Several hundred believers who attended the festive liturgy walk in a procession around the monastery anent the Assumption, after which the Bishop Theodosius cut the “slava cake”. Believers who fasted the Assumption lent previously received the Secret of Holy Communion.
Bishop Theodosius preached about the importance of the holiday, the role of the Church and of the Holy Mother of God in preserving the faith and called the people that often come to the temples of God.
"We need, brothers and sisters, to honor the priests and monks because they pray for us and we need those prayers. We are not able to deal with our own troubles and temptations and prayers of the faithful, prayer of the priests, monks, all those who are in the church of God help us to overcome many challenges here on earth and to stay on the path of Christ, to be a part of this holy community in church of God, partaking the blood and body of the Lord we stay forever alive," said Bishop Theodosius in his homily.
The feast of Gracanica was covered with numerous activities including the art colony called "To the heroes of the Great War" in front of the monument to the fallen soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918) in Gracanica while the Association of Disabled presented its handiworks in the monastery courtyard.
Zivoratka Popovic, the president of the Association, said: "These are works that have been created in the previous period by persons with disabilities. It is now the traditional exhibition since we have been exhibiting each year in the courtyard of the monastery of Gracanica. We want to show the community what can people with disabilities do."
The Assumption is one of the greatest Christian feasts dedicated to the Mother of God. This feast, when 14 days lent ends, is the memory on the death of the Virgin Mary, and according to the gospel, the day when she ascended to heaven "and gave her spirit into the hands of the Savior."
According to the canon SOC, the Dormition of the Virgin is one of the Mother of God’s feasts and is celebrated every year on August 28 or August 15 in the Julian calendar.
The liturgy was served today in Monastery of Gracanica on the occasion of the Assumption of Mary, the temple feast. The liturgy, with the concelebration of clergy and monks of the Diocese of Raska –Prizren, was served by Bishop Theodosius.
