Religious Observances

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.

Holy Week Schedule of Services

LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 – VRBICA
• Holy Communion for children

PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017

• Presanctified Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Holy Unction Service: St. George Church East Chicago – 6:00PM

HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• The Great Vigil: Reading of 12 Passion Gospels at 6:00PM

HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017

• Morning Service / Hours at 10:00AM
• Vespers with laying of Holy Shroud and Funeral Service at 6:00PM

HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Resurrection Matins at 11:30PM

PASCHA – APRIL 16th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

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.

About Palm Sunday

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.  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.

Holy Week Schedule of Services

LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 – VRBICA
• Holy Communion for children

PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017

• Presanctified Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Holy Unction Service: St. George Church East Chicago – 6:00PM

HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• The Great Vigil: Reading of 12 Passion Gospels at 6:00PM

HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017

• Morning Service / Hours at 10:00AM
• Vespers with laying of Holy Shroud and Funeral Service at 6:00PM

HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Resurrection Matins at 11:30PM

PASCHA – APRIL 16th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

Join us for a special day for children as we commemorate Lazarus Saturday (Vrbica Day) with Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion for children beginning at 10:00 a.m. and Confession beginning as early as 9:00 a.m. Saturday, April 8 at St. Sava Church in Merrillville. Services will include a mini-concert by the Children’s Choir of St. Sava.

Palm Sunday Services begin Sunday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. with Confession beginning as early as 9:00 a.m.

This weekend marks the beginning of Holy Week with special services taking place daily. A complete list of services is available in the schedule below.

About Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday

Lazarus Saturday is the first day of the Great and Holy Week. On this day we commemorate Jesus raising his friend, Lazarus, from the dead. Lazarus Saturday is a paschal celebration, and is a preview of the Resurrection that we will celebrate one week later. At the Liturgy for this day, Christ is glorified as the Resurrection and the Life, and the baptismal verse “All you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” replaces the Thrice Holy Hymn.  By raising Lazarus, Christ has confirmed that we all will one day be resurrected.

To gather pussywillows we walk in a festive procession on Lazarus Saturday. Coming back is particularly solemn. The clergy in their festive Garb are followed by festively dressed school children. They sing while they walk to the accompaniment of church bells. From the voices of innocent children who carry their willow twigs as a symbol of Christ’s victory reverberates, “HOSANNA…!” it is customary that each child is given a small bell which is rung during the procession thus proclaiming the Solemn Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem.

The picture remains indelible in the minds of children and continues into their later years. This is where the beauty of Orthodoxy is presented to them; this is where true dogmatic beliefs penetrate their souls to grasp resurrection from death. The beautiful holiday Troparion convinces them as well as nature which rested all winter and emerges to show itself stronger and more luxuriant.

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.  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.

Holy Week Schedule of Services

LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 – VRBICA
• Holy Communion for children

PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017

• Presanctified Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Holy Unction Service: St. George Church East Chicago – 6:00PM

HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• The Great Vigil: Reading of 12 Passion Gospels at 6:00PM

HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017

• Morning Service / Hours at 10:00AM
• Vespers with laying of Holy Shroud and Funeral Service at 6:00PM

HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Resurrection Matins at 11:30PM

PASCHA – APRIL 16th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

Join us for a special day for children as we commemorate Lazarus Saturday (Vrbica Day) with Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion for children beginning at 10:00 a.m. and Confession beginning as early as 9:00 a.m. Saturday, April 8 at St. Sava Church in Merrillville. Services will include a mini-concert by the Children’s Choir of St. Sava.

Palm Sunday Services begin Sunday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. with Confession beginning as early as 9:00 a.m.

This weekend marks the beginning of Holy Week with special services taking place daily. A complete list of services is available in the schedule below.

About Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday

Lazarus Saturday is the first day of the Great and Holy Week. On this day we commemorate Jesus raising his friend, Lazarus, from the dead. Lazarus Saturday is a paschal celebration, and is a preview of the Resurrection that we will celebrate one week later. At the Liturgy for this day, Christ is glorified as the Resurrection and the Life, and the baptismal verse “All you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” replaces the Thrice Holy Hymn.  By raising Lazarus, Christ has confirmed that we all will one day be resurrected.

