In an atmosphere of prayer and heartfelt thanksgiving, the name day of Metropolitan Sawa was solemnly celebrated on Sunday, 25 January, in Warsaw. Metropolitan Sawa’s heavenly patron is Saint Sava, the great apostle, teacher, and spiritual father of the Serbian people. The occasion became a special moment for the faithful to express filial love, deep respect, and sincere gratitude to the distinguished hierarch.
The central Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene, presided over by Metropolitan Sawa and concelebrated by members of the Holy Council of Bishops, as well as Archbishop Alexander of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The cathedral was filled with diocesan clergy, monastics, collaborators and friends of the Metropolitan, and numerous faithful, whose strong presence testified both to his spiritual authority and to the living bond uniting him with the people entrusted to his pastoral care.
Following the Divine Liturgy and a thanksgiving service, Metropolitan Sawa addressed the congregation, expressing gratitude for the warm wishes and the chanting of Mnogaya Leta. He emphasized that the commemoration of one’s heavenly patron holds special significance in the life of every Christian, as it is a moment of spiritual unity with one’s saintly intercessor and thanksgiving for God’s blessings. As Primate of the Orthodox Church in Poland, he noted, prayer for the local Church is both a great privilege and a sacred responsibility.
In his address, the Metropolitan reflected on the human person as a psychosomatic being, stressing that the soul is by nature believing. He encouraged the faithful to cultivate the divine element within themselves and to follow the example of the saints whose names they received at baptism. The saints, he underlined, remain powerful intercessors before God, and through Divine Mercy and their prayers the world continues to exist despite the deepening spiritual crisis. He also highlighted the fundamental role of the Divine Liturgy in the spiritual life of believers.
Turning to the figure of his heavenly patron, Metropolitan Sawa spoke of Saint Sava as one of the greatest saints of the Serbian people. Recalling his life, he noted that Saint Sava’s father, Saint Simeon, initially opposed his son’s monastic tonsure, hoping he would succeed him in worldly leadership. Ultimately, however, Saint Simeon himself embraced monastic life and became a saint whose relics are known to exude myrrh.
The Metropolitan expressed heartfelt thanks to God for granting him the strength, despite health challenges, to pray and celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the cathedral on this significant day. He offered gratitude to all present, especially the hierarchs, friends, clergy, and faithful from Warsaw and across the Orthodox Church in Poland. Special words were addressed to Archbishop Alexander, with an expression of prayerful support for Ukraine and its people, and renewed appeals for peace, for which the Church prays at every Divine Liturgy.
Encouraging the faithful to delve into the mysteries of God through faith, spiritual vigilance, and discernment, Metropolitan Sawa called for steadfast fidelity to Holy Orthodoxy and the preservation of Tradition, warning that any departure from it threatens the unity of the Church. He urged attentiveness to the healthy voice of the ecclesial body and rejection of influences that compromise its holiness.
On behalf of the Holy Council of Bishops, Archbishop Abel addressed the gathering, likening Metropolitan Sawa to Saint Sava himself. He noted that, following the example of his patron, Metropolitan Sawa has become a renewer of spiritual and monastic life, an educator of clergy, and an undisputed authority within the Orthodox Church in Poland. On the occasion of his name day, he presented the Metropolitan with a pastoral staff, wishing that the intercession of Saint Sava would strengthen him in his apostolic ministry to the Church and the homeland, and that the Most Holy Theotokos would grant him protection and good health.
The solemn celebration was further enriched by the prayerful chanting of two choirs: the cathedral choir and the choir of nuns from the monastery in Gródek, Ukraine.
Source: Church of Poland, Photos: Jarosław Charkiewicz
