A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

Second Editor's Letter

Dear Readers,

The world of Serbica Americana is a captivating place — the more you know about it, the more interesting it gets. Never has it been so vital to understand how issues in the Old or New Country impact our lives and business. (...and never has information and dialogue about both Old and New been so easily accessible.)

As you already know, only Serbica Americana links the events around the world and brings you all you need to know, plus other stories which are just too good to miss -- thus aspiring to contribute to this dialogue.

Serbian interest in the history of the Diaspora, the search for its puzzles and the will of God in it, reveals a faith in the future, in God’s providential presence and labor throughout history.

The life of the Serbian community in the USA unfolds on the field of dramatic history which is interwoven with God’s providence. A great number of Serbs who find themselves for longer or shorter periods of time spread out throughout the world – often departing after difficult deliberation – remain connected to the land of their birth or ancestry, living a 'double consciousness'...

Departing into the Diaspora could be compared to leaving to a “monastery,” as a type of alienation followed by deprivation, fasting, prayer… (forms of a struggle or podvig that balances a person's aspirations against his inclinations.) It appears that the lone institution which can today sustain the continuation and connection of Serbs throughout the world is the Serbian Orthodox Church, more than anything else because of the quality which we call togetherness ("sabornost"). This in itself brings an enormous responsibility. It is our deepest conviction that the Church plays this uniting role among the Serbian people thanks to her eschatological dimension and ability to accept history on account of her children.

You are invited to once again join the many curious readers of Serbica Americana around the world who rely on the in-depth analysis and insightful commentary that only Serbica Americana delivers.

.


SA

 

People Directory

Tatjana Rankovich

Described by The New York Times as an "astonishingly good pianist", Tatjana Rankovich is committed to continuously expanding the boundaries of the traditional repertoire, constantly searching for and discovering new contemporary music and devoting her interest to performing rarely heard works of the past. An innate instinct to create a spectrum of different styles, old and new, known and unknown, is the very essence of her as an artist and it takes place with every one of her concerts.

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Publishing

On The Holy Liturgy

by Bishop Athanasius Yevtich

The Divine Liturgy is at the center of Orthodox Christian life. It is through the Eucharist that the faithful are united with Christ and therefore with one another. Every Eucharistic gathering is an image and a reality of the Heavenly Liturgy, i.e. unceasing Synaxis of angels and saints around God’s throne. Thus the Liturgy is the proclamation of and a real image of God’s Kingdom in this world.

In this television interview conducted by the Logos, a renowned Orthodox theologian and retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina, his Grace Atanasije, brings forth these essential points citing historical development of the Liturgies bringing to light the present misunderstanding of certain Liturgical actions and movements.

Bishop Atanasije aptly points out the necessity for Liturgical renewal, i.e. moving away from passive liturgical attendance to active participation and immersion of the soul and body into a full communion with Christ.

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