On Sunday, November 20th, 2022, with the blessings of His Grace, the Right Reverend Irinej, Bishop of Eastern America, Protopresbyter Milan Jovanovic celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in initiation of forming a Mission Parish in Naples, Florida. Fr Milan Jovanovic, was appointed by Bishop Irinej as Mission Parish Administrator for Naples, succeeding Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Uros Ocokoljich, who
previously serviced the occasional needs of the faithful. On Sunday, January 15, 2023, the newest parish of the Serbian Orthodox Church was founded in Naples, Florida under the aegis of the Diocese of Eastern America. Following the Divine Service, at which many of the faithful approached the Chalice to receive Holy Communion and luncheon. His Grace opened the assembly with prayer, and reiterated his summons to the formation of a new parish of the Diocese of Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Milan to formally present the petition for a new parish by reading the same aloud. His Grace asked to be presented with the list of petitioners to determine if the constitutionally required number of 40 heads of households had been achieved. To everyone’s delight, over double the necessary signatures had been consigned to writing and presented. In seeking the consensus of the faithful for the naming of the parish, the clear majority choice was the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord or, in Serbian, Sretenje Gospodnje (“Meeting of Our Lord”). The choice was received with great enthusiasm and a joyous ovation! The special historical meaning for the Serbian people of Sretenje, which is also celebrated as Serbian National Day. For it was on Sretenje that the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman occupiers was initiated in 1804, and the first Constitution of an independent Principality of Serbia was issued on Sretenje in 1835, known as the Sretenje Constitution. Bill Slepcevich was appointed as our first Parish Board president, Frank Sterdjevich was appointed as treasurer, Cassidy Thompson was appointed as secretary and Branka Popovic as member at large. Glory to God, currently we have contact information for 136 families and our list is growing daily. Meeting of Our Lord Serbian Orthodox Church is for real and here to stay and grow. Please join us each Sunday at 10:00 for Divine services at 654 104th Ave. in North Naples and become a part of our wonderful, growing church community. Many churches have started with less people than ours, but we still need all of you for our church to grow and prosper. In eleven weeks on 11/19/2023 we will celebrate one year since our first service November 20, 2022. Make sure your friends are aware of our church and bring them with you one Sunday soon. Please also note the mailing address of our parish, which is: Meeting of Our Lord, 2430 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Suite 108-303, Naples, FL 34109.
