Voice Spring 2009

SPRING 2009

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church 3025 Denver Street • San Diego, CA 92117 telephone: (619)276-5827 email: [email protected] web: http://saintgeorgeinsd.com

Church Officers & Staff PARISH PRIEST: V. Rev. Bratislav “Bratso” Krsic PARISH DEACON: Rev. Paul Germain PRESIDENT: Nemanja Selezan VICE PRESIDENT: Vladan Trifunovic 2nd VICE PRESIDENT: Dobrila Undheim 3rd VICE PRESIDENT: Simona Trifunovic SECRETARY: Tina Zivkovic TREASURER: Rev. Paul Germain FINANCIAL SECRETARY: Lindsay Selezan CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Melanie Milicevic MEMBERS-AT-LARGE: Nada Pantovich, Vojkan Popovich, Sam Purlia, Vladan Vladisavljevic, Vecki & Miodrag Miljkovic, Dragan & Sonja Radic, Marko & Vera Rakic STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY: Chair: Lydia Petric Rhoads

Commemoration of The Great and Holy Feast of Pascha My prayer wasn’t answered; or was it? Resurrection and our challenge How Spirituality Keeps You Well Fasting Let us ask for Intercessions from St. Stefan Stiljanovic St. George: the Man and the Myth From the President St. George Serbian Orthodox Church - 2009 Calendar Continuing Our Legacy Some words about Stewardship and the renovation project Continuing Our Legacy Frequently Asked Questions Religious Education Report, Spring 2009 Family Survival Guide—Reflections on Raising Children Today St. Nikolai of Zicha Oratorical Festival New Kolo Sisters Officers From the Stewardship Chair Telling Milanka’s story so no one forgets Lika 1941 Orthodoxy in the NFL MORAVA SOCCER Calling all Tradesmen

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AUDITING BOARD: President: Miro Copic, Sean Wright, Zeljko Milasinovic TUTORS/VESTRYMEN: Mico Lukic, Ladislav Tapavcevic, Pete Dopodja, Alex Sekanovic, George Skaljac, Marko Rakic, Vojkan Popovich, Miro Copic, Milan Miljkovic S.S.S. ST. GEORGE CHOIR President: Velimir Jovanovic CIRCLE OF SERBIAN SISTERS (KOLO) President: Sylvia Ivanovic CHURCH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT Deacon Paul Germain MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE Director: Maria (Draskovic) Milasinovic ADULT ORTHODOX FELLOWSHIP Nemanja Selezan VOICE OF ST. GEORGE Editor: Marsha Jovanovic (619)988-0650 • FAX (619)588-5767 email: [email protected]

Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! We are now in the midst of commemorating the greatest event in all history—the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The meaning of this event is central to our faith and our purpose in living. So it should need no rationalization that our center for worship should reflect and honor our Lord. The “Continuing Our Legacy” church renovation project, working to that end, is featured in this issue. As well, we present the first portion of the amazing story of Milanka Vlasovich. The events of World War II in Lika and other areas of the former Yugoslavia were horrific, and eye witnesses to it are becoming rare. Those of us who escaped the pains of war—any war as we have had several since World War II—need to listen carefully to our brothers and sisters who did not escape. “Why suffering?” is one of the great controversial questions of theological discourse. And there is no simple explanation. We can only take the words of our Lord as he died on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” in order not to be consumed with hatred and revenge. We know God loves us, and He expects us to forgive those who persecute us. It is this supernatural ability, given from God, that sets us apart from the world. So this Pascha season, prayerfully renew your own commitment to the Lord and His Church. We are given a great opportunity, facilitated by the faithful committee members, to continue our legacy as Christians in this great community and country. Do it as a follower of Christ and in memory of those who suffered and died because they were Orthodox Christians.—Marsha Jovanovic

The Resurrection has not yet abolished the reality of death. But it has revealed its powerlessness (Hebrews 2:14-15). We continue to die as a result of the Fall. Our bodies decay and fall away. “God allows death to exist but turns it against corruption and its cause, sin, and sets a boundary both to corruption and sin.” Thus, physical death does not destroy our life of communion with God. Rather, we move from death to life, from this fallen world to God's reign.

Commemoration of The Great and Holy Feast of Pascha Holy Week comes to an end at sunset of Great and Holy Saturday, as the Church prepares to celebrate her most ancient and preeminent festival, Pascha, the feast of feasts. The time of preparation will give way to a time of fulfillment. The glorious and resplendent light emanating from the empty Tomb will dispel the darkness. Christ, risen from the dead, cracks the fortress of death and takes “captivity captive” (Psalm 67:19). All the limitations of our createdness are torn asunder. Death is swallowed up in victory, and life is liberated. “For as by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:21-22). Pascha is the dawn of the new and unending day. The Resurrection constitutes the most radical and decisive deliverance of humankind. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fundamental truth and absolute fact of the Christian faith. It is the central experience and essential kerygma of the Church. It confirms the authenticity of Christ's remarkable earthly life and vindicates the truth of His teaching. It seals all His redemptive work: His life, the model of a holy life; His compelling and unique teaching; His extraordinary works; and His awesome, life-creating death. Christ's Resurrection is the guarantee of our salvation. Together with His Ascension it brings to perfection God's union with us for all eternity. The Resurrection made possible the miracle of the Church, which in every age and generation proclaims and affirms “God's plan for the universe, the ultimate divinization of man and the created order.” The profound experience of and the unshakable belief in the risen Lord enabled the Apostles to evangelize the world and empowered the Church to overcome paganism. The Resurrection discloses the indestructible power and inscrutable wisdom of God. It disposes of the illusory myths and belief systems by which people, bereft of divine knowl-

Father Bratso Krsic

edge, strain to affirm the meaning and purpose of their existence. Christ, risen and glorified, releases humanity from the delusions of idolatry. In Him gravebound humanity discovers and is filled with incomparable hope. The Resurrection bestows illumination, energizes souls, brings forgiveness, transfigures lives, creates saints, and gives joy.

Frescoes from ancient Serbian monasteries

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My prayer wasn’t answered; or was it? Recently, after asking God for a special favor, I waited and waited for my prayer to be answered. After what I thought was a reasonable time for a response, I began to wonder, did God hear me? Was He very busy at the time? Why didn’t I get an answer? It was then that I decided to try and figure out two things. What must a person do to have a prayer answered and what if God felt the prayer was not good for me and His answer was no? The scripture tells us about when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, His response was, “Our Father, Who art in Heaven,... (Mat 6:9). If we examine this passage we find specific elements that one should remember when praying. • Acknowledge the existence of God in Heaven. • Give praise and honor and recognize the power of God. • Have faith that Heaven exists and is perfect. • Feed our body and soul every day with the teachings of God. • Humility, repentance, compassion and love. • Guidance and protection.

So you see, Jesus did not teach them methods or techniques, He said that we speak to God as to our Father, our loving Father. In order for prayer to be answered, these basic elements must be present within the person seeking help from God. A true belief in the existence of God and God’s all powerful being. That is why we believe the Profession of Faith (Apostle’s Creed). This, plus studying the scriptures, gives us the foundation for our trust and faith in the knowledge that God loves us and will watch over and protect us. God loves us and wants us to return that love. We must praise and honor God in order to show that love and acknowledge His power. We must have faith and trust. Faith above all else, that God will listen to us if we follow the rules and lifestyle

He has planned for us. This is the first key necessary for our prayers to be answered. Sportsmen call it confidence in the ability to perform acceptably. We must constantly feed our body and soul with healthy “food” to ensure a clean conscience and acceptable mind and body to receive God’s guidance. God will not speak to a cluttered, unclean body and mind. Be humble, accept God’s will and guidance. Open your heart and mind and listen for God’s advice. Have faith! Always be grateful for whatever response you receive from God, for in His wisdom, He will guide you along the right path. In the face of all difficulties, doubts, and objections, trust in God. He will not let you down. If God does not grant the means, that shows He does not want you to do that particular deed. If He wants it done, He will give you the means. Therefore, don’t worry. He will never grant an answer that will do you harm. Do you suppose I received a No answer? Prayer is simply a conversation with God, Jesus, or Mary, the Mother of God. A conversation involves speaking and listening, with the emphasis on listening. So open your heart, soul and mind to be receptive to God’s advice and response. Have faith and confidence that God will answer with the response that is best for us. Trust Him! Just be sure that you do your part, have faith, trust, and a clear conscience. Listen to Him! Think about this: A man prayed to VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 3

God asking to win a million dollars. “God if you let me win, I’ll give half to the poor.” God’s response: “I’ll let you win if you will give it ALL to the poor!” “Ask and it shall be given you... (Mat 7:7).

Donald H. Germain, Deacon Paul’s father

C E L E B R AT I O N * D E D I C AT I O N * P RO G R E S S * V I S I O N Resurrection and our challenge Spring is here! The refreshing rains have cleaned off the California brown, making everything look fresh, clean, and renewed. And now as we are enter the last days of fasting before we celebrate the most important feast in our calendar—the Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ—we invite you to participate in all of this Holy Season’s events, and especially those during Holy Week.

tion of our parish grounds. This is a critical project that we desperately need to continue the witness of Jesus Christ in this place. For the Orthodox Christian, stewardship is a way of life. It acknowledges accountability and responsibility before God. When we say we believe in God, to whom we give our life, love, loyalty, and trust, we affirm that every aspect of our lives comes as a gift from Him. Orthodox Christians should be motivated as recipients of God’s abundant love to respond by participating and supporting His plan

This year our Pascha dinner, April 19, will feature the “Continuing Our Legacy” Renewal Project, which is bringing a spiritual and physical rebirth among our people that will culminate in the renova-

Photos of Bishop Maxim and the baptism of Nikolaj Daniel Krsic who was born on December 24th, 2008 (The Feast Day of St. Daniel the Stylite). On Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, February 8, 2009, His Grace Bishop Maxim together with Protopresbyters Velimir Petakovic and Lazar Vasiljevic, Protonamesnik Milovan Katanic, Hieromonk Jovan (Babic), Deacon Paul Germain, and Protopresbyter Bratislav Krsic celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the baptism of Father Bratso’s son within the Liturgy. A luncheon was served afterward. During the luncheon a short program was performed by the St. George choir and Oksana and Kaija Germain. Father Bratso, expressed his thanks to His Grace Maxim, the clergy, his Kum, Fr. Milovan Katanic and his family, the St. George choir, the Germain family, Sonja Radic and her kitchen crew, and all the parishioners and friends for their support of St. George and for their attendance.

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of salvation and the ministries of the Church, which bring the Gospel of salvation into the world. Thus, it is my ardent prayer that this Pascha season we all recognize Jesus Christ and make His presence foremost in our homes, hearts, and lives. May you and your loved ones be renewed in your faith and share in the joy of God’s greatest gift to us. Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! Fr. Bratso Krsic and family

How Spirituality Keeps You Well Planning on going to church this holiday season? That should be good for the spirit, of course, and perhaps also for the body. According to a study in Annuals Of Epidemiology, people who attend religious services tend to be healthier than the rest of us. More specifically, weekly churchgoers have a lower risk of death than those who never set food inside a place of worship. The report came out in 2008, but it’s only the latest in a series of studies exploring the link between health and spirituality. This research has found that prayer and meditation seem to be associated with

improved immune systems and fewer episodes of chronic inflammation. Not surprisingly, the benefits extend to mental health as well. People who identify themselves as more religious reveal lower rates of depression. A study reported in September 2008 by the Journal of Affective Disorder showed lower suicide rates among people who regularly attend religious services. So is church a healing place? While some faithful may believe it is, scientists point out that religious people take better care of themselves. Studies show that regular churchgoers are also people who don’t smoke, drink rarely, and see their doctors regularly. More important, peo-

ple who make church a habit – and the same goes for people who worship at mosques and synagogues – are more socially integrated, which means they have more friends and acquaintances and a better support system to help them cope with stressful life events. Many researchers also believe that at bottom there seems to be a strong connection between the mind, the spirit, and the body. Improve one, and you have an effect on the other. Praying, meditating, or attending religious services may not cure a disease, but those activities may make you feel better and contribute to a more positive outlook on life. Editor: We now have a scientific proof that being religious and attending church services is well worth it and will allow us to have a more positive outlook on our earthly life. Pass this on to your family members and friends.

