General Information/News

The following are remarks shared by Father Tom Kazich during the luncheon taking place immediately following the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Orthodox Cemetery at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church November 12, 2016.

The day is also recognized as the annual Patron Saint Day of Saint Varnava, the first Serbian-American born person to be glorified a Saint in the Orthodox Church who had personal ties to this St. Sava parish.

Saints were ordinary people, sinners, who never gave up the battle

Sometimes we think that saints are somewhere up there in heaven.  We pray to them to intercede before God for us.  But we don’t always connect them to our own lives.  This past year, a visitor was standing in New Gracanica Church and marveling at the saintly images that cover the walls from the floor to the ceiling.  And he remarked, “We must never forget that the saints were ordinary people, sinners, who never gave up the battle.”  We can always look to them for intervention and inspiration.

We here in Gary St. Sava’s are blessed.  We don’t have to look any further for saints that have a link to us.  Born in Gary in 1914 Vojislav Nastic, who later became Bishop Varnava, was canonized by the Serbian Church in 2005.  This was the first Serbian American born to be glorified as a saint.  He was the first baby to be baptized at St. Sava’s Church in 1914.  When he was nine years old, he returned to Serbia with his family.

There he studied for the holy priesthood, was tonsured a monk, and later consecrated a bishop.  Both St. Bishop Nicholai and St. Fr. Justin Popovich were his mentors.  It was during WWII that he spoke out against the communists and for freedom – freedom of conscience, freedom to worship God, just like the old heroes of Kosovo.  He confessed Christ and suffered for the Truth and Righteousness of God’s Kingdom.  He was arrested, tried and sentenced to 11 years in prison.  He died in 1964 as a confessor.  He never forgot his roots and felt it was honorable to declare himself both an American and a Serbian.

St. Varnava, in his short lifetime of fifty years, somehow captured the width and depth of Christianity.  He breathed in the same spirit of those fearless witnesses of Christ from the early Christian period, living in the sea of paganism.  His asceticism gave him energy which was no different from the early monks who went into the desert to preserve the strength of Christianity.  He was rooted in the Serbian lands, and the historic stream of Svetosavlje flowed through him, even though he was born outside of the country.

Finally he adapted the same love of freedom that the Serbs showed on Kosovo Field, with the freedom he breathed in the American land of his birth.  That freedom which God instilled in every human being that He created in His “image and likeness” projected him into a much greater witness during and after WWII.  Standing up to Nazism, Communism,  and all other forms of dictatorship, he truly made Christ the center of his confession.  And lastly, through it all, he loved His Church, his people at Gary St. Sava’s,  and was truly the “conscience of the Church” in his times.

Feast of St. Varnava connections with St. Sava Church today

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Varnava.  And what makes our celebration so special is that many of the things you accomplished and are recognizing today were dear to St. Varnava.

1.  The Church Beautification

We know of Varnava’s love from a very young age of the church. There is that cute anecdote that tells of how in church on Sunday morning he soon tired of standing during the Liturgy. Becoming restless, he asked his father when the service would be over. “Now,” his father calmly told him.  Varnava waited obediently and patiently and asked again.  “Now” came the answer. He again waited and finally humbly asked “Daddy, when is now?”  He was already showing himself as a philosopher, as a theologian, and a lover of beauty of the church.

Everything that happens in the church is a miracle of God’s love and our cooperation.  Look how you have beautified St. Sava’s, with the installed new floor, carpet and lighting.   Thanks to all of you for taking care to beautify God’s house, under Fr. Marko’s leadership.  Each gift we offer or do out of love for God and His Church is acceptable and pleasing to God.

2.  The Cemetery Blessing

Varnava lived at a time in history where he was surrounded by wars and killings and death.  It’s no surprise that this always came up whenever he wrote someone.  “I not only hear voices of the living, but also greetings from the dead.  Greeting you are shadows of your forefathers whose shade falls on each foot of these bloody hills and  mountains.”

