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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 2017 Schedule for Blessing of Homes is now available for download in both Serbian and English languages.

• Click to download the Blessing of Homes – Schedule 2017 in English and Serbian

Blessing of Homes – Schedule 2017

CHESTERTON, VALPARAISO

• From Thursday, January 21st to Thursday, January 28th

PORTAGE, OGDEN DUNES

• From Friday, January 29th to Tuesday, February 2nd

HOBART

• From Wednesday, February 3rd to Sunday, February 7th

HEBRON, KOUTS, LA CROSSE, DEMOTTE,

• From Monday, February 8th to Wednesday, February 10th

CROWN POINT

• From Thursday, February 11th to Thursday, February 18th

GARY, MERRILLVILLE

• From Friday, February 19th to Sunday, February 21st

SCHERERVILLE, DYER, ST. JOHN, CEDAR LAKE, LOWELL

• From Monday, February 22nd to Friday, February 26th

HAMMOND, MUNSTER, HIGHLAND, GRIFFITH

• From Saturday, February 27th to Wednesday, March 2nd

CHICAGO

• From Thursday, March 3rd to Sunday, March 13th

…………………………………………………………………………………

CHESTERTON, VALPARAISO

• Од четвртка, 21. јануара до четвртка, 28. јануара

PORTAGE, OGDEN DUNES

• Од петка, 29. јануара до уторка, 2. фебруара

HOBART

• Од среде, 3. фебруара до недеље, 7. фебруара

HEBRON, KOUTS, LA CROSSE, DEMOTTE

• Од понедељка, 8.фебруара до среде, 10. фебруара

CROWN POINT

• Од четвртка, 11. фебруара до четвртка, 18. фебруара

GARY, MERRILLVILLE

• Од петка, 19. фебруара до недеље, 21. фебруара

SCHERERVILLE, DYER, ST. JOHN, CEDAR LAKE, LOWELL

• Од понедељка, 22. фебруара до петка, 26. фебруара

HAMMOND, MUNSTER, HIGHLAND, GRIFFITH

• Од суботе, 27. фебруара до среде, 2. марта

CHICAGO

• Од четвртка, 3. марта до недеље, 13. марта

Blessing of homes

Blessing homes of Orthodox Christians is done each year after the feast of Theophany. This act is the central sign of God’s sanctification of all things through Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan and his epiphany to the world.

The family is considered, by the Orthodox faith, to be a small church. The family table is the home altar where the members gather each day to receive their daily bread from God with thanksgiving in the name of Christ.

The sanctification of the home takes place with prayer and the sprinkling of holy water. The priest, at this annual visit, asks God to have mercy on the house, to rid it of every evil and to fill it with every blessing.

Everyone of the house prays together for the living and the dead of the family, and all who live and have lived in the house. They all sing the hymn of salvation and process from room to room while the priest blesses the house.

When the priest comes, all who are present in the house should gather around the icon with the candle. They should, if they are able to join in, say the Trisagion Prayers and sing of the Troparion of the Feast of Epiphany. Then a family member leads the priest through the house with the candle. As he goes, he sprinkles holy water, and prays for a blessing upon each room and the activity that goes on there. When they have gone through the entire house, the family gathers again around the table and the priest blesses each person present.

Освећење воде

Kада прославимо Божић, на почетку године следи још један догађај везан за живот наших парохија, а то је благослов кућа и освећење водице па тако по нашем православном реду очекујемо свештеника да свакој породици освети водицу како је пракса код српског народа.

Примање или не примање свештеника за водицу, постало је, на жалост, у српском народу “знак распознавања” оних који су остали верни традицији и своме српском имену и оних који су са овим “раскрстили”.

Долазак свештеника у дом треба да причињава велико задовољство јер имамо прилику да присуствујемо породичној молитви у оквиру које се свети водица. Пожељно је, по могућности, да сви чланови присуствују молитви, да буде прислужено кандило (ако га има) да кућа или стан има икону пред којом се на столу свети водица.

Пожељно је (ако је у могућности) да све просторије буду поспремљене како би свештеник сва одељења окадио и покропио освећеном водицом. Свештеник на томе неће инсистирати али ће приликом кађења и кропљења ући у собе на којима су врата отворена.

Освећење водице по домовима није само "пуки" обичај, него насушна потреба самих верника, који осећају потребу да повремено буду освећени и очишћени кропљењем светом водицом. Код православних Грка има доста породица које захтевају од својих свештеника, да неизоставно сваког месеца долазе и врше освећење воде по домовима и у бизнис просторијама.

И долазак свештеника има за циљ да се негује наша духовност, православље и светосавље, да будно чувамо своју веру и своју лепу српску традицију.

Искористимо долазак свештеника да се по потреби учини молитва за здравље, за породични мир и сл. Доживимо ову годишњу посету свештеника као празник јер су плодови ове посете корисни у оној мери колико придајемо значаја овом догађају.

Blessing of Homes and Preparation Summary

It is an Orthodox Tradition for the priest to visit his parishioners at their homes and performs the lesser blessing of water.

