Religious Observances

Join us this Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana for our weekly Akathist prayers (Click here to learn more about the Akathist prayer services at St. Sava Church).

This week we offer praises for The Holy Apostle Simon Zealot.

The Holy Apostle Simon Zealot

This week’s Akathist is dedicated to The Holy Apostle Simon Zealot. He was one of the twelve Great Apostles, born in Cana of Galilee. The Lord Jesus came to his wedding with His Mother and His disciples, and, when the wine run out, the Lord changed the water into wine. Seeing this wonder, the newly-married Simon left his home and parents and bride, to go after Christ.

Simon was called the Zealot because of his great and burning zeal for the Saviour and His Gospel. After receiving the Holy Spirit, he went off to preach the Gospel in Mauretania  in Africa. As a result of his success in bringing many to the Faith of Christ, he was tortured and finally crucified like his Lord, who had prepared a crown of glory for him in His immortal Kingdom.

Join us this Thursday, Jan. 28 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana for our weekly Akathist prayers (Click here to learn more about the Akathist prayer services at St. Sava Church).

This week we offer praises for The Icon of the Mother of God.

The Icon of the Mother of God, “She who gives suck”

This week’s Akathist is dedicated to The Icon of the Mother of God, “She who gives suck.” This is the name given to the Icon of the Mother of God that St. Sava of Serbia brought from the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified near Jerusalem and placed in his hermitage at Karyes on the Holy Mountain.

In that way the prophecy, made 800 years previously by St. Sava the Sanctified, was fulfilled – that one day a Serbian priest called Sava would come and would be given the Icon and his staff. When Sava of Serbia visited the community of St. Sava the Sanctified, the monks called to mind the prophecy of their founder and gave the icon and the staff to Sava.

vThe icon was placed at the right – hand of the Royal Doors in the hermitage, and the staff in a cell which receive the name “Pateritsa” (the name used for a bishop’s staff, the fathers rod”, also situated at Karyes.

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 2016 Schedule for Blessing of Homes is now available for download in both Serbian and English languages.

• Click to download the Blessing of Homes – Schedule 2016 in English and Serbian

Blessing of Homes – Schedule 2016

Dear Members and Parishioners,

It is time for the blessing of homes. The following schedule will inform you as to when I will be in your area.

• 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

With God`s blessing,

Father Marko Matic

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Драги наши чланови и парохијани,

Време је благосиљања и освећења домова. Распоред који шаљем, помоћи ће вам да знате када намеравам да будем у вашем месту.

• 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

С Божијим благословом,

Отац Марко Матић

About Blessing of Homes and Preparation

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.

• Click to download the Blessing of Homes – Schedule 2016 in English and Serbian

Join us this Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana for our weekly Akathist prayers (Click here to learn more about the Akathist prayer services at St. Sava Church).

This week we offer praises for St. John the Baptist.

St. John the Baptist

This week’s Akathist is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. St. John’s greatest role during his life was enacted on the day of the Theophany, and because of this the Church has, from the earliest times, dedicated the day following that feast to his memory.

St. John is commemorated several times during the year, but his greatest feast is on January 20/7 (January 20 according to Gregorian Calendar and January 7 according to Julian Calendar). Among the Gospel-figures surrounding the Saviour, the person of John the Baptist holds a very special place, by the manner of his birth in this world and of his earthly life, by his role of baptizer of men to repentance and his baptism of the Messiah, and lastly, by the tragic manner of his departure from this world.

He was of such moral purity that he indeed deserved the name “angel” as he was named in the scriptures, rather than  being thought of as just a mortal man. St. John differs from all the other prophets in that he had the joy of showing forth to the world the One Whom he had foretold, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Where is St. John the Baptist in St. Sava Church

The icon of St. John the Baptist is an icon that you can more closely examine for yourself inside the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Indiana. The icon of St. John can be found immediately to the right of the South Doors, also called the Deacon Doors, of the iconostasis that separates the nave from the sanctuary inside the Church.

Join us for Divine Liturgy beginning at 9:00 a.m. and 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.

Join us this Thursday, Jan. 14 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana for our weekly Akathist prayers (Click here to learn more about the Akathist prayer services at St. Sava Church).

This week we offer praises for St. Basil the Great (January 14 according to Gregorian Calendar and January 1 according to Julian Calendar).

St. Basil the Great

This week’s Akatist is dedicated to St. Basil the Great. St. Basil was born about 330 AD. He spent fifteen years studying philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and other contemporary secular discipline.

