Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Vancouver)

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Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church or Sveti Sava in Vancouver, British Columbia is a church parish of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Canada under the jurisdiction of Bishop Mitrofan (Kodić). It is located at 505 East 63rd Avenue in Vancouver. There is also a Serbian Honorary Consulate at 7411 Vantage Way, Delta in Vancouver. The Head of Mission is Peter Vladiković, Honorary Consul.

History

In the earlier days when Serbs were not that numerous, yet not so isolated from one another, they formed lodges and built halls. That was the case in Vancouver as well as south of the border, Seattle, Roslyn and Spokane, Washington.

Through lodges, the early Serbian pioneers were provided many opportunities to participate in "floats in community parades, colorful escort marches to funerals, pageantry, and dramatic plays". And the most important of all was their response as volunteers to the Serbian Army in the Balkan Wars and the First World War. Western Canada as it turned out had one-third of the estimated 1,900 volunteers who answered the call of their distressed homeland came from these sparsely populated and isolated areas (B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba).

According to many historical and chronicle records, the immigration of Serbs to British Columbia can be divided into several periods. The first - the beginning of immigration can be taken as of 1850, the second 1870 and the period after the First World War.This is the period when Serbs began to immigrate to British Columbia, mining settlements, and places where there were factories for wood processing. economic and social reasons. The second wave and the period after the Great War and the period between the two world wars, especially between 1926 and 1928 -- was for economic reasons. Also in Vancouver itself with its immediate and distant surroundings, Serbian emigration came in increasing numbers. The third -- after the Second World War -- political emigration in the way of the émigrés. Fourth -- in the early 1970s -- for economic and political reasons. Fifth -- perhaps the most numerous emigration caused by the Fall of Yugoslavia. It is estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 Serbs settled in and around Vancouver during this period alone.

Ever since the division of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the North American continent and elsewhere outside of the then Yugoslavia, there has been an urgent need to create a proper church community on the West coast of Canada. The first meeting was convened on 23 February 1969, at the Hotel Georgia in Vancouver. The self-initiative board of a small group of Serbs, consisting of Miloš and Dušan Misković, Mirko Soldat, Mihajlo Zekić, Duško Milosević, Dobrivoje Paunović, Nikola Akbaba, Ivan Aleksić, Radoslav Vlahović, Branko Velegravac, Bogoljub Vukmirović, Branko Vranjes, Milisav Vlahović, Ivan Dragojević, Mladen Lalić, Dušan Milošević, Milorad Marijanović, Nenad Milenković, Ranko Nenadić, Zlata Nenadić, Jovan Novaković, Branko Radmilović, Mirko Škokin, Dragan Sretenović, Milorad Savović, Aleksandar Stević, Dragan Stojadinović, Dimitrije Stojković, Djoko Suvajdžić and Fran Binder, all unanimously agreed to schedule a public meeting to establish the Serbian Orthodox Church with a commitment to belonging to the Serbian Patriarchate. Three important decisions were made at the meeting:

To establish the Serbian Orthodox Community in the desire to spread the Orthodox faith, with Christian love and respect for all others; To provide a building fund for the construction of the temple and multiply the membership full of enthusiasm for the realization of the plan; A Board of Directors of seven full members was elected.

It was later decided to get in touch with His Eminence the Bishop of East America and Canada, Dr. Sava Vuković who was based in Cleveland, Ohio. Before his first visit to Vancouver, Bishop Sava sent a letter to the Orthodox community:

I ask you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom the soul of the Serbian people is firmly bound by the merit of our Saint Sava, to take care of His Church as befits those who are Christ not only in name, but also in your lives, and that you may advance it with the zeal of the first Christians because it is said that only those who can enlighten others can burn.

Bishop Sava sent Rev. Vladimir Milinković of Windsor"s Gračanica parish in May 1969 to assist the Vancouver community in formally organizing a Church School Congregation of Sava Sava.

Bishop Sava's consequent visit was useful, contributing to combating and resolving the problems with the schism that had reigned in North America for seven years at the time. Meanwhile, until the community bought the building, Father Krsto Rikić served the holy liturgy in the premises of the Anglican Church of St. George at 2950 Laurel Street, Vancouver, and the community prepared lunches (agape) after prayer. (Krsto Rikić in early 1970 was sent to Montreal to replace Father Dimitrije Najdanović who moved to the United States).

Church purchase

The first good news was brought to the community by Aleksandar Matić and Vera Škokin, who announced that they found a church building for sale in the area of George Park in Vancouver. A unanimous decision was soon made to buy a church with a hall at 505 East 63rd Avenue East address. Earlier, it was originally a mission of the United Church of Canada, which dated back to 1913 and an addition was made in 1937. The church of Saint Sava together with the community center was consecrated on 10 February 1970. The burning of the mortgage took place on 26 February 1979, when His Eminence Bishop Christopher Kovacevich came to visit Saint Sava Church from his Edgeworth, Pennsylvania episcopal residence,

Revovation of Saint Sava Church

The action for the renovation of the temple and preparation for the consecration began with the agreement of the volunteers to make the altar apse, the honorary table, the iconostasis, remodeled the altar choir stage, and completely remodeled the lower dining room. Elan was at a high level, so everything was done that was conceived and agreed upon. The paintings on the throne icons are by artists Dita Cvitanović and Agnes Naumović. Academic painter Vladeta Petrović painted Old Testament motifs in the lower part of the iconostasis and the figures of the holy apostles. The cross on the top of the church was made and placed by brother Branko Veleglavac.

Dedication of the Church

On the day of the consecration of the church on July 25, 1971, Bishop Sava Vuković performed the rite of consecration.

Sources

• Diaspora Serbs: A Cultural Analysis by Earle Waugh and Milan V. Dimić, M. V, Dimić Research Institute, University of Alberta, 2002, pages 148-149
• Schematism: Souvenir Book of the Diocese of Canada, 1986, pages 97-102.
• V. Rev Miroslav Dejanov, "The Church School Congregation of St. Sava in Vancouver, Souvenir Book, 1983-1993, pages 140-144
• This week's news from Windsor's pews. The Windsor Star, Saturday, April 26, 1969, page 18

References

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