The Karageorge Choir of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana will be sponsoring a benefit luncheon for the Babich Family taking place after the morning church service Sunday, April 30.
Donations are appreciated to help the Babich Family. Everyone is invited to offer support and enjoy a great meal!
The Clergy, Executive Board, and Members of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church express condolences to the family of Radojka Josifovski. Memory eternal.
Radojka Josifovski, age 56, of Hobart passed away in her home surrounded by her loved ones on Friday, April 21 2017.
Born in Raduc, Lika – Former Yugoslavia – on January 2, 1961 to the late Milan Pejnovic and surviving Darinka Pejnovic, she immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager and settled in Hobart, IN. She was an active member of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church who found much comfort in her faith.
Rada was affectionately known as a woman who was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She was a selfless person with a heart of gold who was always caring for others, cherished spending time with family and friends, and who found the most joy in loving her three sons, Sasho, Jovan, and Michael. While God sent her to us for a short time, she was truly an angel who left a lasting impression on many hearts.
She was preceded in death by her dear Father, Milan Pejnovic, Aunt Danica Pejnovich, and Cousin Dusko Sunajac. Rada is survived by her loving children Sasho Josifovski, Jovan (Nicole) Josifovski, and Michael Josifovski; Mother, Darinka Pejnovic; Brothers – Dusan (Danica) Pejnovic, Jovo (Gordana) Pejnovic, Nikola (Vera) Pejnovic; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, Kumovi and dearest friends.
Funeral Services will take place Tuesday, April 25, 2017, directly at 10:00 a.m. at St. Sava Church, (9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, IN) with V. Rev. Marko Matic, officiating. Interment, Calumet Park Cemetery.
Visitation will take place Monday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Calumet Park Funeral Chapel, 7535 Taft Street, Merrillville, IN. A Pomen Service will take place at 7:00 p.m. May Her memory be eternal! For further info, please phone 219-736-5840.
The planning committee for Serb Fest 2017 will meet Sunday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m. in the Pavilion in preparation for the annual festival taking place August 4, 5, and 6 at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana.
Everyone is welcome to attend and contribute to the planning of this important and special annual festival.
The goal of this meeting will be to review a new proposed Serb Fest layout, discuss and assign area leads, discuss items regarding publicity, music, and raffle.
In these early planning stages, questions about the festival, volunteers, donations, and any other feedback may be directed to the Serb Fest 2017 Planning Committee Chairmen Ray Radjenovich (ray.radjenovich@saintsava.net) and Vlade Stevanovic (vlade.stevanovic@saintsava.net).
For more than three decades the Serb Fest at St. Sava has been among the most celebrated cultural festivals in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland. Music, dancing, barbecue lamb and pork, cevaps, a variety of other Serbian classic dishes, and the Famous Serbian Bake will all return this summer, along with more special announcements evolving in the coming weeks.
Tours of the Church interior will be available along with a special exhibit by the Historical Society at St. Sava Church in the museum located in the North Wing of the Church complex. The main activities of the festival will take place in the newly completed Pavilion, one of the most modern event venue facilities in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland, available for rental to the general public throughout the year for weddings, business meetings, conferences, and conventions.
While the emphasis of Serb Fest is the celebration of culture, it is also important to note that Serb Fest serves as a primary fundraiser to support the aims and programs of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church throughout the entire year (learn more about the aims of the church).
It takes support of the entire congregation and the wider Northwest Indiana community to make Serb Fest the success it has been for generations. As the committee seeks to build the best festival experience to date, the entire planning committee expresses appreciation to the volunteers and visitors who have enjoyed the festival over the years and continue to provide support.
The St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church-School Congregation looks forward to welcoming you to Serb Fest 2017 – August 4, 5, & 6.
View memories from last year as we prepare to announce the newest details for Serb Fest 2017 at the www.serbfest.org website.
Join us for the solemn Resurrection Matins beginning at 11:30 p.m. at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana.
The reason we begin the Resurrection Matins so close to to midnight is because it was in the very early hours of the morning that Christ stood resurrect.
When we enter the church tonight, we enter a darkened church, lights turned off, Christ’s body on the Plastanica (Holy Shroud) still in the tomb. The priest will bring out a single lit candle and all the parishioners will light their candles from it and share the light with one another as they begin a procession outside the church.
In the procession around the church three times, the walk symbolically represents the myrrh bearing women who went to the tomb in the early morning to find His body no longer there. When we arrive at the front door of the church at the conclusion of procession the priest begins the Matin Service. As the priest knocks on the door of the church, which represents the tomb of Christ at this point, the doors open revealing the tomb is empty with all the lights in the church are turned on symbolizing that Christ is resurrected.
LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017
PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017
HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017
HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017
HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017
HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017
PASCHA – EASTER SUNDAY – APRIL 16th 2017
EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017
EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017
SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017
Join us for the solemn Vespers with laying of the Holy Shroud (Plastanica) and Funeral Service beginning at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana.
Evening services in Orthodox churches will late on Friday mark the time when Christ was removed from the cross on which he died in Jerusalem.
Before the service begins, a “tomb” is erected in the middle of the church building and is decorated with flowers. The priest will carry the painted or embroidered cloth representation of Christ from the altar around the church before placing it in the symbolic Tomb of Christ.
From Friday until midnight liturgies early on Sunday, bells will not be rang in Serbian Orthodox churches – also in observance of mourning.
LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017
PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017
HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017
HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017
HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017
HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017
PASCHA – EASTER SUNDAY – APRIL 16th 2017
EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017
EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017
SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017
The Kolo Sisters of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church have been busy for weeks as they recently hosted their spring bake sale, but work continues as colored eggs are needed to be blessed Easter Sunday, April 16. Please bring colored eggs early to the church before Divine Liturgy begins Sunday.
Easter Sunday at St. Sava Church, Merrillville, Indiana.
One of the most widespread Easter custom among serves as the coloring of eggs. This custom dates back to Mary Magdalene after Christ’s Resurrection. She traveled to Rome to spread the gospel. There she greeted the emperor Tiberius with “Christ is risen!” and gifted him with a colored egg. When the Christians learned what Mary Magdalene had done, they too followed her custom.
The custom is universal throughout the Orthodox East and, in fact, prevails throughout Christendom as a symbol of Christ’s Resurrection. In many places, eggs are color red, reminding us of Christ’s blood. While the color usually used for dying eggs is red, any bright color is permissible. The eggs may even be multi-colored.
The eggs signify the picture of life, death, decay, and resurrection of man. They represent the Resurrection and the second life, because eggs, too, are born twice: the first when the egg is laid on the second when it is hatched. The egg is protected by a shell. The same happens to man: the first his natural birth; the second his rebirth at Christ’s second Advent.
The custom of dying eggs is often a solemn process that often begins with prayer.
Following Divine Liturgy on Easter Sunday, the colored eggs are blessed and distributed to the faithful. They greet each other with “Christ is risen!” and exchange eggs.
LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017
PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017
HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017
HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017
HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017
HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017
PASCHA – EASTER SUNDAY – APRIL 16th 2017
EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017
EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017
SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017
Everyone is welcome to join with us at St. Sava in Merrillville, Indiana as we commemorate one of the most important times of the year in the Orthodox Church. A complete listing of the Holy Week Schedule of Services is listed below.
LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017
PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017
HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017
HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017
HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017
HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017
PASCHA – APRIL 16th 2017
EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017
EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017
SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017
You can pre-order lamb and pig cooked on the spit, by the pound, for Orthodox Easter prepared by St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana now through the pre-order deadline Wednesday, April 12 for pick-up Sunday, April 16, 2017
Lamb will be $15 per pound and Pig will be $14 per pound. Orders may be picked up Sunday, April 16, 2017 between Noon and 1:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church at the outdoor kitchen area at 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, IN.
There is a 2 pound minimum for all orders and prices are subject to change based upon market pricing. Checks can be made payable to “St. Sava Lamb Fund.’
Download the order form and and send it by fax to 219-736-7836 or call 219-406-7910. You may also e-mail the order form to karen.knezic@saintsava.net.
You can pre-order lamb and pig cooked on the spit, by the pound, for Orthodox Easter prepared by St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana now through the pre-order deadline Wednesday, April 12 for pick-up Sunday, April 16, 2017
Lamb will be $15 per pound and Pig will be $14 per pound. Orders may be picked up Sunday, April 16, 2017 between Noon and 1:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church at the outdoor kitchen area at 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, IN.
There is a 2 pound minimum for all orders and prices are subject to change based upon market pricing.
Download the order form and and send it by fax to 219-736-7836 or call 219-406-7910. You may also e-mail the order form to karen.knezic@saintsava.net.
Join us as we commemorate Palm Sunday with Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion beginning at 10:00 a.m. with Confession beginning as early as 9:00 a.m. Sunday, April 9 at St. Sava Church in Merrillville.
This weekend marks the beginning of Holy Week with special services taking place throughout the week. A complete list of services is available in the schedule below.
Palm Sunday is the holiday which commemorates the solemn entry of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ into Jerusalem six days before the Passover (Matt. 12:1-12).
As Jesus neared the Mount of Olives, He sat on an ass and entered into the Holy City. Throngs of inspired people greeted Him as their King, singing and strewing their garments and green branches in His path as He rode. The crowds followed Him, carrying Palms in their hands and crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
In remembrance of that event the first Christians established the holiday, Palm Sunday. With the celebration of Palm Sunday the custom to bless palm branches was established to celebrate Christ’s victory.
Even prior to the Christian era Palms were awarded as a sign of victory. Â Palms, always green, are said by old beliefs, grown out of their ashes. It signifies the glory of a victor who deserves an immortal name.
Heroes were greeted and decorated with palms. Therefore, the people greeted the Savior with palms because nothing could have dissuaded His voluntary sufferings: no Gethsemane horrors, no injustice of Judean courts, no insidious leaders, not even His mother’s love nor Golgotha’s horrible sufferings.
In pictures, palms in the hands of angels or saints represent their victory over the earth and remind us of a beautiful place in Revelations, “Then I saw many people of all languages, generations and races standing before the throne and lamb, dressed in white garb, and palms in their hands.”
The word “palma” according to the Greek fine interpretation was a phoenix with which Christ was met, or in a wider interpretation may mean a bud or a shoot.
In regions where there are no palms, a willow is blessed because it is the first one to become green after winter. It reminds us of a general resurrection. Our presence at the church service with green willows in our hand witnesses our belief in Christ victory over death.
LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017
PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017
HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017
HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017
HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017
HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017
PASCHA – APRIL 16th 2017
EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017
EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017
SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017