A great day for the Serbian diaspora in Chicago, and all of America – today the Church of St. Nicholas was consecrated, and the first liturgy in the new sanctuary was served by Metropolitan Longin, with the co-celebration of priests from the entire region.
The church, located in a suburb of the “Windy City” and one of the largest under the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States, was packed with believers. Among those present were the Consul General of the Republic of Serbia, Andrija Zečević, and the Consul General of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tatjana Telić.
Until three years ago, local Catholics prayed to God in the church built in 1925. Then the church was closed and put up for sale, until, on the initiative of several parishioners from the nearby Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, negotiations ensued, followed by a sale, after which the church became an Orthodox temple.
A GREAT DAY: A large number of parishioners attended the first divine service in the new temple
Renovation followed, which lasted until recently, and the happiest about moving in was Father Nemanja Tešić, who waited to move from a small and modest wooden church to a large one, where a school and kindergarten will start operating next year, and where basketball and karate training have already been held in the sports hall, which, along with folklore and theater, complete the mosaic of a rich social life in a part of the city where the largest number of Serbian immigrants live.
“We waited a long time, but it was worth it. A very joyful day, the church is full of people, it’s hard to find words to describe this. The Metropolitan was in prayer with us, we felt a certain grace and joy among the people, that we managed to move into a new temple, where people will be able to pray to God with their children, who are most important to us, and to whom we have dedicated ourselves maximally, so that this church will also be a school, a kindergarten, folklore, and a theater for them in the future, they will come and are already coming to sports activities. We will try to offer them the best we can to protect them from everything that the modern world offers and strives for. And we’ve only just begun, we have many more plans ahead of us,” Father Nemanja emphasized.
Metropolitan Longin, who served the solemn liturgy in the new church, raised his eyes to the sky when asked:
“Glory be to God for today. Divine power and energy always bring us together, but today is a special day for our Church of St. Nicholas. Our parishioners have moved to a new location today and renovated a temple that is twice the size of the one they had. We are happy when our parishes improve their church life. This relocation is nothing unusual for this Western world. It is sad when something has to be sold, but fortunately we don’t have such problems, because our community is growing more and more every year. This is one step forward, a success for everyone, especially a worthy priest, Father Nemanja, his administration, and parishioners, who set an example for others. That’s why there are many young people in this parish, many children, many activities. If God wills, next year we also plan a great consecration, where more people from the homeland will come,” the Metropolitan wished.
After the service, a festive program followed in the church hall with a traditionally rich meal.
The youngest and slightly older members of the “Moravac” Folklore Group performed, and their dance, song, and recitals drew applause from those gathered. The program was complemented by the choir of the Church of St. Nicholas and the ensemble Sestre Radović. The hosts of the event were Andrijana Keljević and Igor Obradović.
This was also an opportunity for parishioners and their guests to congratulate Metropolitan Longin on his 69th birthday, and the collection of donations for the further renovation of the ceremonial hall and fresco painting of the church continued.
Visitors had the opportunity to try special cigars called “Tesla,” which are produced in the Dominican Republic, and all proceeds from the sale go towards the construction of the first Serbian temple in the Caribbean, the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ in Punta Cana.
At the end of the festive part, it was announced that the works in the church and accompanying facilities are continuing and that, after the walls of the church are adorned with icons, the great consecration of the Church of St. Nicholas will follow.
Text/Photo/Video: Antonije Kovačević, Photo: Dejan Stamenković (Dreams Production)