American Serb History 101

Sept. 11, 1914-Nov. 15, 2009 

"The Saint Who Walks"

"I am said to be leading the Serbs into a war for the preservation of Great Serbia.

However, if the preservation of Great Serbia requires crime -- I refuse it, may Great Serbia be gone.

If the preservation of little Serbia requires crime -- again, I refuse it, may little Serbia be gone.

If the preservation of even a single Serb requires crime -- again, I refuse it, may all of us be gone."

Born September 11,1914, the man destined to become the spiritual leader of all Serbian Orthodox people was born in the village of Kucani, county of Donji Miholjac, in Slavonija, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now today's Croatia.

His baptismal name was Goyko, born to parents Stefan and Ann Stojcevic, both who died early. He was raised by his aunt who provided him with an excellent education. During WWII, he had to flee his childhood home and seek refuge at the Holy Trinity monastery in Ovcar.  He later took his monastic vows in the Monastery Blagovestenje also in Ovcar, where he took the monastic name of Pavle (Paul).

He was elected Bishop of Ras and Prizren (which includes all of Kosovo) in 1957 and held that position for 33 years before he was elected Patriarch in 1990.

I will let these photos and condolences tell you the rest of the story.

This photo was sent to me by my cousin, Stojanka.

This photo was used to cover a pamphlet dedicated to the memory of Patriarch Pavle.  These Memorial Book pamphlets were given out to the faithful in attendance in front of St. Sava's HRAM or Cathedral.

What an outpouring of LOVE that was for Serbia's Blessed Patriarch Pavle!  

Thank you, Stojanka, for sharing with us in America too!

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Because of an officially declared swine flu epidemic, TV and radio stations in Serbia urged those with flu symptoms to stay at home during the Funeral of Serbia's beloved Patriarch Pavle.  Still, close to one million people participated in probably the most prayerful, respectful, greatest funeral since the death of King Aleksandar in 1934.

U PORTI MANASTIRA SVETIH ARHANGELA MIHAILA I GAVRILA U RAKOVICI 

Sahranjen srpski patrijarh Pavle  

Photos by Marko Djurica for Reuters 

Serbian Orthodox Church: Patriarch of Serbia reposed in the Lord:  http://www.spc.rs/

More STILL photos of the Funeral

 http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/story/124/Друштво/307001/Сахрањен+патријарх+српски+Павле.html

Put this link into your browser to see the full funeral service of Patriarch Pavle here ------>

http://www.rtrs.tv/av/player.php?id=3861&x=1 

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 Check out more on this site from Politika:   

http://www.politika.rs/

„Нико нас пре рођења, знамо то, није питао хоћемо ли се родити у овом или оном народу, од ових или оних родитеља, у овом или оном духовном амбијенту. Ми за све то нити имамо заслуге нити кривице. Но, да ли ћемо живети и поступати као људи или као нељуди, то, верујте, зависи од нас. То и јесте једино што нам даје цену и у очима свих људи добре воље...

"None of us before birth, we know, asked if we want to be born in this or that nation, from these or those parents, in this or that spiritual atmosphere. We all have no choice in those matters. However, we must choose to live and act as men or as non-humans; That, believe it, depends on us. That is the only thing that gives us value in the eyes of all people of good will ..."

Patriarch Pavle 

Slava Mu! 

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 Obituary: Serbian Patriarch Pavle

by Dr. Srdja Trifkovic,  Nov 18, 2009

"Let us guard against inhumans, but let us guard even more against becoming inhuman ourselves." – Patriarch Pavle

When the man destined to become the 44th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church was conceived in the the winter 1913-1914, horses and steam moved the world. That world appeared ordered and stable. The calamities of the 20th century – two world wars, revolutions and civil wars, genocides and expulsions, and the suffering of tens of millions of Christian New Martyrs – could not be foreseen. In the Old World the Serbian nation, although divided into two small kingdoms and two mighty alien empires, the Habsburg and the Ottoman, appeared vigorous and full of hope for the future.

Shortly after “the lights went out over Europe,” on September 11, 1914 (n.s.) – the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist – a boy was born to the Stojčević family in the village of Kućanci, in today’s eastern Croatia. The family’s ancestors came to the Turk-devastated borderlands of the Habsburg Monarchy with the Great Serb Migration of 1690 from Kosovo, the martyred Serbian province with which the future Patriarch’s life was destined to be closely intertwined.

The weeks that followed the outbreak of World War I were a trying time for the Serbs in the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy: they were collectively blamed for the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo and subjected to mob violence and police persecution. For newborn Gojko’s mother Ana, however, the main worry was the fact that the war was raging, the prices were soaring, and her husband Stevan was far away: he had left for America only months earlier in search of work.

