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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, May 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 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.

Traditional Djurdjevdanski Uranak will take place Saturday, May 2 at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana with activities including services by Father Marko Matic, featuring blessing and cutting of the Slava Kolach, along with a traditional Djurdjevdan Banquet open to everyone.

The event host will be the Organization Serbian Chetniks / Ravna Gora of Merrillville and the day signifies the slava of the Chetniks for the local chapter.

Services by Father Marko Matic with blessing and cutting of the Slava Kolach will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Traditional Slava banquet to follow services. BBQ Lamb, Pig, and cevaps will be on the menu for
your enjoyment.

Music will be provided by Danny Danilovic and Srecko Suvajac.

About Djurdjevdan and Uranak

This special event at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana is called “Uranak” because the start of the day begins as early as 4:00 a.m. with the preparation of meats for the barbeque.

“Djurdjevdan” means “George’s Day” and it is a feast of spring, of new life, of joy, of renewal in nature, of awakening of new forces and of new life energies. In the Christian understanding, St. George is the knight on a horse, a Christian hero, who is a martyr for his faith and for Christ’s truth. He is iconed on a horse as the knight who slays the dragon. The dragon symbolizes the enemies of Christ’s faith, the godless ones against whom he is struggling, and through martyrdom and heroic death he is defeating.

In the national understanding, St. George is God’s beloved saint who is fighting for the captive and the downtrodden, for the freedom of slaves and the freedom of Christ’s faith. Because of that, Djurdjevdan (George’s Day) is among the most endeared religious and national feast.

Djurdjevdan has traditionally been a major celebration for ancestors in captivity, heroes and leaders, and the Chetniks. “Djurdjevdan Heroes Gather Together,” says a national song. They wanted to start uprisings and insurrections against the tyrants and conquerors. In the spring, in the warmer days “when the forest is draped in leaves and the dormant grass becomes green again” was their time to do so. Therefore Djurdjevdan throughout the history for the struggle of freedom the day has played a great role in national tradition, customs, folk songs, and religious traditions for the Serbian people. It has and continues as a day of hope, of sunlit joy and awakening national energies to resist the enemies of the Serbian people.

Djurdjevdan means celebrations. Serbian Chetniks took this celebration Slava (Patron Saint’s Day) as their legacy for the struggle for freedom.

The schedule of Holy Week and Easter Services taking place at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana is now available online and for download.

• Download 2026 Easter schedule at St. Sava Merrvillle in Serbain and English languages

Holy Week and Easter Schedule of Services

• LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 4th 2026
  • Confession at 9:00 a.m.; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.– VRBICA
  • Cutting of Slava Kolach after Holy Liturgy
• PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 5th 2026
  • Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
• HOLY TUESDAY – The Annunciation – APRIL 7th 2026
  • Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.
• HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 8th 2026
  • Presanctified Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.
  • Holy Unction: St. Elijah, Merrillville – 6:00 p.m.
• HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 9th 2026
  • Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.
  • The Great Vigil: Reading of 12 Passion Gospels at 6:00 p.m.
• HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 10th 2026
  • Morning Service / Royal Hours at 10:00 a.m.
  • Vespers with laying of Holy Shroud and Funeral Service at 6:00 p.m.
• HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 11th 2026
  • Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.
  • Resurrection Matins at 11:30 p.m.
• PASCHA – APRIL 12th 2026
  • Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
• EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 13th 2026
  • Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.
• EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 14th 2026
  • Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m.

• Download a the Sunday of Orthodoxy flyer to share

Please join us this Sunday, February 22 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana for the First Great Lenten Vesper Service – Cheesefare Sunday – Недеља праштања – with His Eminence Metropolitan Longin, visiting clergy, and guests. Responses by Karageorge Choir.

Lenten dinner to follow service. The guest speaker will be V. Rev. Dr. Aleksandar Novakovic.

Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church
9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, IN 46410

Click here to download a printable flyer for this special event.

This little article is not about what you probably already know about blessing homes – get a candle, get an icon, write out a list of all the living you want the priest to pray for, and write out a list of the departed too. Turn off the television, radio, and other electronic devices… you know all that. This is instead a message about the deeper meaning of this, a serious application of the blessing to our lives.

