorija Kurek.

Our lives will not be the same without our Dear Deda. Sreten is also survived by his nieces and nephews, cousins, family, friends and Kumovi across the United States & in Serbia.

Funeral Services will take place Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, 9191 Mississippi St, Merrillville at 11:00 a.m., with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. V. Rev Marko Matic officiating. Internment St. Sava Holy Cross Cemetery.

For further information please call Mileva at Calumet Park Funeral Chapel 219-736-5840. Vecnaja Pamjat.

Feb 13

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St. Sava annual membership meeting agenda now available; meeting scheduled – Sunday, Feb. 23

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The Executive Board of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church has shared the agenda for the Annual Membership Meeting taking place Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at the South Wing Social Center of St. Sava Church, located at 9191 Misssissippi Street in Merrillville, Indiana.

It is important to note that membership dues must be up-to-date before the day of the meeting. Members are encouraged to make arrangements to make sure dues are paid and up-to-date prior to February 23. Call the office at 219-736-9191 for more information or to make appropriate arrangements to make payments.

This annual meeting will take place in accordance with the by-laws of the Church-School Parish, Part III, Article 16 (a, b, and c), the Annual Membership Assembly of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Parish membership.

All current members are encouraged to attend to gain important insights about church operations and to vote for the new Executive Board that will provide leadership through the year ahead until the next annual meeting in early 2026.

Annual Membership Assembly 2025 Agenda

The Executive Board proposes the following agenda:

Opening of Assembly with prayer
Establishment of the Quorum
Election of the Assembly President
Confirmation of the proposed agenda
Acceptance of the minutes of the 2024 Annual Assembly
Discussion and acceptance of the Executive Board reports:
a. Parish Priest
b. Financial Secretary
c. Treasurer
d. Church School Report
e. Executive Board President
Report of the Audit Board
Questions and proposals for the good of the Parish
Election of delegates for the Diocesan Assembly
Dismissal of the old Board and election of the new Board
Closing of the Assembly with prayer

DUES WILL NOT BE COLLECTED AT THIS ANNUAL MEETING

Financial reports and minutes of the 2024 Annual meeting will be attached to each member’s 2024 Report. In order to save time and spare our members of the need to have the 2024 minutes read, members will have ample time before the meeting to read the minutes. This rule was unanimously passed at the 1989 General Assembly.

Parish Priest – Marko Matic

Executive Board President – Miloš Drljević

Secretary – Kathleen Baroevich

Feb 02

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Fragment of the True Cross of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ at St. Sava Serbian Church in Merrillville, Indiana – February 7

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Father John of the Greek Orthodox Church, visiting from Greece will be present to bless and cross all who wish to come and venerate the Cross of Christ during special hours Friday, February 7 from Noon to 8:00 p.m. at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Merrillville, Indiana.

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church
9191 Mississippi Street
Merrillville, Indiana 46410

Fr. John has been granted the high honor of carrying a fragment of the True Cross of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, which has worked and continues to work miracles amongst the faithful, and through God’s Providence even those who are found lacking of such faith.

During the period of Greek captivity under the Ottoman Turks, and prior, many monasteries, Churches, and places of worship were desecrated and destroyed, resulting in the destruction and loss of many priceless spiritual relics and treasures from amongst the glory of Christendom. This reality encouraged the priests, hierarchies, and Holy Fathers of the Great Church of Christ, that is the Orthodox Church, to distribute these holy artifacts amongst the faithful, entrusting to them the safeguarding of such spiritual gifts until the time was fulfilled and they were instructed on how to act with regards to these articles, icons, relics, and even pieces and fragments of the True Cross of Christ.

One fragment of the True Cross, embedded also with the sacrificial blood of our Lord, was found to be with a pious woman in Greece. The Mother of God appeared to her instructing her to deliver the Cross to Fr John when he was still a young priest, which this pious soul was faithful to do, according to our Lady’s instructions. Surrendering the Cross, it is until this day under the care of Father John.

The gift of the Lord’s Salvation has come to grace St. Sava’s Church. This Friday the Cross will be present for all those who are able and willing to come to the Lord and turn to Him that they should be healed. All who are able and all who ail are encouraged to come.