SERBS CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS THROUGHOUT SOUTH AMERICA: They prayed for the salvation of Kosovo and Metohija! (PHOTO)

The most joyous Christian holiday – Christmas, was celebrated by believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church in almost all countries of Latin America. In some temples, such as the “Caribbean Gracanica” in the Dominican Republic, the liturgy was attended by more than a hundred believers, while in others, such as the church in the Argentine province of Chaco, there were about fifty Orthodox Christians of different skin colors and nations who, in order to respect the customs, obtained the “badnjak” (yule log) “through a connection” from Europe. At all services, the Christmas encyclical of Patriarch Porfirije was read and prayers were offered for the salvation of Kosovo and Metohija, although most of those present had never been there.

Estimates suggest that between 1.5 and two million Orthodox believers live on the soil of South America. Some of them belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has been operating in an organized manner on this continent since 2011, when the Diocese of Buenos Aires and South-Central America was founded.

The largest by territory within the SOC, this diocese has parishes and missions in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.

Prayers for KiM from Brazil

In the majority of these countries, the SOC believers are of different skin colors and nations, but are dedicated to Saint Sava and in constant prayer for Kosovo and Metohija.

“Kosovo and Metohija are the heart and soul of the Serbian people. Our prayers, as well as the prayers of the faithful, are always directed toward the holy Serbian land,” says Protopresbyter-Stavrophore Dr. Alexis Pena-Alfaro, who has never been to the southern Serbian province.

He served the Christmas liturgy in the Monastery of the Holy Trinity located in Aldeia, in the province of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil.

He learned about the symbolism of KiM through books, but also during visits to Serbian churches and monasteries in Serbia, Montenegro, and Mount Athos.

“I visited Serbia twice. The first time in 2004, only Belgrade. The second time in 2013, when I was in Belgrade, I also visited the Temple of Saint Sava while it was still under construction. I was also in Montenegro, at the monasteries of Ostrog and Cetinje, and then on Mount Athos, at the Hilandar monastery,” says this doctor of theology, in English.

He knows only a few words of Serbian.

Father Alfonso first served in the Roman Catholic Church before embracing Orthodoxy more than 25 years ago, and since then he has been a missionary, primarily in his home country where he was born – El Salvador, and then in Brazil.

“I am just traveling to El Salvador so that the believers in this country can also mark the most joyous Christian holiday by attending the liturgy,” he explains.

Previously, he served the Christmas liturgy at the Holy Trinity Monastery in northeastern Brazil.

“Bishop Ambrose of the Polish Orthodox Church participated in the service, as well as other priests and monks. After the Holy Gospel, I read the Christmas letter of our Patriarch Porfirije, and at the end, we all exclaimed ‘Christ is born – Truly He is born’,” says Father Alfonso.

The liturgy was mostly attended by Brazilians who converted to Orthodoxy, and what is pleasing, he points out, is that there are more and more children in the church.

Prayers from the Caribbean Gracanica

The most believers gathered in the “Caribbean” Gracanica in the Dominican Republic – the Temple of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Punta Cana.

This is the first Serbian Orthodox church in the entire Caribbean region, whose foundations were consecrated in December 2023.

The temple was built according to the project of the son of the celebrated architect Pedja Ristic, Sava, modeled after the Gracanica in Herzegovina, with a crypt dedicated to Tsar Lazar and Saint Alexander Nevsky.

“In the Caribbean is the fourth Gracanica in the world. They also call it the ‘church of gold’. It is a copy of the Gracanica from Trebinje. The plan of Metropolitan Amfilohije and myself was to transfer that Kosovo Covenant here to the Caribbean in this way, through the nativity of Orthodox architecture in the Byzantine style, so that it would be heard and known,” says Archimandrite Dr. Evstatije Milos Azdejkovic, the head of this temple, proudly.

They also call that church the “temple of the unification of all Orthodox peoples” because it is the first in this part of the world, and Azdejkovic explains that it was built with the kindness of people around the world in just two years and will soon be finished.

“Despite that, we regularly hold liturgies here, as well as weddings and baptisms,” he points out proudly.

Tensions in South America – nothing new

Archimandrite Azdejkovic is also responsible for two SOC churches in Venezuela.

This country has been in the focus of world public attention for weeks. This year, Christmas liturgies were absent, but not because of tensions.

