"My heart, I believe, like the hearts of all of you, is filled tonight with immeasurable, inexpressible joy and love, because in our gathering and meeting, without much effort and effort, it was enough just to rejoice with each other, God's grace and blessing also poured out God's. That all may be one, are the words of the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we all know, addressed to God the Father. The word about unity, the call to the unity of those who believe in Christ, is a holy signpost and a holy covenant that the Lord left to those who believe in Him. And here are those words, at this moment I am more confident than ever until now, they are realistically present in our people as well. It may be that we sometimes have misunderstandings, a different view of certain events and situations we are going through, but the fact I faced yesterday and today, and every time I came to Montenegro, is that we are one," he said tonight. On September 28, His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porphyry at the ceremonial academy in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotor, held on the occasion of 185 years of work of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" (1839) from Kotor.

Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porfirje, as part of his visit to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, arrived in Kotor in the afternoon, where, after touring the city, he graced the solemn academy in the Church of St. Nicholas with his presence and inspired words, where he will preside over the Holy Liturgy in the morning.

The Academy was attended by, among others, the President of the Parliament of Montenegro Andrija Mandić, the President of the Municipality of Kotor Vladimir Jokić, numerous representatives of public and cultural life.

The Most Reverend Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Mr. Joanikije expressed the joy of all those present because of these festivities in Kotor and because of the arrival of His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia Mr. Porfirija, who was kind enough to come on the occasion of the restoration of this Holy Temple and on the occasion of the 185th anniversary of the founding of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo".

"For many decades, 185 years, this singing company decorates our worship services and all our national festivities. Lately, in the last 30 years or so, the Serbian singing company Jedinstvo from Kotor has developed its work in various directions and really deserved the greatest attention and praise. Dear brothers and sisters, tonight His Holiness will embrace and bless you all with his love and teach you with his sermon. Your Holiness, we ask you to tell this faithful people, who welcome you from the heart and with great love, your archpastoral letter."

Blessing the assembled His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porfirje pointed out that our generation, from the youngest to the very old, not only leaves its mark on the time and space we live in, but also ages in faith, love and Christ.

"There is no growing up without trials, as our people say: heroes are known through hardships." Temptations are tests for us and there have been in the last decades, there are also now. I am completely sure tonight in this temple, listening to verses, hymns of St. Sava, and bearing in our hearts the experience of meeting people in Bijela - we also entered the home of a host, on the way, going to the temple, we met many people - that the difficulties we encounter by God's providence were given to us in order to come to ourselves. In order for us to wake up, which means that we would bring out all those potentials and capacities that God has given us, and there are many of them, we have shown this throughout history," said the Serbian Patriarch.

He reminded that this was shown and proved by the king's city of Kotor, where Stefan the First-Crowned, when he came, said that he had come to his ancestral home, not only referring to his physical grandfather, Zavid, but also to those who preceded him:

"He came to his ancestral home because there he recognized the foundation of Christ, the seal of Christ, the faith of Christ. Don't blame me for what I'm going to say, I feel tonight exactly as Saint Stephen the First-crowned said about himself, that I have come to my ancestral home. In the best sense of that word, beyond, above every kind of politicization, politics, wherever the foot of Saint Sava is, wherever his scepter is, wherever his prayers addressed to the Most High God are woven, there is also the ancestry not only of mine, but of every saint , every Serb who believed in Christ and followed in His footsteps."

The city of Kotor, the king's city, the city of Saint Sava, the city of Nemanjić is a city that is surrounded by walls, as, as the Patriarch said, Nemanjić surrounded their country with walls of faith in Christ, not so that those walls would hermetically close the space of the city or state, but, which Kotor best shows and proves, in order to be a bridge of permeation, encountering the creative.

"What is missing in Kotor, both East and West in every sense of the word, both materially and culturally, culturally, and spiritually. Kotor is an open city, a city of encounters, a city of permeation of the creative, and thank God the entire Boka was named after the city of Kotor. Not by its external designation and symbolism, but by its internal dynamics, by its openness and readiness for everyone to accept everyone, everyone to acknowledge everyone and everyone to embrace everyone. And that is only possible where there is faith in Christ, where there is Orthodox faith, it is even easier and more effective than other paths and spiritual orientations", said the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porphyry added:

"That's why my heart is filled tonight, especially because we celebrate the jubilee of the choir called Unity, which, I return to the beginning, in its essence reflects the message of Christ's prayer: that all may be one." Let us always be one, let us be one first in Christ as Orthodox Christians. If we are one in Christ, then we will be one in all that is good, then exclusively and only good will unite us into one."

At the end of his address, His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porfirije congratulated the jubilee of 185 years of work of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" (1839):

"May God grant, as it says on the title page of the program: song to the heart - heart to the race, that our song be a song of the heart so that it is a song to the race, and when it is a song and when it is to the race, then it is of good will to God and all people. May the Lord bless you all and may we always gather here, pray to God, work hard on the path of good and virtue, and especially may the Lord bless you. I am waiting for you in Belgrade in the Church of St. Sava to sing this wonderful hymn and in the Serbian Patriarchate to pray there. To God, to rejoice and to embrace each other in Christ and love constantly, praising God and celebrating our unity. To be one, as one Orthodox Serbian nation, wherever we are, on all continents, from Australia to America, and especially in these areas, loving and respecting every country in which we live, respecting its rules and laws and serving to build good in every country in which we live. May the Lord bless you!"

Sermon of the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porphyria

The festive speech was delivered by prof. Dr. Darko Tanasković.

On Sunday, September 29, His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porfirije will preside over the Holy Liturgy in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotor.

Vesna Devic

Photo: Željko Drašković, SPCO Kotor