• View Father Marko’s Blessing of Homes 2026 Schedule

The tradition of blessing homes is of special beauty and significance. It is not simply a sentimental custom without meaning. It is attached to a special event in our Holy Church – the feast of the Lord’s Baptism – reminding us of not only our baptisms, but also of the need of baptizing the world in which we live, including what we might call “my world” – ‘my personal space.’

When an Orthodox Christian believer moves into a new home, he dedicates it not only as the abode of a follower of Christ, but also as a shining example to the community of good clean Christian life. He asks that God, the source of all goodness and the Giver of every perfect gift, bless his house and all that is within it; he recalls that Jesus Christ, His Son, came to bring Salvation to it, even as He brought Salvation to the house of Zacchaeus, the house of Mary and Martha and Lazarus; he prays that the Holy Spirit may abide in it, guiding those who dwell in it in the Paths of righteousness.

When our house is blessed, after the Feast of Theophany, we rededicate our home for its original purpose, just as we must periodically rededicate our life to Christ. An Orthodox Christian must dedicate not only himself and his house to the Lord, but his daily work and all his efforts as well. All things are to be done to the glory of God. That is why in the Christian Orthodox Church, not only religious objects, such as icons, crosses, churches and vestments, are blessed, but also homes, fields and all objects which are used in our daily lives for the good of man. In this the Church expresses its faith that the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying action extends over the whole Creation.

At the Nativity of Our Lord, we sing a carol which tells us ‘Let every heart prepare Him room.’ We know that this means not only to ‘make a space for’ but it means to clean and cleanse and purify our homes and get ready for Him to come to us, not only in our homes but also, and more especially, into our hearts.

We prepare our hearts and souls and heads, cleaning them of all sinfulness so that when He comes, the place will be refreshed and ready. When someone comes to stay in your guest room (which you may not use often, or may use only to store lots of ‘stuff’), we normally air the room out, dust it and change the bed linens which may have become somewhat musty. We might even wash the windows to let the light shine in, clean the floor, and make room by shoving all the ‘stuff’ into closets (or under the bed). We know then that cleaning the house of our soul is equally hard work – we take stock of our lives and actions over the past year, come to confession so that Our Lord – who washes away our sins when we confess them – when He comes in to us, has a refreshed and clean place worthy of laying His head – He comes to abide in us as well as our homes!

Blessing the home is a spiritual ‘exercise’ led by the Lord Himself, through his priest and in the presence of the members of the assembled family, dressed in ‘good clothes,’ and maybe even invited guests and friends, who all enter into worship and thanksgiving with us. Effective family life does not just happen; it is the result of deliberate intention, determination and practice.

It is the time of the year where members of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana may have homes blessed by Father Marko. The 2026 Schedule for Blessing of Homes is now available below.

Before the priest’s visit, please prepare:

1. A bowl of drinking water – half-filled.
2. Candle
3. List of living and departed members of the Family

Click here to learn more about the Tradition of Blessing Homes

• VALPARAISO From Thursday, January 22nd to Tuesday, January 27th
• CHESTERTON From Wednesday, January 28th to Thursday, January 29th
• PORTAGE, OGDEN DUNES From Friday, January 30th to Sunday, February 1st
• HOBART From Monday, February 2nd to Friday, February 6th
• HEBRON, KOUTS, LA CROSSE Saturday, February 7th
• WINFIELD From Sunday, February 8th to Wednesday, February 11th
• CROWN POINT From Thursday, February 12th to Tuesday, February 17th
• MERRILLVILLE From Wednesday, February 18th to Thursday, February 19th
• HIGHLAND, GRIFFITH From Friday, February 20th to Sunday, February 22nd
• SCHERERVILLE From Monday, February 23rd to Thursday, February 26th
• HAMMOND, MUNSTER From Friday, February 27th to Tuesday, March 3rd
• DYER, SAINT JOHN From Wednesday, March 4th to Saturday, March 7th
• CEDAR LAKE Sunday March 8th
• CHICAGO From Monday, March 9th to Sunday March 15th

