SAINT STEPHEN RISES IN CHICAGO: One of our most beautiful churches in America celebrated its patron saint’s day! (VIDEO + PHOTO GALLERY)

Yesterday, the Church of Saint Stephen of Dečani in Chicago, one of the oldest Serbian Orthodox parishes in this region, celebrated its patron saint’s day. The liturgy, with the blessing of Metropolitan Longin, was served by the hegumen of the Nova Gračanica Monastery, Sergije, with the co-service of the parish priest, Father Aleksandar Petrović.

The faithful filled the Church of Saint Stephen of Dečani to the last seat, and among the adults, there were many children. While the youngest marveled at the world around them from their parents’ arms, the slightly older ones joyfully sang and ran around the altar, throughout the sanctuary, and the oldest wore vestments and helped serve the liturgy as altar boys.

After the liturgy, the festive celebration continued in the church hall, where a rich festive lunch was served, prepared by the women of the Serbian Sisters’ Circle. Those present were able to enjoy a rich cultural and artistic program, which began with a beautiful presentation about Stefan Dečanski prepared by students of the local Seminary, Stefan Dmitrović and Milan Petrović.

Then came the breaking of the slava bread, in which, in addition to the clergy, theology students, and children, the Gatarić family, the hosts of this year’s slava, also participated.

TRADITION: A piece of the bread was also given to the family that will be the host of the slava next year.

After we were reminded of who this ruler/saint from the Nemanjić dynasty was and what he was remembered for, the program continued with recitals by children from the parish, and then with a program in which all generations of the parish’s Avala Folklore Group participated, from those who were just learning the first steps of traditional Serbian dances, to the older, more seasoned dancers.

All of them, of course, dressed in traditional Serbian costumes.

Father Aleksandar also gave an appropriate sermon about his first visit to Kosovo and Metohija and the most famous endowment of Stefan Dečanski and probably the most beautiful Serbian monastery, Visoki Dečani: “We all know that there are great shrines of ours in Kosovo, but believe me, until we see it, we are not aware of what we have there. They are our spiritual lighthouses and they make Kosovo a holy Serbian land. The holy fathers in Dečani even opened the reliquary for us so that we could kiss the hand of Saint Stefan Dečanski. Imagine, Serbs have been kissing the hand of their king for almost eight centuries and he protects and blesses.

The Dečani Monastery, unlike other monasteries, was never destroyed or burned. Throughout the centuries, it remained untouched, just as Stefan Dečanski built it, and to this day it shines with the same spiritual light. We asked the monks and holy fathers if they were afraid when there was the bombing in 1999, if they were afraid, if they hid from the monastery. And they say: not at all, we did not doubt for a single moment. We knew that no bomb would fall on the monastery. And none fell. True, one fell, but it fell on the retaining wall and did not explode. Saint Stephen preserved that monastery through the centuries, his relics, but also the monks who lived a life worthy of a saint. Saint Stephen of Dečani protects all his shrines, including ours, but we must also protect it, living according to the canons according to which he lived,” Father Aleksandar emphasized.

After the end of the official part of the program, we asked him to say a few words… “God has given us a beautiful day today and many people have gathered with their families, including those who celebrate Saint Stefan Dečanski as their patron saint, for whom this is a double celebration, so on this occasion I congratulate them and wish everyone that through the prayers of our patron saint, they may strengthen the faith in them, health, love, and all good things from the Lord,” said the parish priest, and added:

“That sense of belonging of our parishioners is what pleases me the most, because our church is our second home, here we are truly like one family and all the qualities that adorn a family are cultivated in our church as well. And we are happy when we see that our parishioners see this as a place where they want their children to grow up and gain knowledge about our faith, culture, and tradition and the skills of speaking the Serbian language. If we succeed in that, then the mission of our church is fulfilled,” emphasized Father Aleksandar Petrović, parish priest of the Church of Saint Stephen of Dečani in Chicago.