On June 15, 2025, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Mother of God in Zemun, commemorating All Saints Sunday.
In his sermon, Patriarch Porfirije emphasized the foundational role of faith in human life and community:
“Faith is not merely one of the qualities of man, nor is it only a psychological expression of the human being. Faith is the foundation, the base, the hope; faith is more important than life itself. Life itself is grounded in faith and is an expression of life. Therefore, faith encompasses the whole person, all that we are. For this reason, faith shapes and guides the lives of each of us.”
He further explained the societal power of faith: “Faith has the power, the strength, and the task to shape the community, to shape the life of a nation, to set principles and guidelines, to point to true and right paths of life—in short, to form life, to organize life, to give birth to a life in accordance with the Gospel of Christ, with the Word of God, which by its nature aligns with our original health, with the healthy, true, right, and normal nature of us as individuals and as a community.”
Patriarch Porfirije stressed the special place faith holds in Serbian Orthodox identity: “We, Orthodox Serbs, know this well. We know because everything that in the history of our people was permeated by faith, everything sealed by faith—Orthodox faith, faith in Christ—everything that was an expression of faith not only had significance in the time and space it was active but also has meaning and importance for us today, even if it pertained to our ancestors one, two, three, five, or even ten centuries ago.”
The Divine Liturgy was concelebrated by Vicar Bishops Hilarion of Novo Brdo and Nikon of Jenopolje, Archpriest-Stavrophore Branko Zelen, Archpriest Đorđe Stojisavljević (Head of the Serbian Patriarch’s Office), Archpriests Boris Savić, Nebojša Topolić, Saša Krstić, and Đorđe Ostojić, Protodeacons Dragan Radić and Radomir Vrućinić, and Deacons Vasilije Perić and Nemanja.
Source: Patriarchate of Serbia