In early 1917, just before the United States joined the fray and made the war truly global, Stevan Stojčević came back home – without a penny to his name – to die of tuberculosis contracted in the workshops and rented rooms of western Pennsylvania. A year later Ana remarried but died in childbirth soon thereafter. Gojko and his elder brother Dušan were left in the care of their paternal aunt who raised them as her own children. He was a sickly child unfit for farm work, but the aunt recognized his aptitude for learning and – although poor herself – endeavored to give him a good education.

After graduating from the Fourth Gymnasium (high school) in Belgrade young Gojko enrolled at the Orthodox Seminary in Sarajevo. During World War II, suffering from tuberculosis, he took refuge in the Holy Trinity monastery in Ovčar, in central Serbia. In 1944 he was given only three months to live. His recovery, miraculous in those pre-penicillin times, prompted him to take monastic vows in 1946 and assume the name of his favorite saint, Pavle (Paul)..

The Serbian Orthodox Church, which had a quarter of its shrines destroyed and a fifth of its clergy killed during World War II, was left in 1945 at the mercy of Tito’s militantly atheist clique. Most of its property was confiscated immediately after the war, religious education was effectively banned, and the political cost of liturgical attendance was high, often prohibitive. Yet monk Pavle visibly thrived in those years, spiritually and intellectually. In 1954 he was ordained hieromonk. After completing postgraduate studies in Athens (1955-1957) he became archimandrite, and only months later elected the Bishop of Ras and Prizren. Bishop Pavle remained at the helm of that ancient diocese, which includes Kosovo and Metohija, for 33 years – until he was elected Patriarch in 1990.

The long decades of Tito’s autocracy were a trying time for the Serbian Orthodox Church. Patriarch German, elected in 1958, had to strike a sensitive balance between the imperative of keeping his Church alive in an inherently hostile political environment and the necessity of establishing a workable modus vivendi with the communist regime. The dilemma, well known to the Russians, had a similar consequence in the misnamed “American Schism” (raskol) of 1963. The split soon spread from the United States to all other communities in the Diaspora. It caused deep divisions that left a lasting scar on the Serbian community as a whole. It is now known that the split was surreptitiously encouraged by the regime in Belgrade, and fanned by the divisive work of its agents infiltrated into the émigré ranks.

As the Bishop of Kosovo, Pavle faced tribulations that were of different nature but similar magnitude. In seeking to win over the Albanians of Kosovo during his wartime struggle to seize power, Tito promised them autonomy and duly proceeded to change the character of the province in their favor after the war. Over 100,000 Serbs were forced out of Kosovo by Albanian Quislings during World War II; incredibly, they were not permitted to return after 1945. An additional 200,000 Serbs left the province, often under duress, between the late 1950s and early 1980s. On the other hand, 200,000 Albanians from Albania settled on deserted Serbian farms after 1945. Their “cadres” took control of the local Communist apparatus. In 1948 the Albanians made a half of the population of Kosovo; by 1981 78 percent; and over 90 percent today.

By the 1970s Orthodox priests in Kosovo were routinely harrassed. Bishop Pavle himself was assailed by an Albanian while walking to the post office in Prizren, and slapped in the face by another at the city’s main bus station. The authorities were invariably “unable” to identify the culprits, however, let alone to bring them to justice. Monastic properties were damaged or confiscated, well before the wave of KLA destruction unleashed by NATO in 1999. The biggest church in Metohia, in Djakovica, was demolished by the authorities to make room for a massive “Partisan” monument. The secessionist movement of the Albanians in Kosovo, derived from the logic of the Titoist order, eventually produced Slobodan Milosevic – the neo-communist quasi-nationalist. The violent disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991-1999 was the belated revenge of Tito and his ideological heirs.

Bishop Pavle was elected to the Throne of St. Sava in December 1990, on the eve of that disintegration. He did not seek the post but was chosen as a compromise candidate because neither of the two front-runners could secure the necessary majority in the Assembly. In the dark years that followed he would repeat many times that “there can be no interest, individual or national, which could be used as an excuse for becoming inhuman.” As the former Yugoslavia descended into violence, he appealed on the faithful to pray not only for those of good will but for those of ill will, too, as “they are in an even greater need of salvation.” When meeting the late U.S. Ambassador Warren Zimmermann in 1991, he was asked what could America do to help him and the bChurch. He replied, without batting an eyelid, “Your Excellency, the most you can do to help us is not to do anything to harm us!”

