Smedjerid Monastery, 22nd March 2020. 

To the pious priesthood and all brothers and sisters of the eparchate of Britain and Scandinavia in the Great Britain

In these our days we bear witness to the pandemic of the corona virus and to its effect on the modern world, which is undergoing crisis and tragedy of a depth not seen since the horror and destruction of world war. To greater or lesser degree this pandemic has indeed affected the whole world, and we are informed by experts in medicine that the worst days and months are yet to come upon us. This great tribulation has clearly been released upon peoples and nations in order that we might reassess our relations towards others, towards those closest to us, towards nature and generally towards the world in which we live. For there can be no doubt that it is human pridefulness and greed which lies at the root of this unparalleled crisis. These times in which we live demand of us a sober response to the newly-arisen situation, that we might remain completely calm and without fear, focused on the Lord himself, guided by our love for those close to us and for all mankind, indeed towards all of God’s creation.

London 20th March 2020

Dear brothers and sisters,

As you know, we are witnessing an unprecedent pandemic which requires effort from all of us in order to minimise losses, particularly human. We hope that you are well informed about the pandemic in the UK and that you are following NHS instructions how to protect yourselves and others (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/). We also hope that you are following statements on the pandemic situation from our holy Serbian Orthodox Church in homeland and abroad, as well as from other Orthodox churches around the world.

The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church has been closely and carefully following up the daily news and statements of those in charge of the Church, the State, and the medical profession about the increasing spread coronoviral infection that is dangerous to health - and in many cases, to life itself – to life of millions of people.

St Sava ball and charity dinner will take place on 8th February 2020 at Copthorne Tara Hotel, Kensington, London, W8 5SR from 6pm. More information about the programme and tickets can be found here.

This is to inform the Оrthodox faithful as well as all people of good will that we are going to gather in front of the Embassy of Montenegro (47 De Vere Gardens, Kensington, London W8 5AW) on Sunday the 5th of January 2020 from 2 to 4pm to express our protests against the latest developments in Montenegro in respect of the controversial law on freedom of religion.

We want to express our deep solidarity with Christ’s Church in Montenegro supporting Metropolitan Amfilohije, the bishops, priests, monastics and the faithful people who are defending our holy shrines at present  which the Metropolia of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church has possessed for centuries.

Gross violation of human rights on the part of the arrogant Montenegrin authorities and President Djukanovic obliges us to raise our voice of discontent and express our dissatisfaction with the brutal involvement of the government into the church affairs, their grabbing of the church properties  and their imposing on the faithful which church they need to attend and what name the church should be called.

After the Liturgy in St. Sava’s Church which starts at 10am, we are going to serve the moleben for the peace and unity of the Serbian people and the freedom of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. We will then be going to the Embassy of Montenegro where we are going to express our protests demanding the withdrawal of this deeply unjust law which harms the biggest religious group in Montenegro bringing unrest and division in the society.

SOC St Sava’s London

Between 20-25th October, a group of parishioners from St Sava’s Church in London went on a pilgrimage trip to the Mount Athos.

The group was led by Fr. Dragan Lazić. In large part, this expedition had all the hallmarks of a pilgrimage. The pilgrims were introduced to a spiritual wealth – holy shrines of the Orthodox Christian faith on the Holy Mount and to the cultural and historical heritage of the Serbian people in this peninsula. In addition to the Month Athos, devotees also visited several sights of Thessaloniki.