NEWS AND EVENTS - Monday, May 20, 2013
IN MEMORIAM: PROTODEACON DR. STANIMIR SPASOVIC
Protodeacon Stanimir Spasovic was born February 3, 1937 of father Vitomir and mother Draga, nee Damjanovic. His elementary schooling he completed in his hometown of Katrg, near Cacak, he completed five years of gymnasium in Mrcajevcima and Cacak. He enrolled in the St. Sava Seminary at St. Archangel Gabriel Monastery in Rakovica in 1953. Once completing his studies, he enrolled at the Theological Faculty in Belgrade, graduating in 1963, and it was then that he married Olga, nee Nikitovic. God blessed them with two children: son Vitomir and daughter Jelena.
He was ordained to the deaconate on December 4, 1963 by Serbian Patriarch German and on December 24 of the same year he was appointed as honorary deacon at St. Mark's Church in Belgrade. He simultaneously served as probationer for the Ecclesiastical Court at the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci. The Holy Synod appointed him as teacher at the St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade. Once he passed the professor’s examination he enrolled at the Law School of the University of Belgrade.
Once he graduated from this school he took on a doctoral dissertation at the Theological Faculty in Belgrade. In agreement with his mentor, professor Dr. Dusan Kasic, the theme given him was, “Development of the Life and Organization of the Church in Serbia in the XIX century”. After six years of serious research work, he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in March of 1983. That same year he went to study at Oxford University. Upon his return he applied for the position of docent at the Theological Faculty in Belgrade, for Canon and church law.
Bishop Sava (Vukovic) of Sumadija suggested to the Holy Synod that a theological school be established in America. The bishop's idea was that the goal of the school would primarily be to prepare theological education for clergy needs of our Church in those regions and other theological work. The Holy Synod fully accepted Bishop Sava's suggestion and sent Protodeacon Dr. Stanimir Spasovic and V. Rev. Dragan Milin to Libertyville, to the St. Sava Monastery, to prepare it for the establishing of a theological school there.
In the life and work of Protodeacon and professor Stanimir Spasovic we can see two separate time periods of the work he achieved in education, as a clergyman and a researcher.
The first is connected with Serbia, Belgrade. That period includes his schooling and work at the theological schools, as well as his work as professor and teacher at the St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade, as well as his service as deacon at St. Mark Church in Belgrade. He was published during this period in various periodicals and magazines.
The second period includes the time from 1986 when, per the decision of the Holy Synod, he went to America and worked at establishing the School of Theology and his lecturing there. He lectured at the School of Theology in Libertyville for more than twenty years, in the subjects of Canon Law and History of the Serbian Orthodox Church, until August 2010.
Besides his many published articles from the history of the Serbian Church and Canon Law, in Serbian and English, during this period three extensive works were produced: The History of the Serbian Church in America and Canada from 1941 to 1991 in Serbian and English; The History of the Serbian Church in Western Europe and The History of the Serbian Church in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These three significant works were produced based on research from diocesan archives and the archives of parish and church-school congregations and based partly on published articles from various magazines and periodicals.
Per the decision of the Serbian Patriarch, His Holiness Irinej, Protodeacon Stanimir Spasovic, retired professor from the School of Theology in Libertyville, was attached to St. Mark's Church in Belgrade. Many faithful remember the late Protodeacon Stanimir as an excellent singer of church chant; his voice remains recorded on the speakers. Patriarch German of blessed repose gladly called on Protodeacon Stanimir serve and thereby add to the beauty of the service. (From the chronicles of St. Mark's Church in Belgrade).
The funeral service will be at St. Nicholas Church in New Belgrade on Monday, May 20, beginning at 1:45 pm.