Dr. Ranit Mishori, in Parade Magazine 12-21-08

Fasting The practice of fasting is very present in the first Christian community (cf. Acts 13,3; 14,22; 27,21; 2 Cor 6,5). I pray that all of us use well this time of Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all that distracts the spirit. I pray that we may grow in whatever nourishes the soul, moving it to love of God and neighbor. I pray that we renew our commitment to prayer and the Sacraments, especially that of Repentance and active participation in the Eucharist = Divine Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days of our Holy Orthodox Church. With this interior disposition, let us enter the penitential and joyful spirit of Great and Holy Lent. Fr. Bratso

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St. George Serbian Orthodox Church 3025 Denver St., San Diego, CA 92117 Tel. 619-276-5827  Fax 619-275-4475  E-mail: [email protected]

V. Rev. Bratislav Bratso Krsic Deacon Paul Germain

Deacon Report for the Year 2008 Annual Assembly January 18, 2009

INTRODUCTION I am truly thankful to God and His abundant mercy for allowing me to complete my first full year in the blessed office of the diaconate at St. George Church. Through the prayers and patience of our pious spiritual leaders and venerable fathers, His Grace Bishop Maxim, Fr. Draskovic, Fr. Petakovic and Fr. Bratso, I continue to learn and grow as a clergy member. With the love and support of our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ at St. George and throughout the Serbian Orthodox Church, I strive to climb the ladder of divine ascent and become a better Orthodox Christian amidst all my weaknesses. With trust in God’s will, I pray He will continue to bless us and have mercy on us as we move forward into 2009. MINISTRIES AND PROJECTS IN 2008 1. Attended the Marriage and Family conference held in March. 2. Continued to help coordinate our Sunday School program. Helped coordinate first Annual Children’s Christmas Program and the ongoing St. Sava program. 3. Served on the Nomination Committee for the Annual Assembly. 4. Attended Clergy Confession in Dunlap, CA. 5. Helped coordinate the First Annual One Day Bible Vacation Camp in June. 6. Helped and served at the Annual Diocesan Days event in Jackson, CA. 7. Coordinated and attended a workday trip with Project Mexico in Tijuana, BC. 8. Attended and served in the Pan Orthodox St. Nicholas celebration in December. 9. Attended and served in Pan Orthodox Vespers during Great Lent. 10. Assisted Fr. Bratso with Adult Bible studies. 11. Continue to serve as secretary on the board of directors for the Martha and Mary House – an orthodox Christian maternity home for women in crisis who choose life for their unborn child (http://www.marthaandmaryhouse.org/). 12. Contributed articles for the Path of Orthodoxy and the Voice of St. George. 13. Visited St. Paisius Monastery twice for spiritual renewal and education in the spiritual life. 14. Continue to coordinate bookstore and manage sales of religious items. 15. Served Divine Liturgies and other services at St. George, St. Stephens, St. Sava (N.Y.). St. George (N.J.), St. Paisius Monastery, St. Sava (Jackson), Sretenje Monastery, St. Petka. 16. Member of the Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry. 17. Continue to provide as much assistance as possible to Fr. Bratso with various parish ministries and duties. St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, San Diego, CA

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2009 OBJECTIVES It is my prayer that I will be able to continue helping with our ministries at St. George and in the Serbian Orthodox Church to the best of my ability. By the grace of God, I will be able to include additional activities in 2009 that further support our mission to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. 1. Participate fully in the parish remodeling project, especially in the fundraising campaign. 2. Coordinate additional pilgrimages to Project Mexico and Orthodox Monasteries. 3. Expand the bookstore and enlist appropriate help to bring a better variety of items. 4. Evaluate and adjust the Church School Program and enlist others to participate in the administration. 5. Complete a new Church Service book for the laity. 6. Increase visitations to our sick and homebound brothers and sisters in Christ.

CONCLUSION As we enter a new year we can see how God has blessed us with the opportunity to grow our ministries and expand our reach to those who are thirsty for truth through His Body, the Holy Orthodox Church. I will do my very best to provide support to our clergy and serve this parish with love in Christ Jesus. I ask your forgiveness as I learn and for your prayers, that I am successful in fulfilling what God has set before me.

In Christ’s Service, Deacon Paul Germain

Deacon Paul assisting Bishop Maxim, giving communion to Nikolaj Krsic, son of Father Bratso & Protinica Lisa Krsic, after his baptism

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, San Diego, CA

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Let us ask for Intercessions from St. Stefan Stiljanovic The saints, martyrs, and angels are an integral part of the Orthodox Church, and we recognize them in many ways. We venerate their icons and relics, we name Churches after them, we recognize them during Slava celebrations, along with many other activities. But did you know that all Orthodox Churches have to have at least one relic of a saint in the Church when the Church is consecrated? Also, before the Altar table is installed permanently, relics are put inside the table and sealed within. At a minimum, the Divine Liturgy can only be served if the Antimens is on the Altar table, which contains relics woven into the fabric. It is necessary for the relics of a saint to be in the Church at all times, and we should pray to that saint, asking he/she to intercede before Christ to save our souls. The most ideal situation upon the consecration of a Church is to have the relics of the saint who the Church is named after. Of course, this is sometimes quite impossible, for there may be very little relics available in the world or none at all. At St. George, our founders were not able to obtain relics from this beloved saint, but instead were able to get a large relic from St. Stefan Stiljanovic. St. Stefan’s icon and relics are located in a case to the left of the Iconostas. Here is a brief history on the life of St. Stefan: He was born in the seaside of Montenegro. His close relative Jelena Brankovic became a widow and invited him to come over the Danube river to take care of despotovina (domain of a ruler). At the end of the 15th or beginning of 16th century, he responded to that invitation and joined his cousin and took care of a portion of what is called at present the region of Srem. St. Stefan was known as a deeply devout Orthodox Christian. He was also a brave ruler, who defended the Christian land from Ottoman invasion. Very often he was compared with St. Alexander Nevski and St. Jovan Vladimir. Both of these saints were regarded as individuals of having Samson’s strength and of having the wisdom of Solomon. This was the reason St.

Stefan was compared to these two well know saints, one Russian, the other a ruler of Montenegro (Duklja). The sultan Suleyman the Magnificent defeated the Hungarian king at the Battle of Mohacs and the Turks advanced towards Vienna, Austria. The Turks occupied Budim, which is the southern part of the capital city of Hungary. Due to the

was born a Christian, but the Turkish authorities took him to Istanbul and raised him as a Moslem. Being very bright, he never forgot his heritage. After the news was spread about the miracle, some monks came to Amir and asked to take the body of St. Stefan. Permission was granted and they took him to a monastery called Sisatovac in Fruska Gora. The news reached his wife Jelena in Germany. She immediately returned to venerate her husband and soon she became a nun under the monastic name Jelisaveta. In response to the activities of Croatian fascists on April 14, 1942, the body of St. Stefan was transferred to the Belgrade cathedral and has been there ever since. Many miracles have happened in Belgrade and in his place of birth. His life is celebrated every year on October 4.

As we pray for our Lord’s help during our restoration campaign, we should also fervently ask St. Stefan to intercede before Christ our Lord to help us. We are very fortunate to have such a large portion of his relics among us and we must recognize that his spirit is with us also.

horrible terror of the Turkish forces and their exploitation, there was a great famine in the region of Slavonia and Srem. St. Stefan enjoyed a great reputation by all Christians as well as Turkish authorities. Due to his diplomatic qualities he was able to get food from both Austro-Hungarian and Turkish sources, thus saving thousands from hunger. All his wealth was distributed to the poor and hungry. For these and many other reasons, he was very popular among Christians and respected by occupying Turkish forces. Many considered him as a living saint. He lived a life of piety and service to others. Around 1540, he fell asleep in the Lord. His wife Jelena buried him outside of the city and moved to Germany. After the Turks captured the entire region, a miracle happened in the middle of the night. Turkish soldiers noticed a strange light at the place where St. Stefan was buried. Thinking that gold and silver was buried there, they started digging until they uncovered a casket with the relics of St. Stefan. They found that his body was incorrupt and immediately informed their superior Amir. Soon he found out that this was St. Stefan, his distant relative. Amir

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Deacon Paul Germain & Father Bozidar Draskovic A Prayer to St. Stefan O Holy St. Stefan, defender of the faith and God’s holy servant, Intercede before Christ, that He blesses the faithful of St. George Church, That He has mercy on us and helps us complete our restoration project, That He blesses our future generations, So that they can continue to serve Him and grow our Orthodox community. O beloved St. Stefan, you have protected our Church with your prayers, You who have worked miracles and given your whole self to Christ, Teach us by your example to trust in God’s will, Bless our endeavors and pray for our salvation. Amen.

St. George: the Man and the Myth St. George was born in Cappadocia, an ancient Roman Empire province located in modern east central Turkey. St. George’s father was most probably a Syrian who was martyred for his Christian faith. On the death of his mother, St. George inherited the large family estate in Palestine. At the age of twenty George became a professional soldier in the Emperor Diocletian’s Army. The young man’s noble birth, loyalty, and unusual intellect brought St. George to the notice of the Emperor. In time St. George became a trusted member of the royal court and was promoted to the level of tribune in the army. He might have become a leading officer had not Diocletian (245 - 313 AD) started a persecution of the Christian community. St. George refused to conduct war on his Christian brothers and would not honor the imperial edicts which outlawed the faith. Instead he quit his exalted positions, left his distinguished military career, and gave away his massive estates to the poor. When the imperial edicts were officially posted in the eastern capitol of Nicomedia, St. George tore them down and demanded that the Emperor rescind his unjust persecution. For his defense of the true faith, St. George was tortured and condemned to death. On the first day of his imprisonment St. George was stabbed with lances, but the spears broke like straws. The Lord would not allow his skin to be penetrated. Next he was tied to the ground and a crushing weight was placed upon his chest. When Diocletian returned on the following day. St. George was alive and proclaiming the protection of Jesus Christ. The Emperor next had the saint strapped to a wheel studded with knives and sword blades. Diocletian thought this would surely kill any man, but George lay perfectly still conversing with an angel. At the end of the day, totally unharmed, St. George was removed. For the next five days the glorious martyr suffered tortures beyond description. He was submerged in quicklime, had his limbs beaten, was forced to run in red-hot iron shoes, was scourged,

and was made to drink two cups of poison. No matter what was done to him, St. George survived to praise the Lord. Many witnesses to these miracles concerted to Christianity. On the seventh day of his imprisonment, Our Lord visited St. George in a dream. Jesus laid a golden crown on the martyr's head and told him to prepare for Paradise. On awaking, St. George called his

servant. After recording his memoirs, St. George asked the servant to have his body taken to his beloved Palestine for burial. On the eighth day St. George was again dragged before the Emperor and once again was asked to deny his faith. St. George refused. Instead he demonstrated his faith by exorcising devils from the statues which lined the Emperor's court. From the statue of Apollo, St. George drew out a demon who was forced to admit that he was a fallen angel. Then, of their own accord, all the statuary in the great room smashed to the floor. The Empress Alexandra, seeing the many miracles, converted to Christianity on the spot, as did her servants Isaac and Croates. Enraged, the Emperor had his wife and the servants immediately killed. St. George was thrown back into the dungeon, where he died two days later on April 23, 303 AD. The tale of St. George and the dragon is more symbolic than historical. The legend that he saved a Libyan princess by VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 9

killing a dragon arose in the 12th century. “George and the Dragon” may have arisen from the myth of Perseus who slew a sea monster near the site of George's supposed martyrdom. The Perseus myth has origins in traditional sixth century North African folktales. The dragon, traditionally, was a symbol of evil passions and paganism. Though these beasts are often depicted as fire breathing monsters, they always dwelt in low wetlands, caves, or wells. When the evil passions were disturbed, the monster devoured mankind, usually in the guise of a drought or a dry windstorm. According to the folk tales, a fierce dragon lived in a marshy lair outside of Selena, Libya. The great beast ravaged the countryside and could only be placated by regular sacrifices. Every day the villagers were forced to offer the dragon two sheep. When the animals no longer satisfied the monster, a human sacrifice was offered. The land’s fairest young maidens were selected by means of a lottery. One day the King's own daughter was chosen to sate the beast's hunger. St. George, so the folk tale goes, happened across the princess as she prepared for death. On hearing the maiden's story, St. George made the Sign of the Cross and went to do battle with the monster. Several powerful blows of George's broad sword rendered the beast helpless. St. George then led the dragon in chains to the heart of the village. The townspeople marveled at the saint's faith and the power of his God. All of the community accepted baptism and converted to the true faith. The grateful King promised half of his lands to the savior of the town, but St. George declined the offer of earthly rewards. Instead he told the monarch to do honor to the true Savior by safekeeping God's churches, honoring the clergy, and having pity on the poor. In addition to his close relationship with the peoples of Lebanon and Syria, St. George is the patron of England, Portugal, Aragon, Catalonia, and Lithuania.

From http://www.melkite.org/

From the President Dear Brothers and Sisters, respected Fathers: One month has passed since I was elected president of Saint George parish. When asked to consider this position I gave it deep thought. I prayed that God would give me strength and wisdom to make the best decision. It is a true honor, the greatest of my lifetime thus far, to serve as president of one Serbian Orthodox parish within the diaspora. You, stewards of St. George, have entrusted me with this honor. Hence, it is my duty to devote my body and my soul to the well-being of our parish. Alongside the current board, guided by our parish priest Father Krsic, and spiritually supported by Fathers Draskovic and Petakovic, we will preserve our history while we persevere into the future through the restoration of our parish. In the upcoming period this restoration project awaits us. It will include not only

Draga braćo i sestre, poštovani Sveštenici, Nedavno se navršilo i prvih mesec dana od kako sam izabran za predsednika Crkveno-školske opštine „Sveti Đorđe“. Kada sam bio upitan da li želim da prihvatim ovakvo mesto, duboko sam razmislio i snažno se Bogu pomolio da mi podari snagu i mudrost u donešenju ispravne odluke. Velika mi je čast, najveća u mom dosadašnjem životu, biti predsednik parohije Srpske pravoslavne crkve u dijaspori. Vi parohijani ste mi ukazali poverenje a na meni je da se u budećem radu posvetim dušom i telom, da uložim svoj maksimum za dobrobit naše parohije. Uveren sam da uz mudre članove naše uprave, uz našeg sveštenika Oca Kršica i uz duhovnu potporu Oca Draškovića i Oca Petakovića, zajednički ćemo istrajati u očuvanju i daljnjoj obnovi parohije „Sveti Đorđe“. U narednom periodu očekuje nas velika obnova čitavog parohijskog imanja i pos-

the social hall, but also repairing the church and restoring the property of St. George. Given the grandiosity of this project, I appeal to all Serbian people, all Orthodox Christians of San Diego, and all friends of Saint George to join us in strengthening this extraordinary parish. I am calling on my friends and peers, and all of the Orthodox youth in our area. Join us. Give us your contribution in any form. Every individual is important and carries great potential and talent that can be of vast importance to the parish. In return, the parish takes in every one of us and serves as a true home. Our parish represents faith, camaraderie, and foundation, especially to those who find themselves in diaspora far away from their homeland. As we face these challenges I cannot leave out a story that serves as the foundation of our Christian faith. It is the story of the flock of sheep and their shepherd, in which we learn that when sheep are scattered it is the shepherd that gathers them. When a sheep is hurt it is bandaged and healed by its shepherd. We

tojecih gradjevina. Time pozivam sav srpski živalj, sve pravoslavne hrišćane ovoga grada i sve prijatelje Svetoga Đorđa da nam se priključe u slavi Boga i da pomognu da ojačamo ovu divnu parohiju. Molio bih sve svoje prijatelje i vršnjake da nam priđu, da daju svoj doprinos i osete plod zajedničkog rada. Svaki pojedinac je bitan i u sebi nosi potencijal i talenat koji može biti od velikog značaja za jačanje parohije. Za uzvrat ona će prihvatiti svakog od nas i pružiti nam istinski dom. Naša parohija predstavlja veru, druženje i oslonac za sve one koji žive u dijaspori, udaljeni od svojih bližnjih. Pri prizivanju naroda da nam se priključi ne mogu a da ne spomenem osnovu naše hrišćanske vere. To je priča o stadu i njegovom pastiru. Ona glasi kada je stado rasuto pastir je taj koji ga okuplja, kada se ovčica povredi pastir je povija i leči. Kada je stado rasuto i svaka jedinka sama za sebe, ono ne može da preživi u takvom obliku. Jedinka može da uspe i da blista

