SCHERERVILLE — “This is the closest I’ll come to God,” someone said Friday in the narthex of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church. A friend nodded affirmatively.
Moments later, the spiritual shepherd of millions walked through the church door.
Patriarch Porfirije, the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, stopped by Northwest Indiana as part of his visit to the United States from Jan. 24 to Feb. 5.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
John J. Watkins
The patriarch presided over a prayer service Friday at St. George, followed by dinner at the Halls of St. George.
“Make sure you are always going to be in my heart,” Porfirije said through an interpreter. “Even when I go back to the old country, you will be locked in my heart.”
The patriarch encouraged the assembly to always grasp their Serbian Orthodox heritage.
“Your faith has molded you into a special people of God,” he said. “Without our faith, we would not be what we have become.”
Porfirije also stressed that if people turn to God with good intentions, they will not be disappointed.
“Everything we ask should have a priority — the kingdom of heaven and justice of God,” the patriarch said. “If Christ is your priority, everything will come to you in the proper place, sooner or later. With Christ, … we are always going to be winners. Without God, we can do nothing.”
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
Teodora Dimitrijevic meets Patriarch Porfirije on Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
Porfirije also visited St. Sava Church in New York, which is under reconstruction after it was destroyed by fire in 2018. The patriarch also celebrated the feast of St. Sava, the 13th-century saint venerated as the founder of the independent SOC.
The patriarch met with staff and students at the St. Sava Orthodox School of Theology in Libertyville, Illinois, the only higher education institution of the Serbian Orthodox faith in North America.
Other stops included Grayslake, Illinois; Chicago; Milwaukee; and back to New York for the return trip Sunday.
“Wherever we are in the church, we are home,” Porfirije said. “Every single church is our home, no matter where we live.”
Porfirije is the spiritual leader of 8 million Serbian Orthodox faithful in Serbia, the other former Yugoslav republics, Kosovo and dioceses in the U.S., Australia and Eastern Europe.
Northwest Indiana has four Serbian Orthodox churches: St. Elijah and St. Sava in Merrillville, and St. George in Schererville and East Chicago.
The former Prvoslav Perić, 61, was elected the 46th patriarch of the SOC on Feb. 18, 2021. His U.S. visit also raised funds for Serbian monasteries overseas.
“I beg you to always be led by the spirit of unity, unity in Christ,” Porfirije said. “Be ready to forgive each other. That was the main message of St. Sava.”
Led by Dr. Janice Zunich Katich, the St. George choir performed during the prayer service.
“This is an enormous honor to have our patriarch come to the U.S.,” Katich said. “It’s an opportunity to show where we came from and for him to give us a blessing.”
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
Dr. Janice Zunich leads the choir Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
Young people dressed in traditional Serbian garb lined the aisle into the church. Two youths, Vorana Reljic, 17, and Milana Bjelobaba, 19, presented Porfirije with special bread and salt, symbols of hospitality.
“We were very honored,” the girls agreed.
Talia Flores, 13, added, “We are so honored he came to our church. For older people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The Rev. Serge Veselinovich, from St. George in East Chicago, cited the opportunity “to meet our spiritual father. This can keep us strong, more united.”
Goran Suvajlo, president of St. George in Schererville, said the patriarch’s visit “means everything to Serbian Christians, Orthodox Christians. It’s a gift to see him.”
Dr. Davor Gusak came to the U.S. in 1998 as a Bosnian refugee. Through the patriarch’s local stop, Gusak said, “he recognizes our parish and took time to visit us. That means the world to us.”
PHOTOS: Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije enters St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville on Friday evening.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
Teodora Dimitrijevic meets Patriarch Porfirije on Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije participates in a service Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije enters the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church hall in Schererville on Friday evening.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
Children participate in a service for Patriarch Porfirije on Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
Teodora Dimitrijevic plays Chopin’s “Waltz in A minor” for Patriarch Porfirije on Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
John J. Watkins, The Times
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee.
Dr. Janice Zunich leads the choir Friday evening at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Schererville.
John J. Watkins, The Times
Source: Nwi times