During the afterfeast of Saint Sava, on 31 January 2026, in the covenantal church of the Serbian people on Vračar, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije distributed gift packages to pupils attending religious education in schools within the territory of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci.
 
The distribution of the gift packages was preceded by an appropriate cultural and artistic program hosted by the renowned dramatic artists Mr. Ivan Bosiljčić and Mrs. Marija Bergam. At the beginning, beneath the domes of the Church of Saint Sava, the prayer Our Father resounded from the voices of more than two thousand spiritual children of Saint Sava and their catechists. Then the Children’s Choir “Rastko” performed the Hymn to Saint Sava, after which the hosts and the pupils together recited a well-rehearsed dramatic piece.
 
At the conclusion of the festive program, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije congratulated the pupils on the Feast of Saint Sava, the first Serbian Archbishop, and delivered to them a fatherly address:
 
– Dear children, may this feast be happy and blessed for you, and may the prayer of Saint Sava be with us all. But above all, in addition to praying to Saint Sava, let us strive to imitate him. For Saint Sava was also a pupil; he too was a student, and not an ordinary one. He is the best pupil ever born among our people. Because he was curious, because for everything that was not clear to him he asked why, but also because he knew how very important it is that all the lessons his teachers present to him in school should be learned in the best possible way.
 
However, he also knew that this was not everything, that it is not enough for his head to be full of various kinds of knowledge, but that such knowledge would be useful to him only if he first had a heart that was fulfilled. With what? A moment ago you used the most important word, and Saint Sava knew it as well. The heart must be filled with love. He knew that he had to learn addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, but he also knew that in his soul he should add up goodness, that he should know how to say “forgive me,” and that he himself should be able to forgive. He knew that he must always be ready for his friends and companions, but first to be obedient to his parents, to love them and to pray for them.
 
Therefore, you also, imitating Saint Sava, should strive to learn as much as you can, but before that, constantly and forever open your hearts to your friends, to your teachers, and never be someone who accuses and criticizes classmates, but always be ready, if necessary, to run to meet them and help them.
 
As I congratulate you on the Feast of Saint Sava, I call upon you, whenever you feel the need, to offer him a prayer. When you have not done your homework, may he give you strength to admit that you were not very diligent, so that you need not invent what happened, but speak the truth. For the truth gives strength and at the same time is the beginning of the effort to become better. Therefore, may Saint Sava grant you courage and strength to understand and know as much as possible, as he did without computers, without video games and mobile phones, and yet he knew much and everything that we know today, because he had a pure heart, a heart filled with love, that is, with the grace of God. May your hearts also be foundations in which there is love for everyone and for every human being, first for your parents, for your friends, for your teachers, so that from that love you may offer prayer to Saint Sava, and that he may present it to God on your behalf. Many years! May you be happy and blessed. A joyous feast to you!
 
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The Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church then gladdened, with gifts, fifteen fourth-grade pupils attending religious instruction from each primary school in Belgrade. The St. Sava celebration was organized by the Committee for Religious Instruction of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci, the Church of Saint Sava, and the humanitarian organization “All for Kosovo and Metohija.”