Пре доласка свештеника, потребно је припремити:

1. Чинију са водом за пиће
2. Свећу
3. Листу имена, живих и упокојених за молитву

• VALPARAISO Од четвртка, 22. јануара до уторка, 27. јануара
• CHESTERTON Од среде, 28. јануара до четвртка, 29. јануара
• PORTAGE, OGDEN DUNES Од петка, 30. јануара до недеље, 1. фебруара
• HOBART Од понедељка, 2. фебруара до петка, 6. фебруара
• HEBRON, KOUTS, LA CROSSE Субота, 7. фебруар
• WINFIELD Од недеље, 8. фебруара до среде, 11. фебруара
• CROWN POINT Од четвртка, 12. фебруара до уторка, 17. фебруара
• MERRILLVILLE Од среде, 18. фебруара до четвртка, 19. фебруара
• HIGHLAND, GRIFFITH Од петка, 20. фебруара до недеље, 22. фебруара
• SCHERERVILLE Од понедељка, 23. фебруара до четвртка, 26. фебруара
• HAMMOND, MUNSTER Од петка, 27. фебруара до уторка, 3 марта
• DYER, SAINT JOHN Од среде, 4. марта до суботе, 7. марта
• CEDAR LAKE Недеља 8. март
• CHICAGO Од понедељка, 9. марта до недеље, 15. марта

Join us Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2025 beginning at 6:00 p.m. for Great Vespers and blessing of the Badnjak at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church located at 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, Indiana.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Badnjak

The following writing titled “The Spiritual Meaning of the Badnjak” (Yule Log) was originally written by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic and reprinted in the Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1992 issue of the American SRBOBRAN, p. 5.

Have you ever brought a Badnjak into your home?

Do you know that the Badnjak is the finest and foremost custom of all the many traditions by which our people enhance the Christmas celebration?

The Serbs begin the celebration of Christmas with the solemn ceremony of bringing in a young OAK tree to the house.

An OAK is usually the most solid tree and produces the most heat.

Have you ever anointed the Badnjak with honey?

Have you rejoiced with your children watching its light emitted in a swarm of sparks?

Have you enjoyed its heat?

The Badnjak is the tree of happiness and sweetness, the tree of health, strength and youth, the tree of life and love.

Is there a tree of happiness in this world?  Is the Badnjak that tree or is it a semblance and symbol of that tree?  Yes, it is only the symbol and semblance.  The real tree of Happiness is HE Who was born on that radiant day.

The bringing of the Badnjak into the house represents Christ’s coming into the world and His coming into our homes and our souls!

What a glorious custom and marvelous scene!

The Badnjak represents Christ.  As a young and powerful tree the King of Love gave Himself to be slain in order to rejuvenate the world by the fragrance of eteral youth; to thaw a frozen mankind by the fire of His love; to enlighten and bring joy to all men by the flame of His Divine Revelation; to annihilate the false Gods on earth by the sparks of His words; to sweeten the bitter waters by the sweet juice of His blood.

Having brought the Badnjaks into your homes, have you brought Christ into your homes and your souls?

A picture is only a picture, but Christ is the reality.  The Badnjak is a picture of the tree of happiness and as a picture is a warning and reminder that you should bring into your homes and your souls the real tree of Happiness, the Son of God, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

His teaching, His sermon on the Mount was the sermon of Happiness and contains the only charter human happiness.  He Himself represents the true and eternal Tree of Happiness.

Connect with your local Orthodox community

This is a special time of the year and a great opportunity to connect with your local Orthodox church community. Whether you are well established within your own Orthodox community or new and seeking to learn more, the holidays are great time to find fellowship and warmth with many great people and churches.

If you are in Northwest Indiana or the Chicagoland area, we welcome you to visit us at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church at 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, Indiana. There are special services taking place frequently during January, please click the following link for more information and visit us to find your spiritual connections – Schedule of Services – https://www.saintsava.net/celebrations-begin-christmas-eve-at-st-sava-in-merrillville-tuesday-january-6/