President of Serbia visits Diocese of Valjevo on the feast-day of Saint Nikolaj of Serbia

May 2014

Upon the invitation of His Grace Bishop Milutin of Valjevo, on the feast-day of Saint Bishop Nikolaj (Velimirovic), President of Serbia Mr. Tomislav Nikolic participated in the Liturgy at the Lelic monastery and later on visited the nearby monastery of Celije.

That was the first visit of the current Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic to the Diocese of Valjevo. At the Liturgy he read the Creed and Lord’s prayer, received Holy Communion and attended the cutting of slava cake at the Lelic monastery, in honour of the feast-day of St. Nikolaj of Serbia. Their Graces Bishops Milutin of Valjevo and Atanasije of Bihac-Petrovac officiated the Divine Liturgy.

Priests and monks from dioceses of Belgrade-Karlovac, Montenegro and the Littoral, Bihac-Petrovac, Valjevo, Sabac and Canada concelebrated at the Liturgy.

On behalf of the Diocese of Valjevo, Bishop Milutin awarded President Nikolic with the Order of St. Bishop Nikolaj. The greatest diocesan award was presented to the President of the state for “his great efforts and care for the Serbian country and the Serbian people and the painstaking work to improve relations between the state of Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as in honor of his first official visit to the Diocese of Valjevo and its holy shrines”.

President Nikolic also visited the Celije monastery and the grave of Abba St. Justin of Celije. The President and Bishop Milutin were welcomed by abbess Glikerija with her sisterhood.

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