Koprivna, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, October 28, 2025
Photo: Diocese of Zvornik and Tuzla
His Grace Bishop Sylvester of Jinja and Eastern Uganda of the Patriarchate of Alexandria has been visiting parishes of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Zvornik and Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he has participated in liturgical services and humanitarian initiatives connecting Orthodox Christians in Bosnia with his diocese in Africa.
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Fotije of Zvornik and Tuzla, Bp. Sylvester served the Divine Liturgy on October 19 at the parish in Koprivna on the feast of the Holy Apostle Thomas, the Serbian diocese reports.
During his sermon following the Eucharist, Bp. Sylvester spoke about love and good works, emphasizing that each Sunday reminds the faithful of Christ’s Resurrection. He thanked them for their humanitarian work in digging wells for drinking water for children in Uganda, renovating schools, and other projects of significance for the Church’s mission in the African country.
The parish priest Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Jadranko Stojanović thanked Bp. Sylvester for his visit and presented him with an icon of St. George the Great Martyr and a book titled The Holy Martyrs of Zvornik and Tuzla. The Trebava Cultural-Artistic Society from Koprivna performed a medley of folk dances from Serbia. During his visit, Bishop Sylvester also toured the Monastery of Duga Njiva on the Trebava River and a tourist homestead in Babešnica.
The church in Banja Vrućica. Photo: eparhijazt.com
On October 21, Bp. Sylvester visited Brčko, where he was welcomed by the cathedral clergy led by Protopresbyter Aleksandar Jeftić. Following the reception, Vespers was celebrated with the blessing of five loaves.
The Ugandan hierarch then delivered a lecture on “Orthodoxy in Africa: Today’s Confession of Faith and the Mission in Uganda,” which aimed to acquaint the faithful with the state of Orthodoxy in Africa. The gathering also had a humanitarian character, with a monetary contribution collected to support scholarships for students and to further assist the ongoing missionary work of the Orthodox Church in Jinja.
On October 26, Bp. Sylvester served Liturgy at Banja Vrućica near Teslić together with the local hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Fotije. In his sermon, the Serbian hierarch said that “the Church is a place of spiritual healing, where a person comes to struggle with himself and his weaknesses,” emphasizing that “God didn’t create man to live alone, but in community with Him and with neighbors.” Speaking about humanitarian cooperation with Africa, Met. Fotije stated: “Humanitarian cooperation with our brothers in Uganda is a work of love that testifies to the living faith of the Church.”
Bp. Sylvester thanked Met. Fotije and the faithful of his diocese for their brotherly love and assistance to his diocese. He particularly highlighted the significance of the Well of Drinking Water for the Children of Uganda initiative, which began in March of this year with the Metropolitan’s blessing and was organized by the church community of Koprivna. The first well, named St. Sava’s Well, was dug in Namatumba near the Church of St. Spyridon, and the initiative has continued with the construction of three more wells, as well as the procurement of Holy Scriptures, school supplies, footwear, and wheelchairs.
Listen to Bp. Sylvester’s words:
The gathering concluded with a meal of fellowship in a brotherly atmosphere.
Yesterday, the hierarchs celebrated the feast of St. Parasceva at the church under her patronage in Ugljevik.
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