His Holiness Irenej Patriarch of Serbia

Visits Pantanassa Monastery

On Thursday 10 March, as part of His pastoral visit to Australia, His Holiness the Archbishop of Pech, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch Kyr Irinej visited Pantanassa Monastery. His Holiness was accompanied by His Eminence Dr Amfilohije, Archbishop of Cetinje, Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral and Exarch of the Throne of Pech, Bishop Irinej the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand, Protopresbyter Stojadin Pavlovic, Director of the Patriarchal Administerative Board, as well as Deacon Aleksandar Sekulic, Secretary of the Patriarchal Cabinet.

His Holiness was received with the traditional monastic welcoming service and at the end of the service Elder Eusebios welcomed His Holiness and thanked Him for visiting the Pantanassa Monastery, ‘These days with Your visit to Australia, all Orthodox Christians in this country, along with our Serbian brothers and sisters, as members of the one Orthodox Church, experience a great blessing and joy. A unique and magnificent occasion, since your presence, reminds us of an important ecclesiological teaching of our Church, the Lord in our midst. Living the presence of our Lord is the essence of Orthodox spirituality and the goal that we should all endeavour to experience, irrespective of one’s position in the Church, and Your presence, not only reminds us, but helps us to experience this divine gift, for You, as a canonical Orthodox Hierarch and more so as the head of the Serbian Orthodox people all over the world, stand in the place and image of our Lord. This is our joy! For this reason we, along with your people, celebrate. We deeply thank you Your Holiness for visiting our Monastery.’

His Holiness had lunch with the fathers of Pantanassa Monastery, planted a red cedar tree in the grounds of the monastery in commemoration of His visit and was given a tour of the new monastic complex. His Holiness was impressed by the new monastic complex and said that His visit to Australia would not have been complete if He had not visited the Monastery.