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 10

learn that when the flock is scattered, when every sheep is on its own, they do not survive. Sheep can survive and thrive only as part of a flock. This story teaches us that, just as sheep, humans cannot thrive away from their flock. As our “matica” faces great challenges, and our parish embarks on a physical renovation, it is imperative we strengthen our community. Only through active participation in our community can we keep our customs, culture, and Serbian language alive. Just as our forefathers did when they came to America, it is our duty to continue. They understood the necessity to build churches, and through these churches they preserved our religion and traditions. Saint George is a perfect example of this. It stands as a true legacy of our forefathers. A legacy that, if we cherish it as they did, will continue to provide for generations to come. With respect,

Nemanja Selezan, St. George Church President

samo kao deo stada. U trenutku kada je naša matica suočena sa velikim iskušenjima a naša parohija prolazi kroz fazu fizickog obnavljanja, pravi je trenutak da osnažimo našu zajednicu. Samo kroz aktivnu uključenost u zajednicu možemo očuvati naše divne običaje, kulturu i srpski jezik. Kao što su to naši preci, prvi imigranti Srbi i Crnogorci u Americi činili, mi smo dužni da to nastavimo. Oni su bili svesni neophodnosti da grade svetilišta i kroz njih čuvaju svoju veru i tradiciju. Poput tih je i hram „Sveti Đorđe“ u San Dijegu koji je istinski primer zaostavštvine naših predaka. Ako je čuvamo i obnavljamo ta zaostavštvina nastaviće da služi našim budućim pokolenjima. Spoštovanjem, Nemanja Seležan, Predsednik Crkvenoškolske opštine „Sveti Đorđe“

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church - 2009 Calendar APRIL

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - FRC Sunday

5

Quarterly Stewardship Meeting Diocesan Sunday

Saturday

11

Lazarus Saturday

Sunday

12

Palm Sunday - Cveti

Thursday

16

Great and Holy Thursday

Friday

17

Great and Holy Friday

Saturday

18

Midnight Matins

Sunday

19

Pascha

MAY

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - KOLO Sunday

3

Church Slava

Sunday

10

Mother’s Day Brunch

JUNE

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - CHOIR Monday

15

Apostle’s Fast Begins

Sunday

21

Father’s Day

Sunday

28

St. Great Martyr Prince Lazar All Serbian Martyrs - Vidovdan

JULY

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - MORAVA

Friday-Sunday

Nemanja Selezan, St. George Church President

17-19

Morava Folkfest

Sunday

19

Quarterly Stewardship Meeting

Sunday

19-8

Summer Camp Begins

AUGUST

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - AOF Friday

SEPTEMBER Friday-Sunday Saturday Sunday OCTOBER

14

Dormition Fast Begins

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - KOLO 5-7

Diocesan Weekend in Jackson Church Closed

12-13

Serbian Festival

20

KOLO Slava /Church School Begin

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - MORAVA

Saturday NOVEMBER

17

St. Stefan and Jelena (Stiljanovic)

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - CHOIR

Sunday

1

Quarterly Stewardship Meeting Stewardship Sunday

Sunday

26

Thanksgiving Day

27-6

Nativity Fast

Friday DECEMBER

SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - AOF

DATES & LUNCHEON SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! Hristos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese!

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 11

Continuing Our Legacy I’m so excited to report on the progress our “Continuing our Legacy” St. George Stewardship Capital Campaign has made. March 2009 was a very active time for our fund raising teams and meant to be a time to communicate a new vision for our St. George parish via printed materials, a film, special events focused on open discussion, and thoughtful prayer. The goal was to allow each family to have enough exposure and knowledge to make an informed decision before deciding on their personal level of financial commitment to this church Renewal Project. I am not going to repeat the details of the Renewal Project scope and funds needed, since The Voice of St. George has kindly reprinted these details in this Spring issue for our parishioners to read in detail. As well, many of you have already received mailings regarding the project scope and costs. Instead I am going to update you on the current activities of the team. By the time you receive this Spring 2009 issue of The Voice, our various fund raising campaign teams will have completed the following under RSI’s wise guidance. Print Team: Custom designed, printed materials to help educate the parish about the Renewal Project Video Team: Storyboard, ‘shoot’ film, edit, and finish a video about our goals & why it matters in a compelling and dynamic way Info Team: Host two ‘open house’ Q&A panel events: March 15 & 22, to further inform parish of the ‘whys, whens, & hows’ of the remodel project and fund raising effort Cont. Legacy Dinner Team: Organize a special dinner (April 4th) & inviting parishioners to an event to learn more about how we as a community can

become part of this Renewal Project to continue our legacy. Web Team: Update all activities on St. George web site including: print material, dates of events, video link, and digital archive of the last ~20 years of St. George print photos (Mara Bosnak archived the photos with images used in past issues of The Voice) Prayer Team: Spiritually guide the entire effort and inspire the parish to prayerfully consider donating time, talent, and treasure as stewards of St. George. Info Distrib. Team: Mail all invites, brochures, FAQ pamphlets, etc. to congregation Admin. Team: Make sure all teams are aware of scheduled meetings, minutes for meetings, and helping organize logistics for team meetings.

YET TO COME- last but certainly NOT least—is our Pascha Team: This team will be organizing Pascha activities this year, happening April 19. Since the “Continuing Our Legacy” Renewal Project is all about a spiritual and physical rebirth of our parish grounds, we decided to have all our efforts for this Renewal Project culminate on this sacred day.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and as you can see, it takes a small Serbian ‘spiritual army’ to raise funds for the restoration of the St. George parish grounds! I am blessed to work with a talented, passionate, visionary group of individuals on this Renewal Project. I’ve listed their names under the RSI teams they are a part of with leaders marked by a cross (+). Please join me in thanking these hard working individuals for their loving efforts, courage, and faith to “Continue Our Legacy”! Prayer Team: Deacon Paul Germain+; Frs. Draskovic and Petakovic Print Team: Mara Bosnak+, Melanie Milicevic+; Miro Copic; Diana Coso Administrative Team: Lindsey Boyce+ Web Team: Nemanja Selezan+; Vlastimir (Vlasta) Sindjelic Video Team: Marko Rakic+, Zeljko Milasinovic+; Dobrila Undheim

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 12

Pascha Team: Tina Zivkovic+, Simona Trifunovic+; Vecki Miljkovic, Sonja Radic Cont Legacy Dinner:Fr. Bratso Krsic+, Jadranka Bozinovska+; Velimir Jovanovic, Lydia Rhoads (Milasinovic family donating all food & cooking); Vladan Trifunovic (arranging the “Re-Inventing Tesla” performance) Info Team: Vera Rakic+; Vladan Trifunovich (Choir luncheon Sundaysthank you) Distrib. Team:Protinica Lisa Krsic+ Program Leaders:Jennifer Milanovich+; Dragan Radic+ RSI Consultant: Roger Boatman 3-D Model Construction:Dragan Radoicic+; Nemanja Selezan, Marko Rakic

HVALA LEPO! to everyone who has been so giving and good examples of church stewards: giving time, talent, and treasure to the overall campaign. We can all do this together. I have faith in our future and God’s divine providence. May God Bless you and our endeavors towards helping our venerable St. George Serbian Orthodox Church and parish grounds.

Jennifer Milanovich, Co-Chair Program Leader, “Continuing Our Legacy” Stewardship Campaign

Some words about Stewardship and the renovation project Dear Brothers and Sisters, By the grace of God and the efforts of Fr. Velimir Petakovic, in 1992, I joined a group of three bishops, fifteen priests and five popadijas on the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. While pondering on how I would contribute to the renovation of our social hall, two memories from this trip crossed my mind – the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a rather small lake, about 7 miles wide and 13-14 miles long. It is embraced with lush banks and contains more than 25 varieties of fish. Many animals and birds make their nests around its banks. While some of our fellow pilgrims took cameras to memorize the picturesque lake, I closed my eyes and peeked from a distance at the surface of the lake, where I imagined the boat with our Savior, accompanied by His disciples. The lake is fed by several streams, but primarily by the Jordan River, in which Jesus was baptized. While the gentle breeze blew, I remembered chapter 6 of St. Mark (when Jesus walked on the water) and the shortest prayer invoked by St. Peter, “Lord, save me!” The Sea of Galilee is beautiful, full of life teaming with varieties and scores of living things. Reality brought me back, and I joined the pilgrims heading south on the way to another sea, the Dead Sea. This body of water is more than 1400 feet below sea level. The water is about ten times saltier than the water in Mission Bay. Depend-

ing on the season, the water is more than 35% salt. The story is true that you can lay down on the water and not sink. To us people born in Montenegro, this idea is very appealing. Due to the saltiness, no bacteria nor plants, fish or animals live in the water or around the water. This body of water is called the Dead Sea, and it is rightfully so. I would like to bring something to your attention. Both lakes receive water from Jordan River. The Sea of Galilee receives from Jordan River, and the river flows through and down south to the Dead Sea. It is same water supply, yet one lake is full of life, while the other one is dead. The Dead Sea is far below sea level and has no outlets. One lake receives and gives; the other receives, but does not give. In this example, I see a prodigious stewardship lesson. Those two lakes bear witness to the fact of human life. It is in receiving and the giving back in order that life and hope is sustained. Remember, while I served God and you for 21 years, I delivered annually several sermons on Stewardship, but never did I ask for money. Furthermore, I never asked nor expected any money for my family or myself. God knows, I found that word difficult to pronounce, even as I find it difficult now to use it. However, I am reassured by St. James 4:2: “You do not have, because you do not ask.” So now I am asking for money and when I ask, I really mean it. Naturally, when I make this plea, I do it with love and respect for you, also with integrity and with deep conviction that what we do at St. George matters. The long overdue restoration of our social hall is worthy of our care, devotion, and financial support (money!). The lesson of the Sea of Galilee is true. In receiving and giving back, life and hope are sustained. I believe that Our Lord got two fish from the Sea of Galilee, and together with five loaves of bread, He fed a multitude. In 1992, my family and I came to the Church that was built on the site of this miracle. Fr. Petakovic was like a boy scout; he came preVOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 13

pared. We had everything we needed for kolach blessing on the very spot. This is what the stewards of St. George and the followers of Jesus Christ are called to be givers of meaning, life, and hope. We, too, must be prepared. Now allow me please to refresh your memory and write briefly about Stewardship. “Follow Me,” Jesus simply but powerfully commanded of the Apostles, and they did. That call is made to us as well on this day and in this time at St. George. How do we follow Jesus? We try to live our lives as he did – the example of the perfect steward. Stewardship is discipleship. It is the care and use of all that we have been given by God and is often explained in terms of talent, treasure and time. Why? Because communication requires that a message is sent and received, thus explaining stewardship in simple terms is more effective. Here is a way to look at these aspects of stewardship. Talent We are all blessed with so many talents, and yet we may not know they exist. Talents are found in our personalities, our interests, and in our skills. Those who love interacting with people, love to talk and love to be with groups have incredible talents to assist with outreach, evangelism, and missionary work. Your use of talent for the work of God is one of the most personally fulfilling opportunities of your lifetime. Payment in a smile, in relief of suffering or in lending a hand to someone in desperate need is greater than any material payment you will ever receive. Treasure Our use of treasure to support the charitable works of the church helps to bring justice and equity to the world. Charity is not a tax. It should be given freely because we understand and believe in the end result of our giving of financial support to any ministry. What should you give? There is no one answer, but we should all give according to what we have been given. Rather than gifts of equal size, gifts should be based on equal sacrifice. For example, those who earn minimum wage will find it difficult to provide even basic living needs for

Continued on page 14.

Continued from page 13. themselves and for their family. This financial responsibility is a priority, but it may still be possible to be a good steward in terms of time and talent. For many others, it is very possible to make a financial gift. A gift that is truly a sacrifice is a gift out of our need, not just our excess. Only you and God know what is fair, but one way to know when you are making the right gift is when you stop making excuses for its size and stop trying to rationalize why it is enough. Time

road map for ourselves and those with whom we have influence on how to lead a Christ-centered life. Time is fleeting. Make the most of yours by using all of your gifts to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” I Thessalonians 1:3.