To gather pussywillows we walk in a festive procession on Lazarus Saturday. Coming back is particularly solemn. The clergy in their festive Garb are followed by festively dressed school children. They sing while they walk to the accompaniment of church bells. From the voices of innocent children who carry their willow twigs as a symbol of Christ’s victory reverberates, “HOSANNA…!” it is customary that each child is given a small bell which is rung during the procession thus proclaiming the Solemn Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem.

The picture remains indelible in the minds of children and continues into their later years. This is where the beauty of Orthodoxy is presented to them; this is where true dogmatic beliefs penetrate their souls to grasp resurrection from death. The beautiful holiday Troparion convinces them as well as nature which rested all winter and emerges to show itself stronger and more luxuriant.

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.  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.

Holy Week Schedule of Services

LAZARUS SATURDAY LAZARUS SATURDAY – APRIL 8th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 – VRBICA
• Holy Communion for children

PALM SUNDAY PALM SUNDAY – APRIL 9th 2017

• Confession at 9:00; Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

HOLY WEDNESDAY HOLY WEDNESDAY – APRIL 12th 2017

• Presanctified Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Holy Unction Service: St. George Church East Chicago – 6:00PM

HOLY THURSDAY HOLY THURSDAY – APRIL 13th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• The Great Vigil: Reading of 12 Passion Gospels at 6:00PM

HOLY FRIDAY HOLY FRIDAY – APRIL 14th 2017

• Morning Service / Hours at 10:00AM
• Vespers with laying of Holy Shroud and Funeral Service at 6:00PM

HOLY SATURDAY HOLY SATURDAY – APRIL 15th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM
• Resurrection Matins at 11:30PM

PASCHA – APRIL 16th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

EASTER MONDAY EASTER MONDAY – APRIL 17th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

EASTER TUESDAY EASTER TUESDAY – APRIL 18th 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 9:00AM

SUNDAY – APRIL 23rd 2017

• Divine Liturgy at 10:00AM

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I don’t believe that anyone would argue that, this time of the year, is most beautiful. Spring lifts our minds and spirits as we come out of the winter months and look ahead to the warmer months of summer.

It’s at this time of the year that we also celebrate the gift of the new and everlasting life that is offered to us through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before this month is out, we will once again join together to celebrate the solemn and beautiful services of Pascha, the Passover of our Lord: his passing over from death to life, from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light.

The brightness of these days is our own participation in the “true life” spoken of by Saint Gregory Nazianzus (+390). We can see this life all around us in nature.

In his homily on Pascha, St. Gregory describes many things in nature that reveal to us this new life springing up all around us. He says that everything is “conspiring together, rejoicing together, for the beauty of this feast.”

Everything all around us is hymning Christ who has sprung up from the tomb in order to bestow life on the whole world. He begins:

“Now the heaven shines more brightly, the sun stands higher and glows more golden; now the moon’s orb is more radiant, the chorus of stars gleams more clearly. Now the sea’s waves make their peace with the shores, the clouds with the sun, the winds with the air, the earth with the plants, the plants with our eyes. Now the springs gush forth with a new sparkle; now the rivers flow more abundantly, released from the bonds of winter’s ice. Now the meadow is fragrant, the shoots burst forth, the grass is ready for mowing, and the lambs skip through the rich green fields… All things sing God’s praise, and give Him glory with wordless voices. Now is the world’s spring, the spiritual spring, spring for our souls, spring for our bodies, spring visible, spring invisible.”

How beautiful are these words that express even creation’s response to Pascha.

In celebrating Pascha, there are really two Paschas that we celebrate. The first is our Lord’s and the second is our own. And ours is rooted in and made possible by the Lord’s: our Passover from death to life is made possible by Christ’s glorious resurrection. We are those in the tombs whom Christ has come to free and release.

Like Adam and Eve portrayed in the icon of the Descent into Hades, we are being yanked out of the slumber of death. It is during the radiant days of Pascha that we must continue to shine forth the glory of Christ’s resurrection by a radiant life.

