With the blessing of the administrator of the Diocese, Bishop Teodosije, together with priests Bogomir Stević and Slobodan Trajković, today opened a sixth soup kitchen in the village of Vidanje in Metohija, which will provide food for 250 socially most vulnerable persons on the territory of municipality of Istok and Klina. This soup kitchen and five others that are working in other parts of Kosovo and Metohija are operated by the NGO "Majka devet Jugovića" (Mother of the Nine Jugoviches), which is headed by presbytera Svetlana Stević. The opening of the first soup kitchen in Metohija is another in a series of efforts by the Diocese of Raška and Prizren and the NGO "Mother of the Nine Jugoviches" to help those who are most in need of help. The NGO "Mother of the Nine Jugoviches" provides regular meals for 1700 socially vulnerable persons in Kosovo and Metohija.

In his homily after the consecration of the kitchen, Bishop Teodosije those present of the evangelical words "As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me" (Mat 25:45), emphasizing Christ's teaching that in addition to the commandment of love toward God, we should also love our neighbors as ourselves. The Bishop also thanked the donors from America, Australia, brothers from Republika Srpska as well as all those participated in the campaign "One SMS for one meal for the hungry in Kosovo and Metohija".

With the blessing of Bishop Atanasije, the administrator of the Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, the Bishop's deputy, Vicar Bishop Teodosije, visited the village of Prilužje in the municipality of Vučitrn today to attend the commemoration of Remembrance Day for Prilužje residents who perished during the last war. On this day each year a memorial service is served for six young men who perished as innocent victims in May 1999: Slobodan Bojković, Predrag Zdravković, Slavujko Miletić, Milovan Zdravković, Slaviša Zdravković and Miroslav Vojinović.

Upon arriving in Prilužje, Bishop Teodosije was ceremoniously greeted in the churchyard by parish priest Milomir Vlašković with many faithful and children in folk costumes. In a short address to the gathered people in the church, the Bishop conveyed the blessing of Bishop Atanasije, expressing joy that the village has so many children and and that the resident managed to survive with the firm determination to remain in their ancestral homes. After the memorial service, which was served in front of the monument to the killed youths, Bishop Teodosije delivered a homily in which he called on the faithful to remember in their prayers those who perished in the last war, the innocent victims - those, as it is written on the monument to the killed youths, "who gave their lives to give us life".
 

Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija
E.br. 135
16 May 2010

The Bishop Administrator of the Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija hereby issues the following

DECISION

Nun Antusa, the Abbess of Gorioč Monastery near Istok, is hereby released from the duty of administering the Monastery for arbitrarily transferring to the Diocese of Šabac, and is responsible for transferring administration to hieromonk Ilarion, the hieromonk in this Monastery, who is a brother of Visoki Dečani Monastery, who will assume the duty of priestly and material administration of Gorioč Monastery as Acting Hegumen.

Bishop Administrator of the
Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija

+Bishop Atanasije
 

Bishop Atanasije, the administrator of the Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, served Holy Liturgy today in Sokolica Monastery with the concelebration of protopresbyter-stavrophor Milija Arsović. Also taking part in the Holy Liturgy were Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan, Abbess Makarija and her sisters and about twenty faithful who took communion.

Bishop Atanasije delivered a homily on the Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and the High Priestly Prayer of Christ which, he emphasized, shows that the purpose of the entire order of salvation and union with the Holy Trinity.

After a lunch that was prepared for the guests by Mother Makarija, Bishop Atanasije gave a seminar for religion teachers in the amphitheater of the University in Mitrovica on "The Divine Order as the Framework and Content of Religious Education". The lecture was attended by about sixty religion teachers and priests from the Diocese of Raška and Prizren.

During the lecture Bishop Atanasije spoke about the order of salvation (oikonomia) as God's plan for salvation that is not limited only to redemption but includes self-realization, completion and fulfillment, constant growth in the fullness of the union of man and God. Later in lecture the Bishop explained that the pre-eternal intention of the Holy Trinity, as the Eternal Council, was to make the created world a coparticipant in the communion of Divine nature and the eternal glory of God and that is why the figure of the Incarnate God the Logos, Christ the God-Man is at the very center of the Divine order of salvation. The world was created in order to enter into most intimate community with the Holy Trinity through the hypostasis of the Son of God in which the secular and the heavenly unite in the Church as the Body of Christ in which we as the members of Christ become part of the same body of Christ and coparticipants in His eternal glory.

During today's lecture Bishop Atanasije announced that soon, as he had already requested during the Holy Assembly of Bishops, he would withdraw from the position of Administrator of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren for health reasons and that the Holy Sznod of Bishops would soon appoint a new administrator until the election of a regular diocesan bishop.

The monastery of Gračanica today celebrated the feast of St. Athanasius the Great and the name day of Bishop Atanasije (Athanasius), the administrator of the Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija. Bishop Atanasije served Holy Liturgy with the concelebration of his deputy, Vicar Bishop Teodosije, and eight priests. In addition to the sisters of Gračanica Monastery and the nuns of Končul Monastery, the monks of Dečani and approximately ten faithful from Gračanica also took part in the Liturgy. During Holy Liturgy Bishop Atanasije gave an inspired homily about Psalm 102 and the spiritual relationship of man and God which is manifested through thanksgiving and humility before the mystery of God's love. At the end of the Holy Liturgy, Bishop Teodosije wished Bishop Atanasije a happy name day and thanked him for the great efforts he has invested for the good of the Church and the people, especially in Kosovo and Metohija. After breaking the slava bread and refreshments in the monastery reception room, Abbess Efrosinija and her sisters prepared a slava luncheon for all.

The Ascension day was celebrated today at Visoki Dečani Monastery with a Holy Liturgy served by Bishop Atanasije, the administrator of the Diocese of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, with the concelebration of Vicar Bishop Teodosije and seven priests and priest-monks. Some 200 faithful from different parts of Kosovo and Metohija and central Serbia took eucharistic part in the Holy Liturgy. Also at the celebration were monks from the monasteries of Sopoćani and Tvrdoš, and the sisters from Končul Monastery with Abbess Minodora, as well as sisters from Gračanica Monastery. Meanwhile, another 300 pilgrims arrived from various parts of Kosovo and Metohija. Bishop Atanasije delivered a homily about the significance of the feast of the Ascension of Christ in the order of the salvation of humanity and all creation.

During Holy Liturgy on the patron saint's day of Dečani Monastery, news arrived that Serb returnees in the village of Žač, Istok municipality, were targeted by automatic gunfire at about 11 o'clock last night from a nearby road, and the closest tent was riddled with bullets. By God's providence, the seven or eight Serbs remaining in Žač (about twenty other returnees have temporarily retreated to northern Serbia due to previous attacks by Albanians) were in an adjacent half-destroyed house and with them were several KFOR soldiers (Slovenes) who, however, did nothing to stop the shooting nor begin the search for the perpetrators.