Very Reverend Father Bozidar Draskovic

The gift of time is just that – a gift. None of us know exactly how much time we have been granted on this earth. Before I rest for the night, I said the prayer, and then I “negotiate” with the Lord by saying, “please don’t take me this night.” In the morning, I say, “thank you, Lord, you are a most generous and gracious God.” In the time that we have, we are asked to use that time effectively by continuing the mission of Jesus Christ throughout our days. Both at church and at home, we are responsible for handing on the faith to future generations. How we interact with people in front of children teaches valuable lessons on how to live. Our participation at Liturgy and in ministries prepares a

Project Frequently Asked Questions 1. What are we renovating? St. George Serbian Orthodox Church is renovating three main areas: the Church, the social hall and the surrounding property.The majority of the work will be done to the social hall including renovating the main hall and existing kitchen, bathrooms, sliding doors, and patio area. We will add restrooms and expand the bar area at the back of the hall. New classrooms (for Sunday School and Serbian cultural activities), a multi-purpose room and two offices/meeting rooms will be added. Around the surrounding property, we will redesign the parking lot, landscape and hardscape as well as replace several retaining walls. Most important, we will make some much needed renovations to the Church structure. In particular the heating system, the roof (where water leaks are damaging our precious mosaics), the terrazzo floor and the front steps to the church are areas of focus. 2. Why are we renovating it? Over the last 40 years, our beloved and reliable church social hall has fallen into disrepair. Although it has served us faithfully over these years, there is a clear need for a new, inspiring building that is better equipped to grow with our future needs. The St. George Social Hall links the entire Serbian Orthodox community together: it is where weddings and baptisms are celebrated; our children are educated in religious and ethnic traditions; meals are cooked and events are shared; our Church board and stewardship meetings occur here; and it is one of the very first places new faces to our community get to experience both the Orthodox and Serbian cultures. In essence, it is the heart of our warm fellowship and active social activities within our church; a

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 14

welcoming door to community participation and spiritual guidance. A newly remodeled social hall will continue our legacy into a bright new future and will inspire our friends, families, parishioners, and supporters to become more involved in our growing community! 3. How much will the renovation cost? The entire renovation will cost approximately $1.5 million dollars. 4. When will the renovation be complete? The first remodeling phase should be done by late summer with additional phases following immediately after. A calendar will be posted in the church so everyone can see the progress we are making. 5. How will we pay for it? We will pay for it with the money raised through the Capital Stewardship Campaign: Continuing Our Legacy. 6. What is a Capital Stewardship Campaign? A Capital Stewardship Campaign is a special church project that seeks pledged donations that can be made over a period of three years from members of the congregation to be used in paying for a major construction project; in our case, the renovation of our social hall. 7. How much are we hoping to raise through the Capital Stewardship Campaign? Ideally we’d like to raise $1.5Million. This can be achieved by a $2K-3K commitment made over a period of 1-3yrs from each of ~500 families that are currently part of the St. George community. A $2K-$3,000 donation per family might sound daunting, but it isn’t that big a sacrifice over time. For example, a $3,000 commitment over 36 months is just $83/ month! Over a one year period, that is $250/month. For a family, this means a few less coffees and one less dinner out a month. However, we understand that every family does not have equal financial resources. What is most important is

prayerful consideration of what you can donate to further God’s work. This is your opportunity to continue the legacy of our grandparents, parents, kumovi, and friends. 8. Will I be pressured to make a pledge or commitment? No. Participation in the campaign and how much you give is entirely up to you. All members and guests will be given the opportunity to contribute if they wish to do so. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they are? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:26-27 9. How may I prepare to participate? Inventory your blessings and potential for giving via: income & sacrifice (delaying vacations or purchases); giving assets (stock, real estate, and savings); and time & talent (donation of services/materials through business or personal means). Allow God to speak to your heart through prayer. Read Scripture passages that speak about stewardship and giving. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 These Bible passages are also suggested for reading as you discern your family or personal commitment: 1 Corinthians 16:2; Proverbs 11:25; Proverbs 3:5-9; 2 Corinthians 8:7; Acts 20:35; Luke 6:28, and Psalm 116:12. 10. If I can't give a large amount, does my commitment really matter? Absolutely! All pledges matter, regardless of amount, because as we all participate according to our ability, God multiplies our giving. Keep the example of the Widow’s mite from the Gospel according to St. Mark 12:41:44 and St. Luke 21:1-4. This story is a great illustration of the spirit in which the gift should be given. Loyal VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 15

devotion to God's call, gratitude, generosity, humility and trust in God are guiding posts for your mind and heart as you consider preparing to pledge your threeyear commitment to the Capital Stewardship Campaign. 11. When are we expected to give the amount pledged? Commitment Cards will be turned in on Easter Sunday, April 19th, or earlier. Please visit our new website: www.saintgeorgesandiego.org for details about online pledges and Pascha 2009 at St. George Parish. 12. What forms of Contributions will be accepted? Credit cards, online PayPal payments, checks, cash, and/or giving resources (talents, donation of services/materials) may be gifted to this cause. Gifting assets such as stock, trusts, or real estate will also be accepted and may have potential tax advantages for the giver. 13. May I update my Commitment after Easter Sunday (4-19-09)? Yes, Donations will be accepted over a period of up to 3 years; however, the remodeling projects are in the works now. The sooner we understand how much our community can donate, the sooner we can complete the project in a seamless way with less starts and stops. 14. Do you have to be a member to participate in the campaign? No. Participating in the campaign is a personal decision for each of us, and anyone may contribute to God's work in our church. 15. Where can I turn if I have other questions? • Father Bratso Krsic Phone: 619.276.5827 or 619.316.2362 Email: [email protected] • Jennifer Milanovich Phone: 858.733.4826 Email: [email protected] • Dragan Radic Phone: 760.492.4595 Email: [email protected]

Religious Education Report, Spring 2009 Our Church School program got off to a big start in 2009 with our second annual Christmas play of the Nativity of Christ, followed later in the month with the always blessed St. Sava celebration. Our youth are extremely talented and gifted children, eager to participate and always do a great job. We thank God for all of the volunteers, for their tireless dedication to the Church, and to our children so that we can make these programs available to them. Thank you, Lord, for all of your blessings upon us! Please help us encourage our children to attend and participate together as one family in Christ. St. Theophan the Recluse once said: “Of all holy works, the education of children is the most holy.” The responsibility lies with us to make Christian education a reality for our children. We are responsible for making it a priority for them. Thank you for your help with this important mission in our Church. As we enter Great and Holy Lent, I pray we find more time for God and make Him more a part of our lives. On behalf of our dedicated Church School staff, we pray you have a most blessed Pascha, one filled with the glory of Christ’s resurrection. In Christ our Lord, Deacon Paul

Family Survival Guide—Reflections on Raising Children Today A Special Message to Parents Values…Teaching in Today’s World

Communicating your values has never been more important than it is today. And the good news is, it all begins and ends with you. When all is said and done, parents have far more influence over instilling values in their children than any other factor. Here are some simple, and very important things we should all remember about values, and passing them along: • Kids get their sense of what’s right and wrong from people they love and respect. No one has more influence over teaching values than you do. You input can make all the difference! • When it comes to teaching values…actions always speak louder than words. Children need to see the values lived out by you. Respect for life, respect for other people, honesty, integrity…kids get those by watching you. • Families are still the best vehicle for raising children. A loving, nurturing family unit, of whatever form, creates the kind of environment kinds need to learn what’s right from wrong…and how to love themselves, too. • Always strive to teach your kids to love and respect themselves as children of God. A healthy love and respect for themselves is incredibly important for any kid. It’s also the first essential step in helping a kid learn to love and respect those around him/her.

You’ve got a tough job…

you heard yourself using the very same words you hated hearing from your own parents? And when our kids become teenagers, it gets even harder. They seem to reject everything we’ve taught them. As far as they’re concerned, we know nothing. Our values and beliefs are constantly challenged. Every word we utter is seen as interference. Emotions run high. But we’re more important to our teens than ever. As they try out the values of their peers, who are more influential then ever, we counter the pull of drugs and alcohol. These entangle children every day and can ruin their lives. The stakes are high… Teenagers who don’t get what they need at home look elsewhere. Some run away from home. Many more consider other ways of running from pressure…a once bright and happy son escapes to drugs…a vivacious daughter starts drinking. Think about these facts: • Each year, one million students drop our of high school or are chronically truant. • Four out of ten teenage girls will become pregnant before age 20.

Good news is The Church can help… • Never stop talking to God about your children, i.e. pray for them everyday. • Attend services regularly • Read Bible and Lives of Saints • Talk to your priest • Spend more time with your children; play with them.

None of us were ever taught to be parents. So we can’t help but disappoint ourselves sometimes. How often have Please help us... When you move, inform our church office about your new address and contact information change. Also, would you like to be on our email list (keep in mind that you will be receiving two or three emails a week). Questions? Call the church office at: 619-276-5827 or e-mail Father Bratso at [email protected]

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 16

St. Nikolai of Zicha Oratorical Festival The St. Nicholai of Zicha Oratorical Festival is a triennial oratorical contest in which the youth of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America, ages 14-18, are given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the Orthodox faith, writing, and oratorical skills in the English language. This is the second contest. The first one took place in Detroit in 2006 in which each diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America was represented with one oratorical festival delegate. This year, two girls from St. George, Christina Webber and Elizabeth Kasic, have entered the contest, and we include their essays here. The essays must also be delivered orally. Please congratulate these young people for participating in this year’s event. Such activities strengthen young people in the Faith and help them develop leadership and poise. They also serve as good Christian examples to other young people. Father Bratso was the Western Diocese coordinator for the contest. Voice Editor

LIFE and SALVATION: Why Being Orthodox In Today’s World is Crucial An Essay by Christina Louise Webber

I was asked why being Orthodox in today’s world is crucial and at first I did not know how to answer such a dense question. Who possibly could when first presented with that question? I intend to explain to you my thoughts and beliefs as well as insight from others. To me believing is not faith, faith is believing. “I believe” are not just words to me; they have meaning, glory and purpose. My faith helps me believe that God will handle all the problems I encounter, on his own time in his own way. I believe that he will solve all of the worlds’ problems and all the individual problems people encounter in their everyday lives. Faith has helped me grow in the church by believing that God sent Jesus to save me and the world. Also that he gave the disciples the will to write about Jesus and let us, the future generations, know what Christ did for us. My faith has not hindered me, in my life or in my church. “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” (Proverbs 23:7) I believe this is true because if you believe and have faith in the Lord all will be okay. Understanding the difference between “faith” and “reason” is important to know because then you can idealize whether you are independent or if you are drawing from only others ideas. You also will understand what you think or believe. When dealing with faith and reason there are many things that separate these two words. First faith is having belief, you do not need proof when you have faith, you need no reassurances and you draw your faith from yourself and your religion. Reason demands logic, requires physical or written proof, needs reassurance and comparables, and the ides are taken from yourself and the world around you. Adam was made from the rib of God and the dust of the earth, he was considered the first man of dust. Eve was created from Adam but was made a woman. When birth was given to the savior Jesus Christ, he was considered “the new Adam” due to being born of a virgin; he was the first man of heaven. The Greek VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 17

word for image is ikon. God created the image, taken from him and the dust of the earth, he created the physical structure of a human being. Then he My name is Christina Louise put his spirit into that struc- Webber, I attend Saint George Serbian Orthodox ture. The Church. I am the daughter of physical struc- Deborah-Lynn Carter. I was ture represents baptised when I was three, and my Kum is no longer in the image of California. Some of my God, and the Hobbies include singing, spirit repredancing and acting. My sents the like- favorite being singing and ness of God. dancing. I sing in our church choir and dance with Therefore I look like God Morava Folklore Ensemble. I am very dependent on my and I have his church and my friends to spirit, I am help me, and I have pride in like him in the church and the culture. almost everyway. What this means to me is that I need to act in a Godly manner, I am his ikon, I am his passage into this world, I am his eyes and his messenger. I should live a righteous and godly life, to satisfy him, and make him proud of his creations. In the Nicene Creed it says that Jesus for us and for our salvation had come down from the heavens, was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. I believe that salvation is not a right it is a privilege. Many people think that if they are just religious, they are immediately saved. But no matter what religion you are, if you are baptized or christened and you are not active in your religion, you will not be handed salvation on a silver platter. I believe that God must see that you want to be saved; he must know that you want it with your heart and soul. He must see that you have earned your right in heaven by living a safe and righteous way. Jesus saved the world from eternal damnation, by dying on Calvary. St. John the Baptist said, “Repent and be baptised.” This was made possible by Jesus Continued on page 18.

Continued from page 17. giving his life to save us. Personally Jesus is saving me from myself and people who want to harm me. I do not think God makes it obvious that he is saving you, because at times everybody feels unsafe or unaware. They ask questions like: “Where was he?” and “Why did this happen to me?” He saves us in his own way, ways that we as humans could and will never be able to understand. He does not want us to be burdened by that complex plan that only he understands. So why is it important to be Orthodox in today’s world? First of all what you are taught in church. The relief that you get when you learn about God, Jesus, Mary, Faith, Remission of Sins and more is overwhelming and it makes you think. Secondly what you are taught about being a better person, helping people and trying to make the world a better place. Next when you are in trouble, you have your faith and your religion to fall back on and trust. And lastly, you move and you are having a hard time, there is always a church nearby or priests that are willing to drive to you and help you through the tough times. But most importantly for me, it’s the support that no other religion offers. There are so many ways you can keep up your religion. There are so many things that are unique about this religion, which brings so many people to it. In today’s world there are so many bad people, so much harm being done by other people. There are even people of different religions that are doing this harm, people who are supposed to be men and women of God. This religion is a safe religion. It is legitimate and it is comforting. I believe that orthodoxy, because of its roots, will last a very long time, if we keep our hearts open to love and the glory of God. Saint John Chrysostom once said, “When Christ says to follow the narrow path, he addresses everyman. The monk as well as the lay person can attain the same spiritual heights.” In Orthodoxy no one gets left behind.