This was not to be. Yugoslavia was a deeply flawed polity, and there could have been no serious objection to the striving of Croats and Bosnian Muslims to create their own nation-states. But equally there could have been no justification for forcing over two million Serbs west of the Drina River to be incorporated into those states against their will, and without any guarantees of their rights. Yugoslavia came together in 1918 as a union of South Slav peoples, and not of states. Its divorce should have been effected on the same basis. This is, and has been, the real foundation of the Yugoslav conflict ever since the first shots were fired in the summer of 1991. This political essence of the war has been systematically hidden, all over the Western world but especially in the United States, behind the portrayal of the Serbs as primitive ultranationalists who sought to conquer other peoples’ lands. The most vehement such accusations, coming from Muslim and Croat sources, went wholesale into the media machine, Congressional resolutions, the pseudolegal fatuities of The Hague “tribunal,” and finally into NATO’s marching orders.

Sadly, there are many Serbs who have not followed Patriarch Pavle’s instruction: “If we live as people of God, there will be room for all nations in the Balkans and in the world. If we liken ourselves to Cain, then the entire earth will be too small even for two people.” But the systematic portrayal of the Serbs as demons, and the Muslims of Bosnia or Kosovo as innocent martyrs in the cause of multi-ethnic-cultural tolerance, was a crude exercise in the construction of postmodern quasi-reality. Patriarch Pavle was painfully aware of this fact, but decided to refrain from statements that could be construed as political. He remained silent even when the Croatian authorities demolished the Orthodox church in his native village, in which he was baptized in 1914. He was often criticized in the Western press for making appearances at official functions attended by Milosevic, even though the protocol and tradition demanded his presence, but in 1997 he also appeared, silently, at a rally demanding Milosevic’s resignation.

Patriarch Pavle was deply pained by the Mammonic spirit that became dominant in Serbia in the aftermath of the collapse of communism: “I wish I could stand and beg outside the banqueting halls and other gathering venues of the rich, beg for our poor brothers and sisters and their children. We should actively shame those who sink into arrogant greed so openly, instead of expressing our anguish behind closed doors.” His proverbial modesty was reflected in his use of public transport and dislike of chauffeur-driven cars. During the Assembly of Bishops in 2006 he walked our of the Patriarchate and saw a long line of shiny black Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW cars parked outside the building. “Who do these belong to?” Pavle asked his secretary. “Em, to the Bishops who came to the Assembly, Your Grace.” “I only wonder,” the Patriarch commented, “what would they have driven if they had not taken the vow of poverty…”

Serbia was blessed with several politically astute Patriarchs in some critical moments of its history, notably Arsenije III (Charnojevich) at the time of the Turkish wars and Great Migration of 1690, and Gavrilo (Dozhich) during World War II.

Patriarch Pavle belonged to a different tradition. He was a mystically prayerful monk, rather than a sanguine Prince of the Church. He was a Patriarch who blended, harmoniously, three key functions of his throne: that of the father, of the priest, and of the prophet. He understood, and lived, the legacy of Prince Lazar, martyred at Kosovo in 1389: “The Kingdom on Earth is but paltry and small; yet the Kingdom of Heaven is forever and knows no bounds.

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Giant Footsteps 

Here is a wonderful photo of the late +Patriarch Pavle when he visited the Huntington Library in California.  Far left on the photo is Metropolitan Christopher of Libertyville, IL St. Sava Monastery. To the Patriarch's left is +pokojni Bishop Stefan of Zica; behind the Patriarch is Bishop Irinej of Nis, the CURRENT Patriarch!  The other clergyman is Fr. Blasko Paraklesis.  

The photo was taken by Slobodan Dimitrov. 

The famous photographer will be unveiling a huge LABOR mural in San Pedro tomorrow, Feburary 4, 2010. 

To learn more:  Slobodan Dimitrov

http://sdimitrovphoto.com/  

 Slobodan says, "This is the photo my wife and I keep on our wall.  I had them sign the photo for me, plus 3 others for St. Sava's, St. Stephen's, and Christ the Savior.  They are the three main Serbian Churches in the metropolitan L.A. area."

"Also, the image of Patriarch Pavle in Serb World was taken by me, at St. Stephen's. "

Thank you so much for sharing, Slobodan! 

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One of the holiest men on Earth.....Patriarch Pavle.

May his memory be Eternal!

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"His face and appearance were radiant with holiness and righteousness. He was a true monk, a man of endless prayers, kind and calm but also a fighter who does not back down and is ready for any sacrifice when needed."

"People of Serbia, begin weeping, sobbing bitterly and expressing your sorrow according to his merit, a theologian of broad knowledge, a merciful, peaceful man of open views." 

Patriarch Batholemew I, Spiritual Leader of the world's Orthodox Christians.

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Serbia's President

Boris Tadic:

"The Patriarch's death is an irredeemable loss for the entire Serbian nation." 

"We thank Patriarch Pavle for having been there for us with his deeds and message that we should always be human and never respond to the evil in the others with the evil within us." 

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"Patriarch Pavle was a modest and quiet man who is now a beacon of light that shines on us from the sky."

