On 28 April 2024, the Feast of the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem – Palm Sunday, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije served the holy hierarchal Liturgy in the church of the Holy Trinity in Ripanj, with the concelebration of His Grace Bishop of Novo Brdo kyr Ilarion, clergy, and faithful people.

That morning, in the village beneath the Avala mountain, amid joy and smiles, a large number of children gathered – several dozens of Saint Sava youth and students from nearby elementary schools, whom His Holiness Patriarch kyr Porfirije introduced into the Church through the mass baptism during the holy Liturgy on the Feast of the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem.

– Baptism is the beginning of a spiritual life that should be reflected in our everyday lives, in which we strive to be virtuous people, to be honorable people, to be righteous, in a word, to be normal people. On the other hand, we should participate in the holy services of the Church, above all in the holy Liturgy. We are baptized and born so that we can, above all, participate in everything that is the life of the Church, which culminates in the holy Liturgy, in the holy sacrament of Communion. In order to partake with a clear conscience, it is clear that the we should make an effort that includes fasting and prayer. However, considering that we are weak and powerless people and that we sin and fall, we are also expected to repent and confess, in other words, we ought to have an organic connection with our spiritual father, the priest who will know best how to guide us and lead us into the mysteries of the ecclesiastical life – emphasized Patriarch Porfirije, whose entire sermon in Serbian you can read HERE.