Christina Webber

LIFE and SALVATION: Why Being Orthodox In Today’s World is Crucial! An Essay by Elizabeth Kasic

For us fellow Christians, there is no more important question to reflect on than the questions of salvation. For me as an Orthodox Christian teen this question is answered through the love and support of the Orthodox Church in which I attend. This answer is nothing new. My orthodox church has been proclaiming it for over two millennia. Salvation is the union with the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – One God in Trinity. In Psalms 17, verse 10, we read: “He bowed heaven and descended.” My Orthodox Church taught me that the salvation, that is, the union between God and man, is made possible through Christ’s birth in the flesh or as the Holy Fathers of the Church say, salvation is made possible through the incarnation of Christ. Because there was no way for man to raise himself up to God, God came to us in the person of his Onlybegotten Son. In the gospel of St. John 3:16 we read: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” St. Athanasius said: “God became man so that man can become God.” This means that in Jesus Christ we are given an opportunity to reach our ultimate goal of becoming like Christ. Now you must wonder, how does this relate to me and my personal life as an orthodox teen? First, what I have learned over the years as an orthodox teen is that I am simply not alone; I am a part of a larger Orthodox family that plays a big role in my life. I am given an opportunity to grow within this larger family. As a teenager, life throws out extreme challenges in which I must face. Luckily I can always look to my larger orthodox family for support. I am given the responsibility of dealing with everyday hardships, which is where my faith comes in. If anything, I turn to God to receive the love and attention needed throughout difficult situations. I may also ask older fellow parishioners for advice and seek their guidance. VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 18

My orthodox faith helps me to live a pure life. My faith helps me when it comes down to decision-making, and to tell the simple difference between right and wrong. Not My name is Elizabeth Kasic, only do I I attend Saint George attend church Serbian Orthodox Church. I regularly, but am the daughter of Rade & Radmila Kasic. I was born in I pay close Yugoslavia. My Kuma is attention and Maria Kunac. Some of my strongly hobbies include swimming, observe the gymnastics, cheer leading, playing tennis, and folk traditions of the Orthodox dancing. I dance with Morava Folklore Ensemble Church I at church. My future goal is attend. As a to study medicine and Serbian become a pediatrician. The St. George Church has orthodox teen, my fam- always been a very important part of my life. ily and I celebrate a slava, which means to venerate a saint on a special day that comes around once a year. But, this veneration of saint actually extents to God whom we worship and who is glorified in his saints. This is why most hymns for saints end with these words: “And you, o holy saint___, pray to God for us, so that our souls may be saved”. The Holy Fathers of our Orthodox Church teach us that “In everyday life we naturally think that good deeds should be rewarded and crimes punished. But our God does not “punish” on the basis of human standards. He corrects and chastises us, just as a loving father corrects his erring children in order to show them the way. But this is not the same thing as being “sentenced” to a “term” of pain and suffering for some misdeed. Our God is not vindictive; He is at all times perfectly loving, and His justice has nothing to do with human legal standards. He knows that we cannot come to Him without purity of heart, and He also knows that we cannot acquire this purity unless we are free from all things: free of

attachments to money and property, free of passion and sin, and even detached from bodily health if that stands between us and true freedom before God. He instructs us, through both Revelation and correction, showing us how we may acquire this freedom, for Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). As St. John Cassian teaches: God “leads you on by a still higher step to that love which is free of fear.” Through this you begin effortlessly and naturally to observe all those things you originally observed out of fear of God and punishment, but now you do them no longer from fear of punishment, but from love of Goodness itself, and delight in virtue” (Institutes).” “THE WAY OF salvation which leads to eternal life is narrow and hard (Matt. 7:14). It is appointed both by our Lord's holy example and by His holy teaching. The Lord foretold to His disciples and followers that in the world, that is, during their earthly life, they would have tribulation (John 16:33; 15:18; 16:23)....From this it is clear that sorrow and suffering are appointed by the Lord Himself for His true servants during their life on earth” (Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, The Arena). So, why being orthodox in today’s world is so crucial? For me as an Orthodox Christian teen this question is answered through the love and support of my Orthodox Church. My Orthodox Church has been proclaiming the truth of salvation for over two millennia. Salvation is the union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Being Orthodox in today’s world is to be in the only true Church of Christ where the fullness of grace, love, and community of those united in one faith dwells. As an orthodox teen I am a part of this great and awesome mystery. This makes me feel safe and loved.

Elizabeth Kasic

Oksana Germain continues to be busy with local piano competitions. On February 7 she won second place in the MTAC Concerto Competition at USD. She played Saint Saens Piano Concerto #2, Second Movement. On February 21, Oksana’s chamber ensemble group won first place in the VOCE competition at Cal State San Marcos. The group will be going to the VOCE California State Finals in April. They will play Schumann’s Piano Quintet, First Movement. and Shostikovich Piano Quintet for both competitions.

Kristina, Stefan, and Nikola Zivkovic were the Grand Prize winners at St. Steven’s Festival. The prize – tickets to a Laker game. They would like to personally thank Vladomir Radmanovic for getting them extra special tickets. They had the time of their lives ☺. Mom and dad had to have custom Radmanovic Jerseys made – Kristina of course chose to have #3 and Zivkovic put on the back of her Jersey. Thanks again to Vladi and we wish him the very best with his new team – The Bobcats.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 19

New Kolo Sisters Officers Congratulations to the new Kolo Serbian Sisters Board of 2009-2010! • President: Sylvia Ivanovic • Vice President #1: Vera Rakic • Vice President #2: Mira Jovanovic • Secretary: Milica Trifunovic • Membership: Linda Pantovic • Treasurer: Dushanka Urosevic • Historian: Ana Lazetic • Sunshine Committee: Nada Pantovich and Protinica Lisa • Hall Rental Coordinator: Tina Zivkovic

It's never to late to join this dynamic group of ladies whose mission it is to support all the activities at St. George SOC. Many events are being planned and we need your creative ideas and support. To join in on our fun, contact Linda Pantovich or any other member.

Red Eggs at Pascha During Easter Day the egg stands as symbol of the resurrection of Christ, and is universally used as means of Christian greeting and present. The symbolical and church significance of the egg has its roots in the greatest antiquity. Long before Christianity, all the cultured nations of antiquity held the egg to be the symbol of life in all their beliefs and customs. According to heathen cosmogonies, the original world’s chaos was contained in an egg, which broke into two halves, the one forming the sky and the other the earth. Out of the lower part of the egg Came mother earth. Out of the upper part of the egg Arose the high vault of the sky.

From the fact that this idea is to be found amongst all nations, one has to conclude that it is a reflection of the primitive belief which constituted the religion of mankind in the remotest antiquity and

Still Life with Fruits, oil painting by Jovan Ardeljan

then universally spread at the time of the dispersion of nations. With Christianity, the old belief receives new contents, and the egg receives a religious significance amongst the Christians. There exists a tradition which makes Mary Magdalene to be the originator of the custom of using red eggs on Easter day. After the Ascension of our Saviour, Mary Magdalene went to Rome to preach the Gospel and, appearing before the Emperor Tiberius, she offered him a red egg, saying: CHRIST IS RISEN. Thus was begun her preaching. Learning about this offering of Mary Magdalene, the early Christians imitated her, presenting each other with eggs. Hence, eggs began to be used by Christians in the earliest centuries as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and of the regeneration of Christians for a new and a better life along [with] it. The custom of presenting each other with red eggs was familiar to the Christians of the earliest Universal Church.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 20

The red color, which generally is used for Easter eggs, serves to remind us of the precious blood of God the Redeemer, which was shed on the cross for the salvation of all men. The blessing of the eggs takes place after the morning Easter service. The breaking of the lenten fasting on Easter Sunday begins with eating the blessed eggs. Christ is Risen! Taken from“The Most Useful KNOWLEDGE for the Orthodox Russian-American Young People,” compiled by the Very Rev Peter G. Kohanik, 1932-1934

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VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 21

From the Stewardship Chair The concept of stewardship is not new to St. George. One of our past Presidents, Wayne Papac, introduced the program to our church over ten years ago. Stewardship is the giving of Time, Talent, and Treasurers. With your faith and support, we continue to build on this concept. Being a steward of St. George is more than making a financial commitment to the Church. Of course, we need your financial commitment to keep the church doors open every Sunday, but being a steward is also someone who gives of their time and your talent. Painting the flag pole, cooking meals, teaching Sunday School, these are all contributions that you can pledge as a steward. You should all know that our yearly operating expenses are approximately $175,000, about $465 per day. This figure does not include any of the costs for the renovation of the church property. You also should know that 100% of the operating budget comes from your donations. Without your donations, we could not exist. As of today, we have 87 families who have made their 2009 pledge to St. George. I encourage each and every one of you to make your 2009 pledge if you have not already done so. I have included a list of the 2009 stewards. If I have inadvertently left off your name or misspelled your name, please let me know. Tax statements for 2008 have been mailed out. If you have not received one, please contact me. I am very excited to let you know that you can make your weekly, monthly, or yearly donations on our website: http://saintgeorgeinsd.com

If you have any questions about stewardship, please contact either Father Bratso or myself. Lydia Petric Rhoads, Stewardship Chairperson

St. George Stewards—2009

• Melnick, Stanley and Pauline

• Alemany, Lazar and Linda

• Mijailovic, Goran

• Andolsek, Tonska D.

• Mikler, Zora

• Aud, Matthew and Laurie

• Milanovich, Jennifer

• Barron, Zorka

• Milasinovic, Zeljko and Marija

• Belcevich, Milos

• Miljkovic, Milan and Diane

• Benesh, Kathryn

• Miljkovic, Miodrag and Vecki

• Copic, Miro

• Milicevic, James and Melanie

• Cronemeyer, Zorica

• Milovancev, Miroslav and Mira

• Denton, Natalie

• Mitrovich, Jelena

• Drakulich, Persida

• Mitrovich, Predrag

• Draskovich, Father Bozidar and Protinica

• Mrja, Millie

• Freeman, Lillian

• Nikolic, Dragan and Gordana

• Fulton, Jeff and Radmila

• Novakovic, Drago and Dana

• Gavrilov, Gleb

• Papac, Wayne and Sandie

• Germain, Deacon Paul and Natalija

• Pantovich, Nada

• Gregovich, Ljubica • Grijakovic, Vladomir

• Petakovich, Father Velimir and Protinica

• Hyduke, David

• Petric, Alex

• Ilic, Boris

• Petric, Milovan and Jelena

• Ilic, Petar and Rosa

• Plavsic, Milan and Ljubica

• Irick, Olga

• Popa, Cornelia

• Jaich, Dennis and Rhonda

• Popovich, Dolly

• Jojic, Dobrinka

• Popovich, Ella

• Jojic, Vesko and Julie

• Pugh, Zachary and Milica

• Jovanovic, Martha

• Purlia, Sam and Gloria

• Jovanovic, Milivoj and Verica

• Radjenovic, Mirjana and Milica

• Jovanovic, Misha

• Radojevich, Protinica Nada

• Jovanovic, Velimir and Mira

• Radovanovic, Dragoslav and Ljiljana

• Kennedy, Ken and Sonia

• Raicevic, Vladimir and Silvana

• Kinach, Alex and Seka

• Rhoads, Howard and Lydia

• Kostic, Tordis

• Saathoff, Ron and Stephany

• Krsic, Father Bratso and Protinica

• Savchuk, Nikolaj and Olga

• Kukich, Branislav

• Selezan, Nemanja and Lindsay Boyce

• Kunac, Dusan and Maria

• Serder, Sophie

• Leff, Dylan

• Smith, Justin and Zorana

• Leff, Kathryn Thickstun

• Srbich, Alexander and Mrs.

