“May the Word of God take root in our hearts”
Saint Petka Celebrated in San Marcos

On a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning, the twenty-first after the feast of Pentecost, the 25th of October, our St. Petka Serbian Church in San Marcos, California joyously welcomed His Eminence Archbishop Maxim for the celebration of our patronal feast, the Venerable Mother Paraskeva, Saint Petka. His Eminence was greeted and welcomed by the host clergy V. Rev. Protopresbyter Stavrophor Milovan Katanic, V. Rev. Protopresbyter Stavrophor Milan Vukovic, retired priest, and Protodeacon David Williams.

Upon his arrival Matins was served on this Sunday dedicated to the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. His Eminence spoke with great care and pastoral love in his homily on the Sunday gospel reading of the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. We all know, he noted, how are hearts are susceptible to change. At times we are ready to accept our neighbors, while other times our hearts are closed off because of our worries or various preoccupations in life. This ultimately prevents us from receiving that seed, that salvific Good News, which is Christ. Yet Christ, who knows the hearts of man, reminds us through this parable of the importance of our hearts to be like that good ground, that it might bring forth fruit, which is to say that the life of Christ might be realized in our own lives: a life of love, sacrifice, respect and care for one another.

The Litiya followed immediately after the liturgy at which time the Slava Kolach, together with this year’s kumovi Drazen, Bojana and Ksenija Zlovaric, was offered in honor of Saint Petka and the wheat blessed in memory of those who fell asleep in the faith, leaving us these beautiful customs to observe.