On Sunday, July 9th, the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost our Saratoga parish was blessed by the visit of His Grace Bishop Maxim.
Although many parishioners are traveling during summer, a very large number of our faithful gathered in our beautiful church on this sunny day to welcome His Grace to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The two lovely sisters Zoey and Tesla Vulovic welcomed the Bishop with flowers at the church doors. It was a special Liturgy as it was the first time that the Bishop served in the church after the walls were plastered, the new marble floor and the meticulously hand-carved iconostasis from Serbia were installed.
The faithful of Saratoga heard an inspiring sermon about the Gospel reading in which Jesus healed the evil possessed in Gergesene.
His Grace explained how the evil wants to bring harm, destruction and death to the world as opposed to God who is coming to heal and save his world and people. Furthermore the evil wants us to consider this world as estranged from God. Most of the people who are not with God also don’t want the Lord to intervene in their lives.
On the other hand, the Christians from the very beginning were praying „Thy Kingdom come“ and would exclaim in Aramaic “Maran Ata” which means “Come quickly, oh Lord!” This is what we want and pray for in the Divine Liturgy that His Kingdom comes!
His Grace shared the joy of the Divine Liturgy with the faithful praying and many received the Holy Communion. The Liturgy responses were beautifully sung by our great parish choir. Fr. Vido thanked His Grace for his visit and for serving the Divine Liturgy. After the Divine Liturgy, we had a delicious lunch in the church hall.
We also celebrated a round Birthday of our long-time parish member Dragana Šiljak who turned 80 on that day. Father Vido congratulated Dragana and thanked her for her long service as Kolo president and board member and for her help to the church. In the name of the Saratoga Kolo -Women’s Auxiliary the KSS President Susan Pavich and the KSS secretary Marlene Swanson presented nice flowers thanking her for her work for years. The choir sang Mnogaja ljeta!-To many years.
After the meal, His Grace with the host priest Fr. Vido, and board members walked back to the church to talk about the iconography and possible ways and techniques to adorn the church further in Saratoga.
We thank the Lord for such a beautiful Sunday gathered around our Hierarch who visited us.
Fr. Vidoslav Vujasin