The purposes of this Holy Tradition are:

• That God will mercifully hear the prayers which are offered by the family.
• That the Almighty and Eternal Lord will send His holy angels to protect, save, watch, visit and safeguard the family members from evil powers.
• That the faithful who are sprinkled with Holy Water may be free from every unclean and satanic action.
• That the air in the home may be clean and healthy.
• That all strange powers which may create insecurity to the family will be removed by the grace of God.

When the priest comes to a home to perform such a service, it is appropriate for the host family to be prepared in the following manner:

• The house should be clean and in order.
• The vigil, if there is one, before the icon should be lit.
• There should be a candle with matches beside it.
• A plate or bowl with a little water should be placed on the table, turn toward the east and the icon.
• A list of names of the living members.
• Doors of the rooms where you wish the priest to enter and sprinkle the Holy Water should be kept open.
• After the blessing, if the family does not wish to keep the holy water, it is appropriate to pour it over a plant, flower, under a tree, or any place where it will not be stepped on.

Watch video of the Great Blessing of the Water at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana. This observance commemorates Christ’s baptism by John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry

The Feast of Theophany is the culmination of the Christmas Season. In mystic commemoration of this event, the Great Blessing of Water is performed on this day, and the holy water so blessed is used by the local priest to bless the homes of the faithful.

• Click here to learn more about the meaning of the Great Blessing of the Water

Join us for Divine Liturgy beginning Thursday, Jan. 19 at 9:00 a.m. for the Great Blessing of Water celebrating Holy Theophany at St. Sava Church, Merrillville, Indiana.

This observance commemorates Christ’s baptism by John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry. The Feast of Theophany is the culmination of the Christmas Season. In mystic commemoration of this event, the Great Blessing of Water is performed on this day, and the holy water so blessed is used by the local priest to bless the homes of the faithful.

This image depicts the baptismal font used in St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Merrillville, Indiana. Etched on one side is the scene commemorating Christ’s baptism by John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry.

The feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ the Holy Trinity appeared clearly to mankind for the first time—the Father’s voice is heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate and standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove.

The services of Theophany are arranged similarly to those of the Nativity (Historically the Christmas services were established later).

On the morning of the feast, the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served. The Liturgy of the feast begins with psalms of glorification and praise instead of the three normal Antiphons. And the baptismal line from Galatians 3:27 replaces the Thrice-Holy.

For as many as been baptized into Christ have put on Christ: Alleluia.

The Gospel readings of the services tell of the Lord’s baptism by John in the Jordan River. The epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy tells of the consequences of the Lord’s appearing which is the divine epiphany.

Since the main feature of the feast is the blessing of water. It is prescribed to follow both the Divine Liturgy of the eve of the feast and the Divine Liturgy of the day itself. But most local parishes do it only once when most of the parishioners can be present. The blessing verifies that mankind, and all of creation, were created to be filled with the sanctifying presence of God.

In connection with the feast, it is traditional for the priest to visit all the homes of the faithful for their annual house blessing using the water that has been blessed at the Theophany services.

Look for a schedule of home blessings to be posted here soon at www.saintsava.net/blog to learn the days where Father Marko will be in your community blessing homes.

Join us at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church for the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great – Saturday, Jan. 14 beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is used ten specific times per year and differs from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom which has become the standard liturgy used in the Orthodox Church.

One of these special times each year where the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is used falls on the feast day of St. Basil which takes place on the first of January on the traditional Julian Calendar used by the Serbian Orthodox Church (January 1 of the Julian Calendar falls on January 14 of the Gregorian Calendar).

An icon of Saint Basil the Great (AD 330-379) can be found at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana, in the recess of the altar east wall, south side. Like Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Basil was an early church Father. He established Nicean Orthodoxy over Arianism in the Byzantine east. His liturgical works are celebrated in the easter and western churches.

More about St. Basil the Great

According to book, “The PROLOGUE OF OHRID” by Saint Nikolai Velimirović:

Basil was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. While still unbaptized, he spent fifteen years in Athens, where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and all other secular sciences of that time. His colleagues there were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the apostate emperor. In his mature years he was baptized in the Jordan River along with Ebulios his former teacher. He was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for almost ten years and completed his earthly life fifty years after his birth. He was a great defender of Orthodoxy, a great light of moral purity, a religious zealot, a great theological mind, a great builder and pillar of the Church of God.

Basil fully deserved the title “Great.” In liturgical services he is referred to as the “bee of the Church of Christ, which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics.” Numerous works of this Father of the Church are preserved; they include theological, apologetical, ascetical and canonical writings, as well as the Holy and Divine Liturgy named after him.

This Divine Liturgy is celebrated ten times during the year: on the First of January, his feast day; on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord; on the eve of the Theophany of our Lord; all Sundays of Great Lent except Palm Sunday; on Great and Holy Thursday; and on Great and Holy Saturday. St. Basil reposed peacefully on January 1, 379 A.D., and entered into the Kingdom of Christ.