• Lukich, James and Petka

• Srdanovic, Tom

• Lukic, Milos

• Stanojevic, Andja

• Markley, Scott and Nada

• Tepavcevich, Ladislav

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 22

• Nedic, Sava and Spomenka

• Trifunovic, Vladan and Milica • Trifunovich, Robert and Simona • Undheim, Robert and Dobrila • Vasich, Branko and Ruja • Vasic, Milica • Vladic, Milorad and Vladanka • Vlasovich, Milanka • Vukotich, Danica • Vukotich, John and Jean • Vukotich, Stefan and May • Vuksanovic, Dusan • Vulovich, Filip • Wright, Sean and Svenja • Zivkovic, Jovan and Tina

“Continuing Our Legacy” Who We Are. In 1969, the founding fathers and families of St. George built a beautiful, venerable, and historical expression of their Orthodox Faith and Serbian culture. Inside, magnificent mosaic walls and icons tell the story of our Orthodox faith in a rich and meaningful way. Visitors feel the presence of God when they enter our church. St. George is a tribute to the founding parishioners’ courage and sacrifice in a new land, and a testament of their spirituality. Like the tiny glass fragments that create our wondrous mosaics, the founding parishioners came together to build a

home and cultural roots for their faith—atop a hillside above Mission Bay. Today, St. George Church hopes to build upon the shoulders of the faithful who came before, continuing the legacy the founding families have generously entrusted us with. The time has now come to renovate the Church Hall and surrounding property as well as our spirit. The Renewal Project will help us meet the needs of our growing parish. During the past 40 years, we tried to maintain the church and make small upgrades, but time and daily use has finally worn down the original structures. Though our social hall has served us faithfully, it is time for more extensive renovations. Our goal is to update the social hall to make it more practical and functional for our present and anticipated needs. One of the most critical aspects of the project includes the remodeling of the bathrooms and kitchen, to comply not only with health department requirements but also to allow easier access for the very young, elderly, and parishioners with special needs. The newly restored Church Hall will ensure the continued enjoyment of our special gathering place for Orthodox fellowship, celebration, and spiritual growth, benefiting the entire parish. These renovations will preserve and revitalize our legacy and carry us to a bright future, inspiring parishioners, families, friends and supporters to become more involved in all aspects of our growing church community. This effort will only be possible if we unite together in spirit and action. Let us ask ourselves, “Are we not as capable today as previous generations to make sacrifices, to trust God and His guidance, to take pride in our heritage, and to care for our future generations?” Imagine what would your parents or grandparents have done if given the opportunity to grow as an Orthodox Christian Family/Community? How would they have answered God’s call? Spiritual deafness does not befall the old or weak, only the weak

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 23

in spirit. Please consider answering this call in any way you can, so that we may grow together, and build upon our Christian Orthodox legacy. It is our turn to think about what we can do for future generations. Where Are We Going? The St. George Renewal Project was initiated several years ago, with the intent to renovate what had through natural wear and tear, fallen into disrepair. Initially, the project started as an effort to update the kitchen and bathrooms and it evolved into a broad vision to expand and evolve our church buildings into a place that will be a beacon for our church community, our Orthodox Christian faith, and our Serbian culture. In order to sustain St. George’s legacy, it is vitally important that we embrace this vision and work as a community to make this vision a reality. The renovation plans outlined below will better enable us to advance our growing ministries and provide a new inspiring space for worship, fellowship, and celebration! We are focusing on three areas for renovation—the Church, Social Hall and Church Grounds. Social Hall Renovations: • Renovate existing kitchen, restrooms, sliding doors, and patio area. • Expand the restroom facilities and bar area at back of hall. • Renovate the main hall with new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, and two offices/meeting rooms

Church Restorations: • Repair the Church structure and heating • Fix the rooftop (water leaks are damaging our precious mosaics), Terrazzo floor as well as the steps in front and side of the church

Property Renovations: • Reconfigure the parking lot to add more parking • Improve the landscape and hardscape (sidewalks) to allow better movement throughout the grounds

• Replace and expand retaining walls around the property.

OUR RENEWAL PROJECT BENEFITS ALL ST. GEORGE PARISHIONERS AND OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. PLEASE JOIN US IN CONTINUING OUR LEGACY! How We Get There. St. George Serbian Orthodox Church is currently beginning a capital fundraising campaign: Continuing Our Legacy. We need to raise $1.5 million to complete all phases of the restoration. The project will be completed in phases and will take between 2-3 years to complete. In order to honor the church’s founders, donations are kindly requested from our faithful stewards and St. George parishioners as well as friends of the American-Serbian community nationwide. This endeavor will require the committed hearts and minds of each and every one of us who loves St. George and is willing to sacrifice to see it thrive. It is our hope that all St. George Church members, stewards, and guests are inspired to participate in the campaign. Today’s generation is now called upon to contribute, to preserve, and grow our spiritual legacy. Not everyone has the same monetary resources; however, we all have the ability to contribute what we can, be it your time, or raising donation funds by getting the word out about our much needed renovations. This group effort is a meaningful investment in the spiritual growth of our Parish, and we pray for God’s blessing in our endeavors. Besides monetary contributions today, also consider what assets (such as stock, real estate, trusts, savings) and resources (talents, donation of services/materials – business or personal) you or others can gift to our cause. In a personal way, think about how this commitment will help bring you closer to God. If our parish unites in this common cause and goal, collectively we can bring this dream to reality. By making a donation to the CONTINUING OUR LEGACY campaign, you are investing in the mission and ministry of our church VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 24

today and for future generations to come. This type of deep and meaningful contribution to God’s spiritual kingdom here on earth doesn’t occur often: leaving a legacy is no small matter. Take time to reflect on all the gifts and blessings God has bestowed on you and your family before making your final decision. Read Scriptures, pray with your family at home and in church on Sundays, and talk with your fellow parishioners. Remember the Widow’s Mite (St. Mark 12:4144 & St. Luke 21:1-4) as a guiding example to spiritual giving. It is not the gift amount given, but the size of her proportional spiritual contribution that was so significant to the Lord. Today, Jesus recognizes the portion of any spiritual gift just as He did during His time in Jerusalem. Thank you and may God Bless you for your time, energy, and devotion to preserve and restore our faithful parish.

“Continuing Our Legacy” Committee

Patriarch Kirill believes world economic crisis will help spirituality Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said that the global economic crisis will do its bit for spiritual improvement of people, despite its adverse effects. "Not only is the crisis our plague, it is also our blessing. It gives us a good opportunity for soul-searching and makes us think. Following our well-trodden ways, we get used to our bread-andbutter sandwich, but when this sandwich is taken from our mouths, this means a challenge and an impulse," Patriarch Kirill said Sunday at a press conference in Kaliningrad. He urged people to remember that money imposes a huge responsibility upon its owners, because “God does not give money for squandering.” Patriarch Kirill expressed hope that the economic crisis would “finally pick this thin artificial coating called ‘virtual economy’ which covers nothing in fact, and ... society will emerge from the crisis strong rather than weakened.”

Telling Milanka’s story so no one forgets Lika 1941 Prologue I visited Plitvice Lakes in the Lika region of Croatia several times in 1979 when I was living in Dubrovnik. But it wasn’t until 1986 that I first heard about the area’s dark secrets. While driving to the lakes with my elderly parents, my “Yugoslav” husband, Misha, explained to us the meaning of the ruins of burned churches we noticed along the way.1 The horror of it was numbing. Here we were, my parents and I, a family who spent the days of World War II safely in America, hearing for the first time about wartime atrocities that even occupation enemies could not fathom. But soon we were overcome with the peculiar beauty of the 16 cascading Plitvice Lakes, followed by the cheerful ambience of an ethnic restaurant, and the enjoyment of being on vacation together in my husband’s home country. And we didn’t talk about the war anymore. Now more than 20 years have gone since driving past those burned out churches, and the horrors of Lika have visited me again. But this time, I am not going to be lulled into quiet. I am going to share the story and its cruel truth. I am going to tell the world about what happened there through the words of a witness to that horror, a woman who lives among us... Milanka Vlasovich. Milanka’s only child, St. George Church 2nd Vice President, Dobrila Undheim, contacted me some time ago about helping her put together what she calls “Mama’s Story.” On March 6, we finally connected, and the three of us met at Milanka’s home in Vista. Dobrila has been recording interviews of her mother’s story for many years for the purpose of sharing her remarkable life with family and friends. But putting 1.Some 450 Orthodox churches were set on fire in Croatia during World War II, many of them packed with men, women, and children. Three Orthodox bishops and most of the Orthodox priests were murdered by the end of 1941.

together a written version of a complicated story like Milanka’s is daunting, and sometimes it takes a third party to move the project along. And from a writer’s outsider point of view, it also takes a special inspiration to jump-start the story. So when “Mama’s Story” is finished, Dobrila and I expect it to be a special exegesis that will not only be Milanka’s story but will also mirror the stories of our country’s many post-World II Serbian immigrants—a story of betrayal and suffering, death and destruction, rescue, perseverance, hard work, and, in the end, triumph, thank God! What I am going to share with the Voice readers, in this Spring 2009 issue, is just the beginning of Milanka’s story, and I offer it in memory of what happened to the Serbian people of Lika during the spring of 1941 and the months following. May we receive God’s grace to forgive those responsible and pray such things will never happen again.2 Milanka remembers... “Many times I thought about it, in fact, I even started to write out my story a couple of times. But I never liked how it 2.Unfortunately, war was to return to this area in 1991 and 2001 in a series of violent conflicts as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) disintegrated. These civil wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty and massive economic disruption.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 25

Plitvice Lakes in 1986

sounded. So I quit, thinking it was not good. But now I am going to tell it to you, good or not. I am 82 years old, and I need to have the events of my life recorded. So it will not be forgotten—the life we had, our beautiful home, our loving family, our many friends, the joy of living we had, and then how everything changed and was gone almost before we knew what had happened.” Milanka’s eyes filled with tears, as she began recalling events from her earliest memories. Born March 15, 1927, to Siba (Kusulja) and Petar Prica, she was the fourth of five children and the second daughter. There were 10 births in all, but only five survived early childhood as was common in those days. And also common in

those days was the desire to have sons. So when the Croatian midwife who delivered Milanka announced that the baby was a girl, Siba told her to throw her in the garbage. Not knowing if she was joking or not, the midwife refused, saying “God help you, madam (lugarica3)! Do not throw her in the garbage! Look at how pretty she is, just look.” And so Milanka was saved by the midwife, or so it was told. Petar Prica was well-known in Lika because he was a lugar, which is like a forest ranger. He later would be promoted to a county recorder. He was well educated, he was a property owner, he supported his family well, and because of his job, he and his family lived in several different towns and villages throughout the area over the years. Milanka remembers when the family lived in Preboj, Ličko Petrovo Selo, and Korenica. Then in 1939, her father was posted to Zavalje, which was only a few kilometers down the road from her father’s old house in Baljevac. The other children of Siba and Petar Prica were as handsome and intelligent as their sister. Bogdanka4 was seven years older than Milanka, Milan was two years older, Bogdan was one year older, and Savo was one year younger. Like stair steps, each separated by a grade level, the four younger Prica children happily marched off to school together in those idyllic days before the war. While their oldest sister attended high school (gimnazija) away from home. Petar had wanted the talented Bogdanka to study medicine after she finished gimnazija, but she wanted to become a teacher. Nevertheless, a father’s will would prevail, and Bogdanka was sent to Bihać to begin premedicine study. But she was not so easily pushed into what she did not want to do. So she deliberately did not apply herself to her studies 3.Lugarica is an honorific title derived from the husband’s profession, lugar. 4. Bogdanka Prica Lukich was a well-known member of St. George parish some years ago. She passed away in 1980.

and had to leave the school in Bihać. She returned home, and an alternative plan was made. Bogdanka was sent to live with Siba’s wealthy brother in Zagreb. Milan Kusulja was a successful attorney who had married an Austrian countess. The countess died a few years before, leaving him with two opulent houses to manage. They had had no children of their own. So he adopted Bogdanka, and she became his assistant, paralegal, and hostess. This gave Bogdanka a grand lifestyle with servants, parties, and endless cultural activities in one of the country’s most important cities, that is, until 1941. The Prica family was Serbian. But in those prewar days, ethnicity didn’t matter much, or so it seemed. Petar and Siba had friends and even relatives who were Croats. Serbian and Croatian families worked together, ate together, shared with each other, and their children courted and even married each other. On the surface, they were the same; only religion seemed to differentiate the people living in the Lika region. Orthodox, Catholic, and Moslem, it wasn’t that important. At least, it wasn’t important until the war. The war that was lost in a week On Palm Sunday, April 6, 1941, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, of which Lika was a region, was invaded by the Axis powers—primarily, German forces, but also Italian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian forces. The same day the German Airforce bombed Belgrade. And within only a week, the war was lost. Four days after Easter Sunday, the Royal Yugoslav Army surrendered. Besides being hopelessly ill-equipped, the Yugoslav Army attempted to defend all borders but was only able to thinly spread its limited forces. And, sadly, some of the Royal Yugoslav Army’s divisions welcomed the Germans as liberators from what they considered Serbian oppression. Resistance to the invasion collapsed overnight. None of the national groups, Slovenes, Croats, or Macedonians, wanted to fight in defense of what they considered a Serbian Yugoslavia. In fact, VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 26

Bogdanka & Milanka Prica

the only effective opposition to the invasion was from wholly Serbian units within the borders of Serbia itself. The terms of the capitulation were severe, and the Axis proceeded to dismember the country. Germany occupied northern Slovenia, and it maintained direct occupation over a rump Serbian state. But in Croatia, Germany supported a Croatian nationalist movement called Ustaše and allowed it to create the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska or NDH) that extended over much of today’s Croatia and contained all of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mussolini’s Italy gained the remainder of Slovenia, Kosovo, and large chunks of the coastal Dalmatia region, along with nearly all its Adriatic islands. It also gained control over the newly created Montenegrin puppet state, and it was granted the kingship in the Independent State of Croatia, though it wielded little real power within it.5 Hungary dispatched the Hungarian Third Army to occupy Vojvodina in northern Serbia and later forcibly annexed sections of Baranja, Bačka, Međimurje, and Prekmurje. Bulgaria, meanwhile, annexed nearly all of the modern-day Republic of Macedonia. And so ended the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and unhappily began a brutal occupation and bloody civil war that would not end until 1945.

5.After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, all territories under Italian administration were placed under German or Ustaše control. This included Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, and much of Dalmatia.

nity had pledged its allegiance to the NDH.

Ličko Petrovo Selo today

Ustaše and the new Croatian state Ante Pavelić, known by his Ustaše title, Poglavnik (headman) returned to Zagreb from exile in Italy on April 17, only a week after the puppet state had been established, to become its absolute leader.6 The Ustaše agenda was to create a pure Croatian nation, free of Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies (cigani). There were more than two million Serbs living in the newly created puppet state, one third of the total population, in fact. There were also significant numbers of Jews, Gypsies, and members of other national groups. Claiming Serbs were both racially and religiously different from Croats, the Ustaše planned to kill one third, convert one third to Roman Catholicism, and expel one third. The Jews and Gypsies were to be completely annihilated. The Ustaše government and its jurisdiction passed a series of laws, orders, and regulations by which Nazi-fascist methods of terror and ethnic genocide were made legal. However, in the end, they acted on their racial, religious. and national intolerance without regard for any kind of laws or norms. Sadly, the Croatian Peasant Party (Hrvatska Seljacka Stranka or HSS) and the greater part of the Catholic clergy and the Muslim religious commu-

6.Dissatisfied with the Pavelić regime in its early months, the Axis Powers in September 1941 asked Vladko Maček, the leader of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), to take over, but Maček refused.