Among his fellow-students were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the Apostate emperor.
He was a Bishop Caesarea in Cappadocia for nearly ten years, an died at the age of fifty.

He was a great champion of Orthodoxy, a great torch of moral purity and zeal for the Faith, a great theological mind, a great builder and pillar of the Church of God. Many of his writings survived such as theological, apologetic, on asceticism and on Canons (Church Law).

There is also Liturgy that bears his name. This Liturgy is celebrated ten times in the year: on January 1/14, on the Eve of Christmas and Theophany, on every Sunday in the great Fast with the exception of Palm Sunday, and on the Thursday and Saturday in Great Week.

St. Basil departed this life on January 1/14, 379.

Join us at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church for the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great – Thursday, Jan. 14 beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is used ten specific times per year and differs from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom which has become the standard liturgy used in the Orthodox Church.

One of these special times each year where the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is used falls on the feast day of St. Basil which takes place on the first of January on the traditional Julian Calendar used by the Serbian Orthodox Church (January 1 of the Julian Calendar falls on January 14 of the Gregorian Calendar).

An icon of Saint Basil the Great (AD 330-379) can be found at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana, in the recess of the altar east wall, south side. Like Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Basil was an early church Father. He established Nicean Orthodoxy over Arianism in the Byzantine east. His liturgical works are celebrated in the easter and western churches.

More about St. Basil the Great

According to book, “The PROLOGUE OF OHRID” by Saint Nikolai Velimirović:

Basil was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. While still unbaptized, he spent fifteen years in Athens, where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and all other secular sciences of that time. His colleagues there were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the apostate emperor. In his mature years he was baptized in the Jordan River along with Ebulios his former teacher. He was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for almost ten years and completed his earthly life fifty years after his birth. He was a great defender of Orthodoxy, a great light of moral purity, a religious zealot, a great theological mind, a great builder and pillar of the Church of God.

Basil fully deserved the title “Great.” In liturgical services he is referred to as the “bee of the Church of Christ, which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics.” Numerous works of this Father of the Church are preserved; they include theological, apologetical, ascetical and canonical writings, as well as the Holy and Divine Liturgy named after him.

This Divine Liturgy is celebrated ten times during the year: on the First of January, his feast day; on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord; on the eve of the Theophany of our Lord; all Sundays of Great Lent except Palm Sunday; on Great and Holy Thursday; and on Great and Holy Saturday. St. Basil reposed peacefully on January 1, 379 A.D., and entered into the Kingdom of Christ.

Mir Božiji, Hristos se rodi! That is the greeting Serbian Orthodox Christians exclaim today.

It means: God’s peace, Christ is born! The response is Vaistinu se rodi! or Indeed He is born!

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church wishes a happy holiday to everyone celebrating this special day.

Join us this Thursday, Dec. 31 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Sava Church in Merrillville, Indiana for our weekly Akathist prayers (Click here to learn more about the Akathist prayer services at St. Sava Church).

This week we offer praises for Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated, according to Julian Calendar, December 25, and according to Gregorian January, 7.

Orthodox Christians are following the Julian calendar which was active during the Birth of Christ. This Akathist is dedicated to Jesus.

When fullness of time was come, God sent His only begotten son’ (Gal. 4:4) to save the human race. And when the ninth month had come after the archangel Gabriel appeared to the most holy Virgin in Nazareth, saying: “Hail, thou that art highly favored.. thou shalt conceive and bear a son”…

Joseph and Mary were invited by a decree of Caesar Augustus the Emperor of Rome to register at their home town of Bethlehem. When they arrived they could not find a lodging in any house, and found shelter in a cave. In this cave the most holy Virgin gave birth to the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The shepherds came in from a field after they had heard a multitude of angels singing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men” (Luke 2:14). They worshiped Him as Messiah and Savior.

At that time there also came wise men from the East, led by a wonderful star, bearing their gifts: gold, frenkincense and myrr, and worshiped Him as King of kings, offering Him their gifts (Mat. 2:11).

In the Akathist prayer we will glorify Our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, asking Them for Their blessings and share with us Their Divine nature.

Come and joins us to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ!

What is Akathist?

Join us Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the St. Sava Church for Akathist – a brief weekly celebration of the works of the Saints, Holy Days, and Holy Trinity.

The Akathist service lasts approximately 35 minutes and is an opportunity for a uniquely participatory service in which men and women may have the option to read passages from the Book of Akathists, exchanging phrasings with Clergy, and experiencing a unique mid-week spiritual connection with fellow parishioners. Click here to read more about Akathist…