Serbs around the world only heard about Jackson, California a few years ago when a video of Christmas celebrations spread online, showing our compatriots firing their available weapons in the city center—a boisterous celebration of the most joyous Christian holiday on the planet!
This year, we had the honor of being their guests and, as the first Serbian media outlet, reporting on Christmas live from Jackson. After spending several days there, we realized that the significance of local Serbs goes far beyond the Christmas gunfire…
In this town stands the oldest Serbian church in America, named Saint Sava, founded in 1892, with its first priest Sebastian Dabović, who was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2015—the first saint born outside Serbia and the Balkans. Today, his relics are preserved in this church.
This church is also unique because three Americans, all Marines and war veterans, serve as deacons. They were so inspired by Orthodoxy that they converted and are now on the path to becoming Orthodox priests.
Additionally, the church and community were led for decades by Milo Radulović, a man persecuted during the infamous American Red Scare under false communist accusations. His life story inspired Hollywood to make a film about him, produced by the legendary actor George Clooney.
In Jackson, we also met several parishioners, born Americans with no genetic ties to Serbia, who share something far deeper and spiritual, which is why Saint Sava Church became their second home and Orthodoxy their chosen faith and life philosophy.
Watch all these incredible stories we collected in a single report—we believe they will stay with you for a long time…
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