Trouble for non-Croats in the new state began almost immediately. On 27 April 1941, a newly formed unit of the Ustaše army began its reign of terror by killing the Serbian community of Gudovac, near Bjelovar. Eventually all who opposed or threatened the Ustaše were outlawed. The HSS was banned in June in an attempt by the Ustaše to take its place as the primary representative of the Croatian peasantry, and its leader put under house arrest. Jews and Serbs were ordered to leave certain areas of Zagreb. Mile Budak, then a minister in the Pavelić government, publicly proclaimed the violent racial policy of the state on 22 July 1941. Vjekoslav “Maks” Luburić, a secret police chief, started building concentration camps that summer. The violent Ustaše activities in villages across the Dinaric Alps led even the occupying Italians and the Germans to express concern. A Gestapo report to Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, dated February 17, 1942, stated: Increased activity of the bands [of rebels] is chiefly due to atrocities carried out by Ustaše units in Croatia against the Orthodox population. The Ustaše committed their deeds in a bestial manner not only against males of conscript age, but especially against helpless old people, women, and children. The number of the Orthodox that the Croats have massacred and sadistically tortured to death is about 300,000.

In the beginning, the Germans and the Italians forces split the NDH into two zones of influence: the southwest was controlled by the Italians and the northeast controlled by the Germans.7 Later control over the NDH territory varied as the Partisans grew more successful in fighting the Axis forces.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 27

Friends and neighbors no more In tranquil Lika, the change brought by the Axis invasion and installation of the Ustaše state came quickly. German troops and tanks rolled past Baljevac for days on their way to Serbia; and the Italian troops came and stayed in the area. And the long-time harmony among Serbs and Croats was transformed overnight into shocking distrust and hatred. “On Easter, April 13, 1941, I, with my brothers and father, walked to Ličko Petrovo Selo for Matins. Already Italian soldiers were roaming the streets. They were curious, so they would open a little door of the church and look inside. But the church was empty except for us and the priest—fear had already spread among the Serbs,” Milanka recalls. “After the services, we walked back home for Easter dinner. And that was the last celebration of Christ’s resurrection we would ever have together.” Former neighbors were now openly Ustaše. “People who had been our friends, close friends, now told us kids to get off their property and never come back or they would shoot to kill us,” she painfully remembered. Warm hospitality turned to cold hostility. At the age of 14, Milanka could hardly comprehend this turn of events, this indescribable hatred. The importance and prosperity of her well-known family now amounted to nothing. “One could not even receive a small favor by offering valuables, such as pieces of our land; they knew they would eventually have all of our land without giving anything for it,” Milanka related when recalling her own mother’s desperate attempt to get help from a former friend. 7.In 1943, the Germans suffered major losses on the Eastern Front and the Italians signed an armistice with the Allies, leaving behind significant armaments that the Partisans used against the occupiers and the Ustaše. Fighting continued for a short while after the formal surrender of German Army on 9 May 1945, as Axis forces and many refugees attempted to escape to Austria. The Battle of Poljana, between a mixed German and Ustaše column and a Partisan force, was the last battle of World War II on European soil. Pavelić, however, with the help of associates among the Franciscans, managed to escape and hide in Austria and Rome, later fleeing to Argentina.

Some geography All of the villages and little towns in Lika where Milanka and her family had lived over the years or where relatives lived were not far from each other—usually only a few kilometers (see the map). People walked between them, or rode bicycles, if they were lucky to have one. Bihać, one of the largest towns, is the farthest east. Its population was (and still is today) predominately Moslem. The Prica family routinely walked to Bihać to go to the market. Southwest about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) from Bihać is Zavalje, where Petar was county recorder in 1941. Most of the population living in Zavalje were Croatian. Northwest of Zavalje about 4 kilometers is Baljevac. The Prica family house was on a large piece of land on the northern edge of Baljevac and was one of only Serb households in the village. Petar Prica was in the process of renovating the house. Its side yard was full of construction materials for his plans to modernize the house. People were hiding in the forests at night for fear Ustaše soldiers would come in the night and take them away or kill them on the spot. Huddled together in the woods, the family shivered as they heard gun shots and screams from Serbian houses up the road from them. What was happening? Why was this happening? The mind of the confident teenager was filling with disappointment, rejection, and fear. Their world was turning upside down.

danka made their way to Korenica in Lika,” Milanka remembers. In Korenica, Milan Kusulja rented the largest house he could find and filled it with the beautiful furnishings he had brought from Zagreb. The house was built of stone, with huge, thick walls, and after it was furnished, it became the finest house in the town. And when it was noticed by the Italian Command, they took over the entire first floor to house their senior officer.

No Serb is safe With all of his wealth and prestige, even Uncle Milan and the adopted Bogdanka were not spared the humiliation of being Serbs in the Croatian puppet state. They were forced to leave their fine homes in Zagreb, the capital city of the new state, never to return. “Uncle Milan hired several trucks to take what he could from his properties in Zagreb, and he and Bog-

Milan’s knowledge of legal Latin facilitated communication with the Italian officer now living in his home, and they developed a friendly relationship, in spite of the awkwardness of the situation—Italy having invaded and occupied the country! This friendship was later to be an important association for Milanka and the last Serbian families in Korenica.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 28

Another 4 kilometers northwest from Baljevac is Željava, then Novo Selo, and, finally, Ličko Petrovo Selo, all of which were populated primarily by Serbian households. Novo Selo was the birthplace of Petar Prica. Many of his relatives still lived in these villages. Running parallel to the west of these villages was a huge mountain—Plješevica, which separated the settlements from the cities in the Korana River plain, including Vrelo and Korenica. Vrelo was the birthplace of Siba Prica, and where many of her relatives still lived. Korenica was south of Vrelo, and was where Milan Kusulja and Bogdanka now lived. Plješevica mountain is a great natural barrier.8 At nearly 5,400 feet (1660 meters), it was covered with dense forests full of wild animals, including bears. As the crow flies, Vrelo and Korenica were only a few kilometers away from Baljevac. But the mountain’s height and

ruggedness made crossing it a feat suited to trained mountain climbers. The most reasonable way to reach the towns and villages of the Korana River plain from Baljevac was by going around Plješevica through the village of Preboj (now called Prijeboj). Preboj was just west of Ličko Petrovo Selo. The Prica family had lived in Preboj on one of Petar’s assignments. They had many friends there; that is, they had many friends there before the invasion. Now its predominately Croatian population either joined or aligned themselves with the Ustaše, and passage through to the other side of the mountain was strictly controlled. Arrested! “They took many men away right after the occupation. They put my father in jail in Korenica,” Milanka continues. “Through Uncle Milan’s connection with the Italian commander, my father was released.” After he came home, Siba Prica pleaded with her husband to take their sons and escape to the forest, which he knew well because of his work. But Petar just could not believe things would continue to deteriorate. He thought the whole thing would just blow over. Then they came for him the second time, and once again he was released through Milan’s connections. This time he was put under house arrest in Korenica because the authorities had been told he was too ill to be on a work detail. They concocted a drink mixed with tobacco to help him appear jaundiced and convinc8. During Marshal Tito’s times, it would become the site of a huge military installation. Construction of “Objekat 505,” also known as Željava or Bihać Air Base, began in 1957. The base was completed in 1965.Costing $6 billion dollars, it was one of the biggest and most expensive military installations in Europe. The air base was used intensively during the war of Yugoslav partition in 1990-1991. In the course of its withdrawal, the Yugoslav Peoples Army (JNA) destroyed the base by filling and igniting the explosive positions that were in-built during the construction phase of the base and as part of base design. To prevent any possible future use of the complex and preclude any advantage to an opposing party, the Military of Serbian Krajina finalized its demolition in 1992 by setting off an additional 56 tons of explosives. The ensuing explosion was so powerful that the nearby city of Bihać shook violently. Villagers say that there was smoke coming from inside of the tunnels even six months after the destruction.

ingly unwell. In May, Petar Prica returned again to Baljevac and his family.

Milanka answered that she was going to try anyway. “Good luck, then,” Kuma Mika replied.

“Then Ustaše soldiers, who were really our neighbors, came for father the third time. It was still May and in the morning. My mother heard pounding on the door, and it was them. Now they demanded my brother Milan, who was only 16 years old, as well as my father. They had already rounded up all of the Serbian men and boys from Željava and Baljevac. Ours was the last Serbian house.”

“I knew where the barracks were—not far from father’s office,” Milanka adds. “The building had a huge wooden gate, which now had two Ustaše guards with shotguns on their shoulders standing one on each side. I tried to approach the gate, but they stopped me, asking me what I wanted. I told them that I wanted to bring food to my father and brother. They, of course, refused to let me in and chased me away.”

Milanka’s mother asked the soldiers where they would be sent. One of them replied derisively, “To finish the roads your king started.” She then asked why her son needed to go because he was just a child. Hearing his mother trying to save him, Milan came downstairs and told her, “Mama, I am stronger than father. I can go.” Milan, bless his heart, was actually trying to save his own father by trying to convince the soldiers that his dad was still sick. But it was no use. The Ustaše, former neighbors, added Milanka’s father and brother to the rest of the poor Serbs they had collected and took them to a barracks in Zavalje.

There was a big truck outside, and Milanka thought the Ustaše would take the men and boys away in the truck. So she decided to wait, out of sight of the guards, to see if she could catch one last look of them as they left. She found a place to sit on a wall, and, while sitting there, she began to cry. When some of the town’s women saw her crying, they laughed. Then after a time, a group of men, chained together with armed Ustaše guards by their sides, came down the road, apparently being taken to Bihać. When the guards saw Milanka sitting on the wall, they pointed their rifles at her. She quickly jumped down and ran for home.

Beginning of the end “So now we were alone. But mama does not give up yet. She immediately prepared some food—chicken, bread, cheese, and so on—and tells me to take it to father and Milan in Zavalje, food for the trip to wherever they are going.” Milanka gathered the lunch and started walking down the road. It was about six or seven kilometers to Zavalje. Along the way, she met a kuma of the family, Mika Vlaisavljevic, who asks her where she is going. After Milanka tells her, she says: “Don’t go there, child. They will not let you in. They will not give your father and brother the food. They just chased me away. They would not let me in to see my husband and son. They would not let me see any of our friends and relatives. It is better to go home.” VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 29

By this time, Ustaše soldiers were situated in intervals along the road. When Milanka came to the first group, she tried to compose herself, wiping away her tears. The men asked her where she had been. And as she was telling them, there was the sound of gun fire in the distance. The soldiers then sarcastically asked her if she knew what that sound was. She answered she did not know. But in her heart, she knew. She knew it was the end of her father, her brother Milan, her kumovi, her neighbors, her relatives, and everyone who had been arrested that morning. Before she continued her sad trek home, the soldiers cruelly added, “Tell your brother Bogdan not to go anywhere, to stay at home.” Everyone knew the Prica family because of her father’s position as a lugar. Was there no escape? Now they

friends they had known since they were little children. Now the people of Preboj were rejoicing about the killing of the Serbs and their new independent state. To Milanka, these people were more fearsome than the wild animals in the forests on the great mountain. They had to get out of Preboj.

Lička Plješevica

would come for 15-year-old Bogdan, too. Milan’s coat Milanka, filled with sorrow and fear, continued walking home. There she found everyone crying, crying, crying. Kuma Mika had already told them how they had refused to allow her to see anyone, and that she had met Milanka on her way back. Now things appeared to be getting worse quickly. Bogdan and even the thirteen-year-old Savo were at risk. “We were scared. No one knew what was later going to become of any of us.” Within a few hours their worst suspicions were confirmed when Bogdan came screaming into the house. He had seen the neighbor Toni Jurković walk by carrying a load of coats, and on the very top was Milan’s distinctive school coat. It was undeniably his. “Now we knew for certain what was intended for all of us,” Milanka says, “and we had to make some decisions quickly.” Kids on the run Siba Prica knew she had to get what remained of her family away from Baljevac. All of the Serbian men and most of the older boys from the Serbian homes in the nearby villages were gone already. She had two boys left, and she already knew they planned to come for Bogdan

soon. So she told Milanka to take Savo and walk to Vrelo to join her relatives, and it wouldn’t be far from Korenica where Bogdanka was. She and Bogdan would stay to figure out what to do with the farm animals and the house, then they would follow immediately. So the two young teenagers, Milanka and Savo, set out alone for Vrelo. To control movement of the Serbs, Ustaše guards were posted all along the main road. So getting by them posed a big obstacle. After encountering a couple groups, they decided to get off the main road and travel on the mountain to avoid more patrols. Željava, Ličko Petrovo Selo, all along the way, it was the same story in every Serbian village: Ustaše came and took away the men and boys, and they never returned. When they had reached the plateau of Preboj, they decided reluctantly to go through Preboj, the small Croatian village on the plateau. The Prica family had lived there before and was well known by inhabitants of the village. In fact, several families they had considered very good friends. Perhaps they would help them. However, here it was the same story. Now friendship with a Croat meant nothing if you were a Serb in the new Croatia. The two kids weren’t offered even a cup of water by their former VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 30

