On the feast of St. Cyril, the Enlightener of the Slavs, celebrated yesterday, the Serbian Orthodox Church announced that His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije has established a new missionary department for the Archdiocese of Belgrade, “due to the need to improve missionary activity.” This is the first time the central diocese of the Serbian Church has had such a department, under the direct supervision of the Patriarch.

The new department is headquartered at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in the Dorćol neighborhood of Belgrade – a church with decades of missionary work under its belt, best seen in its missionary school, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.

The department’s multifaceted activities will include missionary work with foreign citizens living in Belgrade who are interested in Orthodoxy, and public forums where Orthodox clergy and religious teachers will exchange views on various topics with figures from science, philosophy, and art and culture to “help break prejudices about the Church.”

There is also a division dedicated to apologetics, to provide a systematic response to the contemporary challenges of sectarianism, guruism, and the New Age movement, and a division dedicated to electronic missions.

By decision of Pat. Porfirije, the department will celebrate its slava on the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius on May 11/24. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 28. Februar 2024)