When we read the accounts of the early martyrs they speak of the great respect the faithful showed for those who had departed and were being buried.  That’s why we remember the departed continually in our church services.  We pray to God for their eternal rememberance.   With this cemetery, you here, though there are other cemeteries in the area, have chosen to declare your the love and connection between the the church and the departed.

This is a tradition that you rarely see anymore, except is the old churches in Europe and some here in America.  They always had a cemetery in back or on the side of the church, to show that the departed also are a part of our Church body, the Body of Christ.

Those responsible for this project are to be commended.  Especially we are happy that it will be open to all Orthodox.

3.  Finally the Museum

Varnava was so immersed in living history, that he referred to historic events as  everyday events in his  letters, and all this through the backdrop of Serbian history.  He says, “Do not forget that you are the offspring of the Prince of Kosovo, who sacrificed the earthly to gain the heavenly.  Do not forget either that you are the children of a nation that does not possess anything great for which it hasn’t paid the price of great sacrifice.”

Several years ago the Historical Society of St. Sava established a museum here.  St. Varnava is their Patron.  Over the years  we have seen wonderful exhibits highlighting  – Serbs in the Steels Mills, Serbian Weddings, Serbian Sisters Circle, Serbs in Sports, Serbs in the Military and many others.  When we preserve our history, then we have something that we can hand down to our children to build on for the future.

Continuing a mission

We all know that the saints are alive in Christ and they are here with us constantly whenever we need their help. You at St. Sava’s are living examples of this, through the recent projects of your church.  You have connected with St. Varnava in a unique way.  St. Varnava has you here continuing his work, in preserving the beauty of the church, protecting the history of the parish and people, and respecting those who have departed in a most important way.  You have continued his mission.

There’s still a lot more out there to do, to develop.  May we all strive to be numbered with God’s saints one day, and let’s fulfill the words we pray at every Divine Liturgy:  “With all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and our whole life unto Christ our God.”

You are invited to join the dozens of people that have been showing up each week to celebrate the cultural and healthy exercise benefits associated with traditional Serbian Folklore Dance at St. Sava Church, 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, Indiana.

The Adult Folklore Dance Sessions meet each Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Pavilion or South Wing Social Center at the church learning new dances, getting a dose of exercise, and simply having fun.

The open group formed earlier this year at St. Sava seeking to gather people interested in learning traditional Serbian Kolo dances and to just have fun. The group welcomes those with no previous dancing experience from the greater Northwest Indiana community along with people who learned the traditional dances growing up in youth folklore groups and want to keep dancing with friends in an adult environment.

Everyone is welcome to attend – men and women, members of St. Sava, members of other churches throughout Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland, and anyone in the community who simply wants to learn about the culture and the fun, circle dance called the Kolo (no more sitting on the sidelines during Serb Fest – you will be dancing like a pro by the time the fest rolls around if you practice – www.serbfest.org).

The dance sessions each Monday evening start at 7:00 p.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. Each session begins with some general dance instruction and review for dances that are commonly performed at various Serbian festivals and celebrations. The second half of the session focuses on more structured types of folklore dances. All of the instruction is provided by Miloš Drljević Djakovac, the dance instructor for St. Sava’s youth folklore group named Srbadija.

The focus of the dance sessions is to have fun, so don’t worry if you don’t have traditional Serbian “opanke” dance shoes in your closet. Wear your tennis shoes and comfortable clothes because dancing the kolo can be a serious workout!

Magda Serdar, organizer of the dance sessions, explained her reasons for wanting to help form such a group. “I just love folklore. You are never too old to dance. A lot of people have talked about forming such a group and there are so many people who have danced in the past when younger, now is the time to do it,” Serdar said.

Dance sessions begin at 7:00 p.m. Monday evenings at St. Sava and take place in either the South Wing Social Center or the Pavilion, depending on group size and room availability. A small fee of $5 per week will be collected and used to support the church, children’s folklore, and children’s choir.