What we also celebrate is our own passing from the tyranny of sin and death to victory and joy in the Kingdom. Just as during Great Lent we learn to fast and prepare ourselves to meet Christ, so must we learn how to truly celebrate the feast.

Feasting is not just about eating meat and dairy products. True Christian feasting, especially at Pascha, is a continual offering of ourselves to Christ. It is a feast of renewal where we put off the old man, and walk in newness of life (Ephesians 4:22).

“Let your old person become new! Celebrate the renewal of your soul!” says St. Gregory, stressing to us how we can continue to celebrate the Resurrection. He urges us to:

“Put restraints on everything that is the source of death, train all your members, develop a hatred for all the evil fruit of the tree…This is the way a human person is renewed, this is how the Day of Renewal should be honored: with this kind of finery, with a banquet such as this!…Bring this as your offering to the festival: be changed for the better…Scripture does not wish you to remain always as you are, but to be constantly in motion, beneficially in motion, even ‘a new creation’;—if you are a sinner, turning towards the good, and if you are upright, holding to your course.”

May the remaining days of our Lenten fasting lead us to true feasting and may the Lord receive our Lenten efforts as an acceptable offering. And may the upcoming celebration of the Lord’s Pascha be bright and joyous for you and your family.

Lent is a Time of Slowing Down.

It is obviously impossible for us to go to Church every day. And since we cannot keep the Lent liturgically, the question arises: what is our participation in Lent, how can we spiritually profit by it?

The Church calls us to deepen our religious conscience, to increase and strengthen the spiritual contents of our life, to follow her in her pilgrimage towards renewal and rededication to God.

And, last but not least: there must be an effort and a decision to slow down our life, to put in as much quiet, silence, contemplation, meditation. Radio, TV, newspapers, social gatherings—all these things, however excellent and profitable in themselves, must be cut down to a real minimum. Not because they are bad, but because we have something more important to do, and it is impossible to do without a change of life, without some degree of concentration and discipline.

Lent is the time when we re-evaluate our life in the light of our faith, and this requires a very real effort and discipline. Christ says that a narrow path leads to the kingdom of God and we must make our life as narrow as possible. At first the natural and selfish man in us revolts against these limitations. He wants his usual “easy life” with all its pleasures and relaxations. But once we have tasted of such spiritual effort, once we have made by it one step towards God, the reward is great!

We discover a joy that cannot be compared to any other joy. We discover the reality of the spiritual world in us. We begin to understand what St. Paul meant by “the joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.” God Himself enters our soul: and it is this wonderful coming that constitutes the ultimate end of Lent: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23)

Father Marko Matic
St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church – Merrillville, Indiana
www.saintsava.net

V. Rev. Father Dennis Pavicevich

You are cordially invited to Saint Sava Church for Lenten Vesper Service taking place at 6:00 p.m. with Lenten dinner following on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Merrillville, Indiana.

Vesper Service and veneration of the Holy Cross with His Grace Bishop Longin and visiting clergy and guests. Responses by Karagerge Choir and Saint Sava Children’s choir. Lenten dinner to follow.

Guest Speaker during the dinner will be V. Rev. Father Dennis Pavicevich.

Father Dennis Pavichevich (Dragoljub Pavicevic) began his theological studies at Saint Sava Seminary in Belgrade, Serbia. He returned to the United States after two years and completed his undergraduate studies at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science in 1972. Graduating from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1975 with a Master of Divinity degree. He is well versed in the Christian Orthodox faith.

Father Dennis’s first parish was at Saint George in Schererville, Indiana, where he helped build the church itself as well as a parish home. While at his second parish with Saint Steven’s Cathedral in Alhambra, California, Father Dennis led a large Eucharistic revival while establishing an adult Bible study program that took place within parishioners’ homes.

Following Saint Steven’s, Father Dennis served at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Chicago where he helped establish a full time parochial school – Saint Sava Academy.

Father Dennis is now at Saint Nikola Serbian Orthodox Church since December of 2012, and the congregation is very blessed to have him.

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.