"People have poured like a river only to touch him."

Bishop Amfilohije

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"On behalf of the Jewish Community of Serbia I express our deepest condolences with all of you.

The late patriarch's traits were rare, and that it is "a true blessing that even in the worst years for our common fatherland we had Patriarch Pavle as the spiritual torch-bearer for all of us equally, regardless of faith and nationality". Your pain is our pain, your loss is our loss. The Lord is his heritage, and may his soul be tied in the Bundle of Life."

Rabbi Isak Asijel, Serbia's Jewish Community Leader

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"At the time of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle's crossing into eternity, we feel with him, with all of the SPC, with the entire Serb nation, a special closeness, love and unity.

"While on the one hand we are expressing our deepest condolences, we are also expressing our pride at having lived with him, above all myself personally, and on behalf of the Archdiocese of Belgrade, all of the Catholic Church in Serbia, because we could communicate with him. I am particularly grateful to God that he [the patriarch] so often expressed to me his statements, thoughts, wishes and joys.

Archbishop Stanislav Hočevar. Roman Catholic Church in Serbia.

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“His mission and the peace messages he was sending in the most difficult times were bringing back hope in a better future and the need in joint life and tolerance between different peoples and cultures.

Mufti Adem Zilkić, Head of the Islamic Community of Serbia 

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“My friend, the faithful departed patriarch, left for the better world and left behind a fine memory and proof that great people never die. I pray to the Holy Creator for the soul of His Holiness to rest in peace."

Honorary Reis-ul-Ulema,

Hamdija Jusufspahic 

Community in Serbia.

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“This is an irreplaceable loss for the Serbian Orthodox Church, because he was a man who proved the consistency of his own spirituality and harmony between actions, words and believes, which is rare in the modern world."

 Mufti Muamer Zukorlic

President of the Meshihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia.

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 "Patriarch Pavle's death is no reason to be sad because the Patriarch always had sought to reach out to God. He has been more in heaven than on earth. The Serbian people now have someone to represent them before God better than anyone else."

Bishop Lavrentije

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Here are some of the comments found on Patriarch Pavle's FACEBOOK page noting his obituary.

Нека му је вечна слава и хвала !!! Много лепих ствари је учинио ѕа свој народ, надајмо се само да ћемо бити мудри и следити његове примере!!!

"Let him have eternal glory and praise! Many beautiful things he has done for his people, hopefully we will be just and wise to follow his example!" 

Bojana Rankovic

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"In life, Patriach Pavle was a walking saint. And now in death, he is a living saint! Vjecnaja Pamjat!"

Alex Kasich

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"Počivaj u miru, kao što si i živeo."

"Rest in peace, like you lived your life." 

 Tatiana Stojandinovic

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Вјечна Памјат!!! Заувек у нашим срцима!!!

Човек који је говорио најтише, али се најгласније чуо!!! 

"Memory eternal!  You will always be with us.

The man who spoke the quietest, but whose voice was heard the loudest." 

YouTube comment by kljajabgd 

 

"Hvala ti Pavle sto si nas ozario vecnom svetloscu i pokazao nam put kojim treba da se ide. Neka ti je vecna slava, a sto se tice srpskog naroda, on te nikada nece zaboraviti. Tvoje reci sada odjekuju vise i jace nego ikada. Budimo ljudi, budimo Srbi. Pazi na nas, i budi verni sveti sluga i zastitnik naseg naroda i dalje. Nema zaborava, hvala ti za sve. Vecnaja pamjat! "

"Thank you Patriarch Paul who has brightened His eternal light and showed us the way to go to. May you have eternal glory, and as for the Serbian people, we will never forget you. Your words resonate far longer and stronger than ever. We will be men, we will be Serbs. Watch over us, and be our faithful holy servant and protector of our nation and beyond. There is no forgetting you, thank you for everything. Vecnaja pamjat! Memory Eternal!"

Youtube comment by

sanakym 

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Click lower right hand corner to enlarge image. 

The back of the Christmas Card from the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of New Gracanica Bozic 2010 gave tribute to Patriarch Pavle.

It says:

"A Unifier even in death, Patriarch PAVLE of blessed memory, who fell asleep in the Lord on 15th of November, brought together a great mosaic of humanity to his funeral--religious leaders, diplomatic delegates and ordinary faithful.

 His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople summed it up:  

"The Angel of Belgrade's Church has risen to the Heavens.  

He encompassed the honesty of David, the wisdom of Solomon, and the goodness of Moses.  

Rest in peace in God until the eternal resurrection."

 

The icon on the front of the card and shown below here is a fresco from the Nativity of Christ,

Church of the Mother of God,

from Pec, Kosovo, SERBIA,

year 1335! 

Kosovo, 1335 fresco

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