“Tensions are always present on South American soil, as everywhere. They are nothing new, they are common, but we have no problems,” he says.

At the Christmas liturgy in the Caribbean, there were about 120 believers from all over the world who are settled in the Dominican Republic.

They were connected by the Orthodox faith.

“There are about one and a half million Orthodox Christians on South American soil, mostly Russians, Bulgarians, Arabs… At least 100,000 Serbs have come since 1945, to Argentina, Venezuela, Chile… Although the Roman Catholic Church has been present on South American soil since Columbus, that is not the Christianity that the souls of these people seek. Even though they never knew our faith, they seek the Orthodoxy that we preach during holy liturgies and prayers that we read aloud, in Spanish or Portuguese,” Azdejkovic explains.

Bells from central Argentina

Presbyter Aleksandar Milovic has been a permanent priest in Argentina for just over a month. He serves in the Temple of the Holy Trinity in the capital of the Chaco province, Resistencia.

“Until recently, there were only five or six believers who came to liturgies twice a month. Glory to the Lord, a community is being built, the Orthodox spirit and our tradition and culture are being renewed. But it is necessary for us to be constant in this, and not to be inconsistent as in other things,” says this young priest.

By the decision of Bishop Kirilo, he was ordained a little over a month ago and lives in this city in central Argentina.

“Now we have 20-30 believers at the liturgy, which is a very large number for Argentina,” says Milovic.

Getting a “badnjak” in Argentina is not simple, so every priest manages as best they know how.

“We got the badnjak from Germany. A friend from Germany brought it,” he reveals.

Prayers for Serbs in KiM from Colombia

“God’s peace, Christ is born,” says Hieromonk Simeon Lopez in pure Spanish.

He serves in the Church of the Holy Trinity located in Medellin, a city far better known to the wider public for the drug king Pablo Escobar.

“The holiday began in the evening with the solemn service of the evening liturgy, which prepared hearts for the mystery of the Incarnation. Following the dear Serbian tradition, the community then gathered around the burning of the badnjak. The hearth, whose crackling filled the night air, symbolized the fire that warmed the Christ Child in the Bethlehem cave and the light of Christ that illuminates the world, uniting everyone in a circle of warmth and anticipation,” says “padre” Lopez, who was a psychotherapist before converting to Orthodoxy.

He explains that the liturgy was enhanced by the singing of a local choir he formed from about 40 believers.

In this part of South America as well, the Christmas encyclical of the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije was read, and Lopez says that in this way “the small Orthodox community in Colombia is spiritually connected with the Mother Church in Serbia.”

“The liturgy was not the end, but the climax that poured into festive joy. After receiving the Holy Gifts, the celebration continued with a concert of Christmas songs, which were a true mosaic of Orthodoxy around the world: deep Russian melodies were heard, cheerful Serbian chants, Ukrainian harmonies, and as a testament to the incarnation of faith on this land, traditional Colombian Christmas carols were not missing either. This sonic blend symbolized the catholicity of the Church, where all nations celebrate one Lord. The night ended with a rich fraternal agape,” says Lopez.

He proudly points out that the liturgy and Christmas celebration were attended by believers from Serbia, Russia, and the USA who found their peace in this part of the world and started families.

“This celebration was a living confirmation that the parish of the Holy Trinity is a place where tradition is lived authentically, where the welcome is universal and where the joy of faith is shared in a tangible way. May the joy of this Nativity carry us through the whole year,” says this priest.

He adds that part of the prayers of the Orthodox believers was dedicated to the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as for the preservation of Serbian holy sites in the southern province.

“People here know little about Kosovo and the recent history of the Balkans. The older ones know that Kosovo was an essential part of Serbia and that after a violent conflict, with the help of NATO, it declared independence. For us, Kosovo is the source of Orthodoxy and the soul of our faith,” he proudly emphasizes.

“Christmas with Children” action

He also points out that for 13 years, the parish of the Holy Trinity in Medellin, together with the Colombia Digna foundation, has been organizing the “Christmas with Children” event.

“Christmas with Children is held in honor of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of children and sailors. This year we organized it on December 18 in the El Rubi neighborhood, in the municipality of Yolombo. The goal is to provide children from remote parts of Colombia with a day of joy, togetherness, sharing, and happiness,” explains this priest.