For more questions or more information, please call Magda Serdar at (440) 954-2039.

The following are remarks shared by His Grace Bishop Longin of the New Gracanica and Midwest America Monastery during the luncheon immediately following the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Orthodox Cemetery that will be developing at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church where phase one of the project is estimated to be nearing completion in the Spring of 2017.

Dear Fr. Marko, Reverend Clergy, Madame President, and Brothers and Sisters,

It is always nice and pleasing to come here and visit you, serve in your beautiful church, and pray for those who have departed and for you here still living who support your parish. It is very important that we keep the tradition of caring for the graves of those loved ones buried in a cemetery. Starting this cemetery not only for your own needs, but for the whole Orthodox community here is a great challenge. But that reveals something deep in you. That you are all ready to make the church grow.

Everyone who will come here to the cemetery in the future will learn a lot about our history, about our faith, and about the personal efforts of the people who established this parish church and cemetery, and maintained it. Jesus said, “I am not the God of the dead but of the living.” And all your fathers and mothers are not dead, but alive in God’s eyes. Our love for them does not allow them to remain dead but keeps them alive.

Thank you for being good Christians and Serbian Orthodox. I pray that Holy Orthodoxy continues to be a priority and inspiration for our children and all of us. Thank you and God bless you!

This is a gramata for Mike Ajder, who worked very hard as president of this church. One of his dreams was to build a cemetery here, not only for our people but for all Orthodox. This gramatta is a sign of our gratitude for Mike’s untiring efforts. Thank you Mike!

We invite you Saturday, November 12, 2016 to the Holy Liturgy and Groundbreaking Ceremony of the newest Orthodox Cemetery in the midwest as we prepare grounds available to all people of Orthodox Faith at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church at 9191 Mississippi Street in Merrillville, Indiana.

His Grace Bishop Longin from the Diocese of New Gracanica and Midwestern America will serve Holy Liturgy along with Visiting Clergy beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the groundbreaking on the Cemetery site adjacent to the church taking place at approximately 11:45 a.m. A luncheon in the Pavilion at St. Sava will immediately follow.

For more than 100 years St. Sava Church has been a part of the Orthodox community helping to serve the spiritual and cultural needs of Northwest Indiana. Our Church in Merrillville was consecrated 25 years ago and our newly constructed pavilion has been providing state-of-the-art hall rental facilities since it was completed in 2014. With deep roots in the Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland region, our spirit for building to serve the Lord is strong and the construction of this Orthodox Cemetery continues in this spirit.

The Cemetery will serve all people of Orthodox Faith regardless of specific ethnic affiliation. Parishes with ethnic designations such as Serbian, Greek, Russian, and other ethnicities may employ languages other than English in worship to a greater or lesser degree but the Orthodox Faith is one and the same.

It is with this sense of unity and sameness in Orthodox Faith that we prepare the grounds at St. Sava for the servants of the Lord who have fallen asleep. There are few physical spaces in the midwest where such places of rest exist within walking distance of an Orthodox Sanctuary, along with the resources to assist with pre-planning various aspects of burial arrangements fitting the Orthodox Traditions.

With this Groundbreaking Ceremony we take new steps to serve all people of Orthodox Faith, the living from all the various Orthodox ethnic traditions and those falling asleep with the Lord.

We humbly request Clergy, Church Executive Board leadership members, and faithful members of all Orthodox Churches to join us in this Groundbreaking Ceremony as we create this sacred space on the grounds of our Orthodox House of worship at St. Sava Church Saturday, November 12, 2016.

We encourage everyone, including community members, local officials, and news media to join us for this special occasion, inviting you to the Holy Liturgy at 10:00 a.m., the groundbreaking at approximately 11:45 a.m., and the luncheon immediately following.

Please contact us with questions or to RSVP at 219-736-9191.