Administrator of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren Bishop Atanasije today (Feb. 19) visited the north of Kosovo, where he attended the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts in the church of St. Demetrius in Mitrovica and met with priests and religion teachers of the Mitrovica administrative district. Bishop Atanasije also visited the monasteries of Sokolica and Banjska today, appointing hieromonk Danilo as acting hegumen (to replace the dismissed hegumen Simeon Vilovski).
ANNOUNCEMENT OF SERVICES FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY (February 20 and 21, 2010)
On Saturday, February 20, 2010, on St. Theodore Saturday, His Grace Bishop Atanasije will serve Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the restored church of St. Nicholas in Priština. Prior to the Holy Liturgy, which will begin at 9:00 a.m. the recently rebuilt church will be reconsecrated. Taking into account that the remaining Serbs in Priština and the Serbs who fled from the city have asked a number of times that liturgy be served in this church, this will be the first opportunity for many natives of Priština to gather in the church in prayer and for the first time since 2004, when the church was torched, for the bells on this Serbian Orthodox church to ring once again.
On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, February 21, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Bishop Atanasije will serve. Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the newly restored Orthodox cathedral of St. George in Prizren, where he will also first reconsecrate the church, which was completely rebuilt after being torched in March 2004. The arrival of many natives of Prizren is expected from various parts of Serbia as well as of the remaining faithful in the Prizren region. After the liturgy a procession with icons will be held. Bishop Atanasije’s intention is to establish regular church life as soon as possible in Prizren and that the see of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren, in accordance with the decision of the Holy Assembly of Bishops in 2009, return to the newly restored Bishop’s residence. This will give additional impetus to the return of expelled Serbs to this ancient Serbian medieval capital.
