STOC Paschal Encyclical 2026

The Serbian True Orthodox Church

Paschal Encyclical 2026

Hierarchical Council of the STOC

 Under the Chairmanship of His Grace Bishop Akakije of Uteshiteljevo

 To All the Clergy, Monastics, and Pious, God-Protected Orthodox People we extend our congratulations on this greatest of feasts, the Bright Resurrection of Christ!

 CHRIST IS RISEN!

 

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered.

-Ps 67:1

 The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the central event of the entire economy of salvation for mankind. It is the all-encompassing response of God’s love to the primordial tragedy of the fall into sin, starting from the day when Adam, due to the transgression of the commandment, was expelled from Paradise into the world of corruption and death.  Everything that has happened in the history of the world since that fateful expulsion has been the longing of creation for redemption, which the Lord fulfilled with His glorious resurrection from the tomb.

ANATHEMA AGAINST CHRISTIAN ZIONISM AND JUDAIZING ECUMENISM

According to the antichristian Jewish tradition and rabbinic interpretations of biblical prophecies, the so-called Third Temple - Hamikdash is supposed to be built on the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) in the old town of Jerusalem, on the location which they consider the place of the First Temple (of Solomon, 10th century BC) and the Second Temple (of Zerubbabel, 6th century BC).

Nativity Encyclical 2025

The Serbian True Orthodox Church 

Nativity Encyclical 2025 

Hierarchical Council of the STOC 

Under the Chairmanship of His Grace Bishop Akakije of Uteshitelejvo 

To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of Our God-fearing Orthodox Nation,  We greet you on this great and joyous Feast Day of the Nativity of Christ:  Christ is Born! Glorify Him! 

 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth, peace, good will among men.” – Lk. 2:14 

God-loving brothers in Christ and faithful children of Orthodoxy! 

Glory to God and peace to all people! These two words reveal to us the great mystery of piety,  the mystery of the work of the redemption of the human race through the incarnation of God:  "God was manifested in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). All divine perfections - power, wisdom, goodness, justice - are now revealed in the clearest light. Jesus Christ is born to reconcile the world with His Father, giving the glory to God that the devil, through sin, tried to steal from  Him. Christ is born to fight against sin and overcome it, to bind the devil, to subject the body to the spirit, and to unite human wills with each other and with the will of God. Therefore, the angels worthily and rightly sang this song of true joy: Glory to God! Peace among men! Glory to  God, who grants forgiveness! Peace to men who are obedient to the teaching and grace of the  Savior. 

The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos – Patronal Feastday of Koštunići Monastery

 

Koštunići Monastery, the episcopal seat of the Šumadija diocese festively celebrated its Slava, its

patronal feastday on the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The host of the feastday, Bishop

Nektarije of Šumadija was joined in the festive service by Bishop Akakije of Uteshiteljevo, five priests

from various parishes of the STOC, and one deacon from Russia (ROCOR).

Nativity Encyclical of the Serbian True Orthodox Church

 

Nativity Encyclical of the Serbian True Orthodox Church

Serbian True Orthodox Church

Nativity Encyclical 2022

From the Hierarchichal Council of the STOC

Under the chairmanship of His Grace Bishop Akakije of Uteshiteljevo

 

To all clergy. monastics, and spiritual children of our holy Church:  We wish you grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, in our joyful Christmas greeting:

God’s Peace be with you - Christ is Born!

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, and good will among men.” (Luke 2:14)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Behold, God comes in the body of a man! This is the greatest mystery of our holy Christian faith - “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16). This mystery is above all human understanding, which is why we place faith above reason. We cannot perceive the fullness of the mystery of the bodily birth of the Son of God without understanding His pre-eternal birth from God the Father. To better understand the pre-eternal birth, as much as our limited intellect can, the Gospel wisely calls the Son of God “Logos” (the Word) so that we, hearing about the Son, would not think of a passionate, bodily birth. The Gospel calls Him “Logos” (the Word) to tell us He was Born dispassionately from the Father, as a word is dispassionately born from the mind. Thus, God the Word who was pre-eternally born from the Father without a mother and without passion, is born dispassionately today without a father from His mother, the immaculate Virgin Mary.

Pilgrimage to the Tomb of St John the Theologian

In mid-June, Bishop Akakije went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of the Holy Apostle John the Evangalist and Theologian, the beloved disciple of Christ. The place of his repose (or ascension) and burial is located in Asia Minor, in a place where later the Byzantine village Agios Theologos was founded in his honor.  After the Turkish conquest (11^th century), the name was changed to Ayasoluk, which in Turkish means “holy breath.” Only in the 20^th century, when the Young Turk revolutionaries/nationalists changed all place names which were connected to Christianity, was the village renamed Selçuk after the Seljuk Turks who took Asia Minor from the Romans.  From here on in this text we will refer to the village as Ayasoluk.  Located right on the Agean coast, it falls within the Izmir Province of Attaturk’s Turkish Republic.  It became the main settlement of Ephesus after the ancient city itself was completely destroyed during the Romeo-Arabian wars in the 7^th century.

Paschal Encyclical 2022

 

Serbian True Orthodox Church

Paschal Encyclical 2022

To all faithful children of the Church of St. Sava,

We greet you on the Feast of Feasts, the Holy Resurrection of Christ:

Christ is Risen!

“ Come ye, take light from the unwaning Light

 and glorify Christ, Risen from the dead...”

In accordance with ancient Christian tradition, the paschal service begins with the distribution of light. While in the church, when all the lights - candles and lamps - have been extinguished, the bishop comes out of the altar with the dikirion and trikirion lit from the lamp on the Holy Table, singing the following stichiron: “ Come ye, take light from the unwaning Light and glorify Christ, Risen from the dead.” He then distributes this flame as a blessing to the faithful who approach to light their candles. Then, while singing, “Thy resurrection, O Christ Savior,” they go outside and process three times around the church.  Afterwards, they reinter trumphantly into the fully lighted temple which symbolizes the Tomb out of which the Resurrection of Christ shone onto the world.

Ten Year Anniversary of Cosecration to the Episcopate and Guests from the Russian Church Abroad

 

At Uteshiteljevo on Sunday, August 8 NS/26 July OS, we celebrated Bishop Akakije’s 10 year anniversary of consecration to the episcopacy with a festive hierarchical liturgy. Besides the participation of Bishop Nektarije of Shumadia with our priests and faithful, the presence of guests from America, a group of Russian pilgrims from the Russian Church Abroad, led by Archbishop Sophrony of Saint Petersburg and Northern Russia, crowned the celebration.

Patronal Feastday of "The Paraclete" 2021

 

The feastday of Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, on the Apostles, the patronal feastday of  Uteshiteljevo (“The Paraclete”) Monastery and the Serbian TOC eparchy, was celebrated again this year with a holy hierarchical liturgy led by Bishop Akakije of Uteshiteljevo co-celebrating with Bishop Nektarije of Shumadia and other members of the Uteshiteljevo eparchy clergy.