Holy Liturgy in San Diego, April 1, 2007

On Sunday, April 1, 2007, at San Diego’s St. George Parish, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was served presided by His Grace Dr. Maxim of the Western American Diocese. In the church full of benevolent Orthodox Christians (Serbs, Americans, Bulgarians, Mexicans, Russians, etc.) with His Grace also concelebrated the following priests: Velimir Petakovich, Bozidar Draskovich, and Hieromonks Damascene and Jovan.
This great Feast Day, Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem or Palm Sunday, of our Holy Church comes at the end of the relatively long period of the Forty Days of the Great and Holy Lent. This Great Feast Day comes after the forty days of fast, but precedes the Great and Holy Week that is totally set aside to commemorate Christ’s suffering for the life of the world; this is why it is called the Passion Week or the Week of Suffering; all this commemoration, of course, leads to the Resurrection of our Lord.

This is a beautiful and rich Feast Day that connects the Forty Day Fast and the Great and Holy Week, or Passion of Christ Week. Hence, it can be referred to as the bridge between the two important periods that precede the greatest Christian and Orthodox Feast Day – The Pascha of the Lord, or Resurrection. This very event that the Church celebrated this day with its grace-creating, salvific and spiritual rewards, its essence and experience, depends on our sincere and truthful participation in the Divine Liturgy.
Through the Feast Days in our Church, we continually and timely build up her dogmatic and grace-giving experience in our lives, our hearts and our being.
Fr. Damascene from St. Herman of Alaska monastery in Platina, CA, gave a homily (audio) Earlier that week, he spent a few days at the Diocesan headquarters assisting in the preparation for the publishing of Bishop Athanasius’ book in the English language, Christ – The Alpha and Omega.

Viewed in a historical-eschatological perspective, Palm Sunday is shown as a spiritual border of the spiritual connection between Great Lent and the Passion week. This Feast among our people is called CVETI (literary translated = Flowery) because of the flowers and greenery that is held in hands this day, and possibly connected with the renewal of the nature and the spiritual joy that the Feast Day brings.
It reminds us of the suffering of Christ and calls upon us to participate with our sacrifice and love in these sufferings with which the world is saved. This Feast Day is also deeply connected to the joy of Resurrection.
The Church of St. George in San Diego is architecturally one of the most beautiful churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada. The mosaic inside the church is splendid and elaborate. The Circle of the Serbian Sisters and the Choir of St. George parish have provided great support and continue so to this day. The following priests have served at St. George parish: Nikolai Dazgich, Mladen Trbuhovich, Velimir Petakovich, Milorad Dobrota, and Bozidar Draskovic.

In the afternoon hours, His Grace, local clergy, and laity visited the Diocesan property near Escondido, CA. This property was donated to the Western American Diocese by Mr. Ratko Dekich, prayerfully hoping that one day an orthodox monastery would be built on it and dedicated to the Meeting of our Lord (photo: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). An architect for the monastery with necessary quarters will be Protopresbyter Ilija Balach from Seattle, WA, (photo).