24.05.2023.
Serbian Armed Forces Take Part in Translation of Relics of Saint Bishop Nikolaj
Today, members of the Serbian Armed Forces with the priests and monks of the Eparchy of Valjevo, take part in the translation of a sarcophagus with the remains of Saint Bishop Nikolaj of Žiča and Ohrid, from Valjevo to Belgrade, where, tomorrow, they will be carried along the streets of the capital heading the Ascension Procession.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Nemanja Starović, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence Brigadier General Goran Momčilović and Head of Human Resources Department (J-1) of the General Staff, Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, attended the departure and translation of the remains.
The Serbian Armed Forces answered the call of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Kyr Profirije to participate traditionally in the Procession for the Ascension of Our Lord, and this year, to escort the relics of Saint Bishop Nikolaj, to mark the decade of restoring the Religious Service in the Serbian Armed Forces.
Members of the Second Training Centre of the Training Command participated in the transfer of the sarcophagus with the remains of Saint Bishop Nikolaj from their permanent location - Lelić Monastery near Valjevo to the Church of Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, after which, a procession was formed in front of the Protecting Veil Church, headed by Bishop of Valjevo Isihije and Bishop of Lipljan and Military Bishop Dositej, the Curate of Serbian Patriarch Kyr Porfirije. Then, the relics were translated in a procession to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Valjevo where Acathistus was served for Saint Bishop Nikolaj.
Furthermore, today, members of our armed forces participate in the translation and escort of the relics from Valjevo to the Church of the Ascension in Belgrade, where the relics will be welcomed before the holiday evening service.