St. Sava, the Enlightener of Serbia and first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, is the most beloved saint of the Serbian Orthodox faithful. He was declared the patron saint of schools and students by Prince Miloš Obrenović (1780-1860) and today many schools in Serbia and in the Serbian diaspora are named in his honor and his feast day is always festively celebrated. His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia has said of St. Sava: “From any point that we start from in the fields of culture, art, and spirituality, all the paths always converge towards St. Sava, the central personality of history and culture, but especially of spirituality and the Serbian Church. The cultural history of the Serbs begins with his personality and he is a great gift for the Serbian people. He set in motion the wheel of Serbian history and culture, that still revolves to this day.”

Now St. Sava will be officially celebrated in Romania on January 27 as well, following the Romanian Chamber of Deputies’ adoption on April 10 of the legislative draft for the establishment of his feast day as a holiday of the Serbian minority in Romania, reports the Basilica News Agency, with reference to the Chamber’s website. The draft was unanimously adopted by all 246 deputies who were present for the vote.

According to Slavoliub Adnagi, a Romanian Deputy of Serbian origin and initiator of the bill, “St. Sava is the historical, religious personality that enjoys the highest honor among the Serb minority in Romania and Serbs around the world. Although the history and culture of the Serbs are rich in heroes and saints, St. Sava is considered the most important. He gave the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people the spirit and vital force so necessary to overcome hardships throughout history.”

The events that will be organized in honor of St. Sava’s day will have an important role in promoting Romania’s image in the world, Adnagi writes, and will make an essential contribution towards preserving the values of the Serbian minority in Romania, promoting cultural diversity and good living, developing cultural and social partnerships with the Republic of Serbia, and highlighting the contribution of the Serbian minority to cultural and social life in Romania.

As the Basilica News Agency reports, the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Timisoara, led by His Grace Bishop Lukijan Pantelić, operates within the territory of Romania. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 12. April 2019)