The Preboj Ustaše leader, Milobara, owned the village store. He, too, had been a good friend of the family. Now he harassed the two kids, but eventually allowed them to continue on to Vrelo. By the time Milanka and Savo arrived at the house of their Aunt Mara and Uncle Vujo, they learned that like everywhere else, the men and boys, including their uncle, had already been arrested and killed. Within hours of their arrival, Bogdanka heard that her youngest brother and sister had come to Vrelo. so she came from Korenica to see them as quickly as she could. They caught her up on the sad news from home. Now if only Siba and Bogdan would get to Vrelo soon. They waited for them to come for two weeks. Growing impatient, Bogdanka ordered the two to return to Baljevac to see what had happened. So it was across the mountain again and through the Preboj checkpoint again. Climbing the mountain was the only way they could go to avoid the main roads. Torturous and dangerous as it was, they trudged on back to Baljevac. Travail of the mother After Milanka and Savo had left for Vrelo, a horse-drawn cart full of Bosnian Moslem soldiers from Bihać came looking for Bogdan. Siba Prica tried to protect her second son by having him hide in the woody area across from the house. The soldiers demanded to know where Bogdan was, and when she said she did not know, they began beating her. Their assault on Siba continued so long that her screams finally brought Bogdan out of the woods to save her. He gave himself up to the soldiers to stop his mother’s beating. He was immediately arrested and taken to Bihać. As they took him

away, Bogdan screamed, “You’re all alone now, Mama, you’re all alone!” He did not return. Crossing paths As Milanka and Savo were nearing their home after being ordered to return by Bogdanka, a friend told them that their mother had left alone for Vrelo, and that they had missed her along the way. So they decided to split up, with Milanka going on to Ličko Petrovo Selo and Savo back to Preboj. Eventually, Milanka found her mother; but when Siba saw Milanka alone, without Savo, she became hysterical, believing she had lost her third son also. Milanka explained that Savo had gone back and would wait for them in Preboj. So together mother and daughter went through the dark woods and over the mountain, and Siba explained what had happened to Bogdan. The sorrow of losing two sons and her husband weighed heavily on Siba, and she feared for the third boy. But when they got to Preboj, they saw Savo sitting outside the cafe waiting for them. Milobara was more difficult to get by this time. He was annoyed to see the kids again. Siba tried to reason with him, reminding him of their long friendship and even offered him a bribe. Finally, he allowed them to proceed to Vrelo. Even after Siba was united with her children and family in Korenica, she could not bear not being in Baljevac. The sorrow was too great. Maybe they would come back, and she wouldn’t be there for them. So she left her two daughters and youngest son and returned to Baljevac across the mountain alone. They never heard from her again.

Partisans9 surrounded Korenica, they and 120 Serbian families were protected by the Italian Command. As the Italian army retreated to Italy, the Colonel refused to give any Serbs to the Ustaše, and, in so doing, he saved many lives, including what remained of the Petar Prica family: Milanka, her sister Bogdanka, and her brother Savo. All three eventually immigrated to the United States. But that is another story, which we will tell another day. Vecnaja Pamjat Petar Prica was executed by the Ustaše in Zavalje in May 1941. Milan Prica, age 16, was executed with his father by the Ustaše in Zavalje in May 1941. Bogdan Prica, age 15, was executed by Moslems in Bihać sometime in 1941.

Siba Prica disappeared in the fall of 1941.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! Milanka and her daughter Dobrila learned in 1982 from an eye witness that Siba Prica had been beaten by Ustaše soldiers in a field as she and a neighbor woman were running away toward the woods. The soldiers then buried her alive. The witness, at the time ten years old, was the son of the neighbor. He had hidden himself in a tree and had seen the atrocity from there. Milanka and Dobrila were not able to visit the site where Siba Prica was buried in 1982 because its location was on land that was part of the huge Željava Air Base. Ten years after their trip to Lika, the base was destroyed by the Yugoslav Army during another war in Croatia. Today the grave site is still inaccessible because it is located in the midst of an abandoned mine field.10

Marsha Jovanovic, Voice Editor, background and historical information from Wikipedia; map derived from a satellite image from Google Earth; and events in Lika during 1941 from the words of Milanka Prica Vlasovich

Saved by the enemy There is, of course, much more to Milanka Vlasovich’s story. However, for now we are going to stop here. Milanka and Savo joined Bogdanka and their Uncle Milan in Korenica. There they were protected by the Italian Colonel for the duration of the war. And even as the

9.The Partisans were a communist-led resistance movement that did not have a national or racist agenda. Its members fought against Axis forces and their collaborators from 1941 to 1945. In 1945, the Partisans defeated the Independent State of Croatia and the Germans. The former kingdom became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and Partisan leader, Josip Broz Tito, ruled as President until his death in 1980.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 31

10.Even after its destruction in 1992, extreme caution must be used if visiting the Željava Airfield complex because of the vast number of land mines remaining on and around the former base. The local police use the area to train canines in land mine discovery. In November 2000, a Federation Airforce Major walked on a land mine when searching for mushrooms on base land. He died of injuries sustained by the explosion.

ST. GEORGE SERBIAN FESTIVAL 2009 HOLD THE DATE – SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2009 Planning will begin soon for the St. George Serbian Festival 2009. In order to make this a successful event we need your assistance. This year the Festival will take place in September again – but on 2 days. Yes we pray with everyone’s assistance that we can bring back the original 2 day Festival. So hold the dates – September 12 and 13th, 2009. We will once again be having a silent auction. Start looking to see what you can contribute to this event. Suggestions are: timeshares, mileage points, electronics, golf clubs, professional services, etc. can be offered and would be much appreciated for our silent auction. We are also looking for someone to chair this activity. Please, please, please ladies (and gentlemen) bring traditional home made torte to be sold at the festival. This was a huge success last year. We received so many compliments on all the wonderful torte that everyone so graciously made and donated. Any kind of Serbian torte – any size, any shape. With a 2 day event – we will need even more this year.

A meeting will be scheduled soon for people who would like to chair positions. We need help with the Pijaca, the kitchen, the bar, clean-up, the carnival, the silent auction, etc. We can not do it alone and encourage everyone to get involved. Clean-up this year will be big and will require maybe even a vacation day off from work on Monday so that you can come and assist. Plan early!!! We definitely need someone to work on getting a crew there the next day. So once again, let’s pull together and make this the BEST YEAR EVER! If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call at 760-533-6713 or Simona Trifunovic, Co-Chair at 760-224-2375. Thanks for everyone’s support. Tina Zivkovic

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 32

Morava Soccer Stari Team in its brand new turquoise blue uniforms—sharpest team in the Huff ‘N Puff league! Standing, left to right: Lazo Simovski, Milan Stevanovic, Vlatko Varagic, Isaak Izadi, Juan Velasquez, Richard Kalani, Alan Farber, Vladimir Medenica, Milan Stefanovic; Kneeling: Vladimir Miletic, Misha, Jovanovic, Srdjan Novakovic, Rade Kasic, Gregory Diaz, Mehdi Rastakhiz, Jerry Selby & Dragan Jelic; Not in the picture: Drasko Draskovic. 2009 Soccer season is under way. Morava has already played 4 games. The team won two games, tied one and lost one. The season continues through June 14, 2009.

Orthodoxy in the NFL Strong safety Troy Polamalu has become known around the Pittsburgh Steelers as the last guy out of the locker room on Sundays after home games. All of his teammates are long gone and even most of the equipment guys have cleared out by the time he emerges. Polamalu goes through a detailed process, including a dip in a cold tub and a lengthy shower to relax after a hard-hitting afternoon. However, for a guy who doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, Polamalu does put a serious priority on his time away from the field with his wife, Theodora, the sister of Polamalu's former USC teammate Alex Holmes. Polamalu took some after Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers to engage in a Q&A with Yahoo! Sports. Cole: Do you have a routine you follow on your day off? Polamalu: We work out together because that's our only day off together. It's a pretty decent workout. She does a lot of running and I do a lot of stretching. Tuesday is also our only opportunity to go to church together, so we do that.

Field), but exactly which denomination? Polamalu: Greek Orthodox. Theotokos literally means the Mother of God. Cole: How long are you in services? Polamalu: They usually go to about 12:30. Cole: That's a four-hour service. Is that a normal service? Polamalu: Pretty much, especially at a monastery. Cole: Can you describe it? Polamalu: What's really neat about the Orthodox church is that it's like walking back in time 2,000 years to the time of the Apostles, when they created these services. You walk into that and it's really like living it. They have maintained the truth ever since the beginning. Cole: You're Polynesian. How did you end up at a Greek Orthodox church? Polamalu: There are different ethnicities, like Russian Orthodox. My wife is Greek. I was a non-denomination Christian before we got married. So we sit around there and meet with our spiritual mother and then we go home, maybe take a nap, work out and then go home and have dinner.

Cole: When and where do you go? Polamalu: It starts at 8:30 (a.m.). It's the Nativity of the Theotokos monastery (in Saxonburg, Pa.).

Cole: Do you have any other hobbies or things you do away from the field? Maybe bowling? Polamalu: No, not really. The single guys go bowl. The guys who are married go home, mostly. I really focus on spending time with my wife.

Cole: I know you're devoutly Christian (Polamalu has a carefully arranged series of religious items in his locker at Heinz

Cole: How hard is it to get time at home during the season? I know guys like (Miami Dolphins linebacker)

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 33

Zach Thomas stay at the facility until very late studying film and (Indianapolis Colts quarterback) Peyton Manning is watching film at home. Polamalu: First of all, I'm a Christian so my prayer life really comes first. Second of all, I'm a husband so my wife comes before anything else. If I have time to do anything else after that, I do it, but I don't sacrifice any time with her. Cole: A lot of guys do it the other way around. Football comes first. They say family and faith come first, but they really do the football first. How do you reconcile it? Polamalu: It's really easy for me. I love my faith and I know that's first. .. I really think I know what's important in my life and that's my faith and my wife. Cole: So football is a really focused activity. There's no wasted time, right? Polamalu: Actually, it's a lot of fun and it's something I enjoy. It's not like when I'm here it's business time and then there's family time. Football is, for me, it's something I do. It's like for you, you're a reporter. It's what you do, not who you are. Football does not define me. How I am with my faith and how I treat my wife is what truly defines you as a man. That is my goal in life to live that way and believe in it. It would be cowardly of me to say that I enjoy my time with my faith and my wife if I really didn't spend that time with them.

Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports.

Fr. Bratso encourages you to:

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• Send your e-mail address to: [email protected] if you would like to be placed on a church information email list so that you get updated announcements of important changes or events during the month between monthly and quarterly mailings. • Let him know when people are sick so that he can call or visit them if they want him to do so, and add their names to the weekly prayer list. • Call him at any time; with questions, with concerns, with suggestions. If it’s important to you, it’s important to him!

Our Bookstore has many items on sale! Don’t forget to shop in our church bookstore. We have many items: gold crosses, gold chains, prayer books, books on various topics, tapes, video tapes, DVDs, icons, prayer ropes, etc. Stewardship Pledges Did you forget to submit your stewardship card or perhaps misplaced it somewhere, or do you simply need some more offering envelopes? Call our church office 619-276-5827 and we will immediately send you a stewardship card/s and envelopes.

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Bosnia 12.9¢ Macedonia 12.9¢ Bulgaria 5.6¢ Germany 3¢

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Thank you, everyone! Fr. Bratso would like to thank all of our stewards, Executive Church Board members, and supporters for the many ways you bring Gospel values into your homes, workplaces, and civic communities. “Well done good and faithful servant…” God bless you all! We appreciate you all!

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Calling All Tradesman Here is a chance to help your church with the renovation project. If you are in construction and are licensed, insured, and bonded in the State of California, we need your help. We are looking for people in the following fields: • Plumbing • Electrician • Mechanical (HVAC) • Framing • Concrete / Masonry If we choose a general contractor for the job, we will allow any subcontractors to bid the job and interview with the general contractor. A competitive bid would include dollar cost, and the subcontractor would have to meet time and quality requirements of the general contractor. Our goal is to create a Church Hall that will serve us for generations, I could think of nothing more appropriate than if we were able to do it with our own tradesmen. Please contact me at [email protected], if you are interested. Vladan Trifunovic

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 34

Morava Soccer Morava Soccer Mladi team ended its 2008/2009 season in the Second Division of the San Diego County Soccer League March 29. Out of nine teams in the league and 16 games played, the team ended in 7th place with with 5 wins, 2 draws , and 9 losses. Good news for the next season is the arrival from Belgrade of the Stevanovic brothers, Luka, 16, and Dusan, 17. They have already played several games this season, and they will be a good addition to the team for the new season, which starts the first Sunday in October.

Studenica Monastery by Gordana Ivetic

Hristos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese! Misha Jovanovic

Firstworld Travel & Misha Tours 130 East Main Street * El Cajon, CA 92020 619-588-5811 or 619-588-4644

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 35

Schedule of Services April 2009

Sunday Divine Liturgy 10:30am; Saturdays – Vespers 6pm April

11

LAZARUS SATURDAY-APRIL 11 Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Vespers & Vrbica 3:00 p.m.

April

12

PALM SUNDAY-APRIL 12 Divine Liturgy 10:30 a.m. Lenten meal 1:00 p.m.

April

16

GREAT & HOLY THURSDAY -APRIL 16 Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Matins & Passion Gospels 6:00 p.m.

April

17

GREAT & HOLY FRIDAY-APRIL 17 Decoration of Christ’s Tomb 10:00 a.m. Flowers & candles needed for decoration Burial with Lamentation 7:00 p.m.

APRIL 18

APRIL 19

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church 3025 Denver Street San Diego, CA 92117

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Edison St.

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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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GREAT & HOLY SATURDAY-APRIL 18 Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Resurrection Matins: Midnight RESURRECTION - APRIL 19 Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Banquet [watch mail for details]

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 1459 SAN DIEGO CA