His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej visited St. John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox Church in Paterson, New Jersey on March 4, 2020.

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej and His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija were welcomed by His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America and V. Rev. Protopresbyter Djokan Majstorovic, the parish priest, and many faithful.

The Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was served by clergy of the Eastern American Diocese, while students from the St. Vladimir's Seminary sang the responses at the chanters stand.

Following the Divine Litutrgy Patriarch Irinej addressed the faithful with the following words:

-May these upcoming days be blessed! That we await the great and all-joyous feast of Christ's Resurrection and that we make effort to come out of this lenten period better than when we entered it. That we display the fruits of our spiritual and moral existence. May the Lord bless your children! Bring your children more often to church. It is better that the Church teaches them what life is and how they are to live it, than the streets. I wish you all the best! We convey to you greetings from our people and blessings from our sanctuaries. May God's blessings and the blessings of our sanctuaries follow you in your lives. Amen!

With this, the visit to the United States of America of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej came to a close.

Protodeacon Damjan Bozic

Source: spc.rs