On the night of the Feast of the Cross, at two o’clock after midnight, Abbess Hristina fell asleep in the Lord. She was the long-serving head of the Ljubostinja Monastery and one of the most respected nuns of the Serbian Orthodox Church. News of her repose deeply shook the faithful people and the sisterhood of this holy community, at whose head Mother Hristina spent more than three decades.
Mother Hristina, born as Velika Obradović on December 20, 1931, in the village of Sedlari near Trebinje, tied her life’s path to the Church at an early age. She came to the Ljubostinja Monastery in her youth and received monastic tonsure in 1951 from the then Bishop of Šumadija, Valerijan, when she was given the name by which she would become a symbol of spiritual steadfastness – Hristina.
After the death of the renowned Abbess Varvara in 1995, the monastery sisterhood and the then Bishop Sava Vuković entrusted her with the governance of the shrine. As abbess, Mother Hristina for decades was the quiet strength that preserved the tradition and spirituality of the endowment of Princess Milica.
Those who knew her describe her as a living example of humility and selflessness. Under her guidance, Ljubostinja remained a beacon of Orthodoxy, gathering believers from all corners of the world who sought comfort and spiritual counsel in the words of Mother Hristina.
The monastery expressed deep gratitude to all who were with the abbess in her final days, especially highlighting the care and love of Metropolitan of Kruševac David, as well as the dedication of the clergy and her nuns.
“Her life and service marked an entire era of spiritual work in our Church. Mother Hristina will be remembered as an example of faith and quiet service to God and the people,” the statement said.
The funeral of the worthy abbess will be held on Wednesday, in the monastery grounds of Ljubostinja, after the Holy Liturgy. The presence of a large number of believers, clergy, and church dignitaries is expected, who will come to pay their final respects to the woman who built her life into the foundations of this holy shrine.
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Source:Telegraf,Foto: Centrailnfo