“Brothers and sisters, I rejoice every time I come to Niš, and I rejoice especially when we have the opportunity, together with your Metropolitan Arsenije and our brother hierarchs, to pray to God, to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, to gather here in the church, and to do what is most important for our lives: to have, as much as possible, an unbreakable communion with the living God,” said Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, on the feast of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra and the patron saint day of Metropolitan Arsenije of Niš.
“Only when we are in a firm and pure communion of love with God do we become capable of living as true human beings, of living as we should. Then we become capable of achieving what is most necessary and most important in our lives: to see and recognize one another as brothers, as those close to us and important to us,” emphasized the Patriarch, who presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in Niš.
Concelebrating were Metropolitan Arsenije of Niš, Bishop Nikodim of Dalmatia, and Bishop Isihije of Valjevo, along with numerous clergy and monastics from several dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and a large gathering of faithful from Niš and the surrounding area. The festive beauty of the service was enhanced by the chanting of the renowned Niš church choir “Branko.”
After the Prayer Behind the Ambo, in honor of Saint Nicholas, Patriarch Porfirije blessed the festal offerings and broke the slava bread together with Metropolitan Arsenije, the host of the celebration.
Source: spc.rs
