His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije has departed today for the United States of America, where he will stay until 5 February of the current year, according to the program of the visit.

His Holiness will be accompanied by His Grace Bishop of Canada kyr Mitrofan, Protopresbyter-Stavrophoros Velibor Džomić and Protodeacon Dragan Radić. According to the schedule, between the 24 and 28 of January, His Holiness will visit the parishes and Church-School Congregation of Saint Sava in New York, which the Holy Synod of Bishops has entrusted to him for spiritual care until the conditions there are completely normalized. Patriarch kyr Porfirije will on the spot learn about the process of restoration of the Cathedral Church of Saint Sava in New York, which was destroyed in a fire on the Feast of Resurrection in 2016.

On the very day of the Feast of Saint Sava, His Holiness the Patriarch will serve the Holy Liturgy in New York, and afterwards he will attend the festive celebration of Saint Sava – the patron Saint of the Orthodox Serbs there. During his stay in New York, His Holiness will hold a number of meetings related to the renewal of the liturgical life of Orthodox Serbs in New York, as well as the restoration of the Cathedral Church of Saint Sava

In the second part of the visit, from 29 January to 4 February, His Holiness will visit the Saint Sava Orthodox School of Theology in Libertyville near Chicago, where he will hold several meetings with the Dean, administration, teachers and students of the only higher education institution of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North American continent; and he will also attend the solemn celebration of Saint Sava which is to be organized by the teachers and students of this School. A meeting of His Holiness with competent Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North, Central and South America in the Nova Gračanica monastery on the Third Lake is also planned.

His Grace Bishop of Srem kyr Vasilije, member of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, will be replacing His Holiness Patriarch kyr Porfirije in all the affairs of the Diocesan Bishop of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci, during his stay in the United States.