Đunis, Kruševac, Serbia, October 15, 2024
Photo: spc.rs
The primates of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric came together yesterday to concelebrate the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos in a Serbian village monastery.
On Sunday, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia and His Beatitude Archbishop Stefan of Skopje were solemnly greeted at the Cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Niš with the celebration of a Doxology.
The next day, the two primates celebrated the feast at the Holy Protection Monastery in the Serbian village of Đunis together with other Serbian and Macedonian hierarchs, reports the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The Mother of God appears to the young girl Milojka. Photo: spc.rs
Thousands of faithful from all over the world came to the monastery for the feast, as happens every year. Particularly touching scenes were witnessed during the night at services over the miraculous spring, where more than a century ago the Mother of God appeared to a girl named Milojka, telling her that many sick and afflicted would be healed at this holy place. Since then, many have found healing and help in Đunis.
Following the reading of the Gospel, Pat. Porfirije preached about the Mother of God:
Here today, we celebrate the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. And she is a miracle of miracles. From the miraculous conception to Her Dormition—everything is a miracle in her life. In her life, as in the life of each of us, a miracle is the consequence and result not only of God’s love, not only of His power, but also of her, that is, our, faith.
On today’s feast, celebrating the Most Holy Mother of God, she is also a miracle by God’s love and power, but also by her faith, her trust, her dedication with her whole being to God and, of course, to her neighbor. Whoever is dedicated to God is inevitably, as an expression of that dedication, as a fruit of that dedication, dedicated to his neighbor. And the Most Holy Mother of God is indeed a miracle of miracles, because with all her mind, heart, body, her whole being, what she is, and faith was dedicated to God, but also dedicated to us humans.
The icon of the Holy Protection with the monastery’s miraculous spring is on the right. Photo: spc.rs
Following the blessing of the traditional slava bread, Abp. Stefan of Macedonia gave thanks for the invitation to participate in the feast, and offered the local hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenije of Niš, a gift of an icon of the Holy Protection. And Met. Arsenije, in turn, gifted both primates icons for the feast depicting the monastery’s miraculous spring.
In his address, Met. Arsenije noted that it was the Holy Protection Monastery in Đunis where negotiations were held two years ago and where an agreement was reached to heal the decades-old schism of the Macedonian Church.
Pat. Porfirije hailed the restoration of unity as another miracle of the Mother of God. In May 2022, the Serbian Bishops’ Council announced the end of the schism, with the Macedonian Church returning to the bosom of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and on June 5, the Macedonian Church was granted autocephaly by the Serbian Church.
***
History of the Monastery of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God in Đunis
Photo: spc.rs
The Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God in Đunis was built on the site where on July 24, 1898, the Most Holy Mother of God appeared to a girl named Milojka Jocić. The girl was 13 years old and was working in the field with her sisters. She went with a jug to fetch water from the spring. When she reached the spring, she saw the Most Holy Mother of God who told her that many sick people would be healed at that place and that a church should be built there. This event quickly became known, and many sick and afflicted began to gather at the spring where they were healed. With the blessing of the Holy Hierarch Nikolai (Velimirović) of Žiča, in 1934, a wooden church dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God was built on that site.
The construction of the large church, which began in 1977, was interrupted in 1985 due to the ban of the then godless authorities, only to be continued in 1993 and fully completed in 2001. The church is fully frescoed, and lodgings and auxiliary buildings have been built in the monastery complex. The log church was demolished in 1997, and a new one made of solid material was built in its place, which was consecrated in 1998 on the centenary of the apparition of the Most Holy Mother of God.
By decision of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1964, the shrine received the status of a monastery, as a metochion of the monastery of St. Roman in Đunis. Initially, it was a male monastery, and the first abbot was Clement. It was transformed into a female monastery in 1968. The spiritual father of the monastery was Archimandrite Cornelius, later Schema-Abbot Andrew. The first abbess was Mother Minodora, who gathered a large sisterhood.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
