St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church
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Life of St. Sava

Welcome to Our Parish

Established October 15, 1901, ours is the oldest Serbian Orthodox Church in the Eastern United States, and the third oldest Serbian Orthodox Church in America. Comprised primarily of Orthodox Christians in McKeesport, Duquesne, West Mifflin, White Oak, North Huntingdon and Irwin, Pennsylvania, our parish is located at 901 Hartman Street in McKeesport.

We are under the local jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America and also the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, located in Belgrade,Serbia.

We welcome you to our website! We hope that your visit will provide you the opportunity to learn more about our parish and about the Orthodox Christian Faith.

Parish Slava Celebrated

Parish Slava Celebrated

Sunday, January 30, 2010

Our parish celebrated our Patronal Feast with a delicious banquet in the Church Hall immediately following the Divine Liturgy. The school children, ages 5 – 18 presented a wonderful program with most children memorizing their declamatcia ~ approximately 150 people shared in the fellowship of our St. Sava Day program.

This year's Kumovi were the St. Sava Sisterhood, represented by sisterhood president, Janice Pcholinski.

Youth Domacini were Alex Trbovich and Dana Buck.

For more photos please visit our photo archive page.

The Life of St. Sava ~ Enlightener of the Serbs

Born Prince Rastko Nemanjic, son of the Serbian ruler and founder of the Serbian medieval state Stefan Nemanja, St. Sava became the first Patriarch of Serbia (1219-1233) and is an important Saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church. 

As a young boy, Rastko left home to join the Orthodox monastic colony on Mount Athos and was given the name Sava. In 1197 his father, King Stefan Nemanja, joined him. In 1198 they moved to and restored the abandoned monastery Hilandar, which was at that time the center of Serbian Orthodox monastic life.

St. Sava's father took the monastic vows under the name Simeon, and died in Hilandar on February 13, 1200. He is also canonized a saint of the Church.

After his father's death, Sava retreated to an ascetic monastery in Kareya which he built himself in 1199. He also wrote the Kareya typicon both for Hilandar and for the monastery of ascetism. The last typicon is inscribed into the marble board at the ascetic monastery, which today also exists there. He stayed on Athos until the end of 1207, when he persuaded the Patriarch of Constantinople to elevate him to the position of first Serbian archbishop, thereby establishing the independence of the archbishopric of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the year 1219.

Saint Sava is celebrated as the founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church and as the patron saint of education and medicine among Serbs. Since the 1830s, Saint Sava has become the patron Saint of Serbian schools and schoolchildren. On his feast day, students partake in recitals in Church.

After participating in the blessing of the waters in January of 1235, St. Sava developed a cough that progressed into pneumonia. He died of pneumonia in the evening between Saturday and Sunday, January 14, 1235 and was buried at the Cathedral of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Trnovo. His relics remained in Trnovo until May 6, 1237, when his sacred bones were moved to the monastery Mileseva in southern Serbia. Three-hundred and sixty years later the Ottoman Turks burned his relics on the main square in Belgrade.

The Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade is the largest active Orthodox temple in the world today. It was built on the site where his holy relics were burned.

 

- Portions borrowed from catholicnewsagency.com

Hymn to Saint Sava

 

Himna Svetom Savi 

 

Let us sing with love
To Saint Sava.
Serb churches and schools
Glorify Him!

Serb pride-protector of schools
Good shepherd, St. Sava,
Let us praise Him, O Serbs
Let us sing His hymn thrice!

That all Serb lands
Can soon be united
Sun of freedom and righteousness
To shine to us at once:

To live in love and harmony
Help us, O Holy Father Sava,
Hearken the voice of the people,
The Serb nation!

 

 

 

 

Uskliknimo s ljubavlju

Svetitelju Savi

Srpske crkve i škole

Svetiteljskoj glavi.

Tamo venci tamo slava

Gde naš srpski pastir Sava.

Pojte mu Srbi,

Pesmu i utrojte

Blagodarna Srbijo,

Puna si ljubavi

Prema svome pastiru

Svetitelju Savi.

Celo Srpstvo slavi slavu

Svoga oca Svetog Savu.

Pojte mu Srbi,

Pesmu i utrojte!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parish News

Brady Family Hosts Youth Group Breakfast

On Saturday, January 23rd, the Brady family hosted a breakfast for the youth group in their North Huntingdon home.

For more photos, please visit our photo archive page.


 

Home Blessing Schedule 2010

The importance of having our home blessed each year cannot be overemphasized. It is a tangible way of beginning the New Year with the Grace of God present in our homes. It is also vitally important for us to render our homes under the protection of the Holy Spirit, safe-guarding them from indwelling of evil spirits.

To prepare for the priest's visit and the Blessing Service:

(1) Turn off all radios and televisions

(2) Prepare a list of all members of your family, both living and departed.

(3) Fill a bowl of water and place it on the table with a lighted holy candle and an icon.

The schedule below may be subject to change based on severe weather conditions or circumstances within the parish.

If you cannot be home at the scheduled time, please be courteous and call Fr. Stevo ((412) 672-1872) to make alternate arrangements. Thank You and God Bless You in the New Year!

Monday

Jan 18

Haler Heights and areas nearest the Church (i.e., Hartman, Anderson and Sarah Streets)

Tuesday

Jan 19

Grandview, Versailles, Union, Ridge, Banker Streets

Thursday

Jan 21

White, Walnut Street, North Versailles

Saturday

Jan 23

Catch Up – the above areas

Monday

Jan 25

Duquesne/West Mifflin

Tuesday

Jan 26

Duquesne/West Mifflin

Thursday – Saturday

Jan 28 – Jan 30

East McKeesport, Trafford, Monroeville, Churchill

Saturday

Jan 30

Catch Up – the above areas

Monday – Saturday

Feb 1 – Feb 6

Glassport, Dravosburg, Clairton

Monday – Saturday

Feb 8 – Feb 13

Irwin and North Huntingdon

Saturday

Feb 13

Catch Up – the above areas

Monday – Saturday

Feb 15 – Feb 20

10th Ward, Versailles, Port Vue, Liberty Boro, Jefferson Boro.

Outlying Areas – Greentree, Greensburg, Mars, Murrysville, Sewickley

 



Web Links

 
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