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HISTORY OF ST.
SAVA SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
IN SEATTLE/ISSAQUAH
DECEMBER,
1986 - July, 2005
For many years the Serbian Orthodox faithful in Seattle, Washington,
dreamed of having their own church, a parish
priest, regular church services, and religious education for adults and
children. On December 16, 1986,
Bishop Sava of thrice-blessed memory (temporary Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox
Western Diocese and Bishop of Sumadija) and Father Nicholas Soraich (parish
priest at Saint Simeon in Las Vegas and now Bishop of Alaska —OCA) traveled to
Seattle and met with twenty-five (25) Serbian Orthodox believers in the home of
Mike and Cathy Jankovich. The group
discussed previous efforts to form a Serbian Orthodox Church.
Father Soraich shared his successful experiences in building new Serbian
Orthodox Churches in Billings, Montana and Las Vegas, Nevada.
At the end of the meeting, Bishop Sava and the Seattle faithful decided
to establish the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Seattle.
Bishop Sava appointed an advisory Executive Board composed of Jeffrey
Jaksich, Mike Jankovich, Janet Jukanovich, Donald Mamula, Mark Milodragovich,
and Mirko Spasojevich. George Yankovich and Helena Shelley were subsequently added
to the Executive Advisory Board.
On December 17, 1986, Bishop Sava named Father Soraich as Saint Sava's
Administrator and issued a written declaration stating:
"In accordance with article 11 of the Constitution of the
Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States of America and Canada, the Serbian
Orthodox Parish of Saint Sava in Seattle, Washington is FOUNDED AND CREATED as a
component part of and bound to the Serbian Orthodox American Western
Diocese."
In a letter dated December 30, 1986, Father Soraich expressed his
appreciation for the efforts of the Seattle faithful and encouragement for the
future:
"It was good to talk with you on the 16th.
I feel good about the prospects in Seattle. With some time and patience it can turn into a very good
parish. Let’s be patient but
deliberate in our efforts.”
A total of six Saturday divine liturgies were held in 1987 at the
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle. Father Soraich traveled from Las
Vegas, Nevada for each liturgy. The
first liturgy of the new St. Sava congregation was held on January 24, 1987.
The St. Sava choir from Vancouver, British Columbia sang the responses.
Approximately sixty five parishioners attended the liturgy.
A traditional lunch with tambura music followed liturgy.
On March 9, 1987, Saint Sava became a Washington non-profit corporation.
On April 25, 1987, approximately sixty parishioners attended a second
liturgy at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church.
Following services, a barbecued lamb lunch was served and a local tambura
band entertained everyone in attendance. Additional Saturday liturgies were held on July 25, September
26, November 7, December 5, 1987, and January 30, 1988.
On February 27, 1988, Bishop Sava served the first hierarchical divine
liturgy, assisted by Father Soraich. Following
liturgy, Bishop Sava and Father Soraich encouraged the Seattle faithful to
continue with their efforts to build the first Serbian Orthodox Church in the
Pacific Northwest.
Father Soraich continued to serve the Seattle faithful during monthly
Saturday divine liturgies during 1988 (August 27, September 24, October 29, and
November 12) at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church and the Saint
Spiridon Orthodox Church in Seattle.
Following
the November 12, 1988 liturgy, Father Soraich agreed to be relieved from his
position as Temporary Administrator of Saint Sava.
On December 10, 1988, Saint Sava had a hierarchal liturgy at the
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church for Bishop Chrysostom, the newly enthroned
Bishop of the Western American Diocese. Father
Dennis Pavicevic, the parish priest at Saint Stevens Cathedral in Los Angeles,
was the celebrant priest.
Following a Feast of the Nativity service on January 7, 1989, Father
Pavicevic returned to Seattle for a special Savindan celebration. An extremely
large group greeted Father Pavicevic for Divine Liturgy and the banquet. Father Pavicevic encouraged the faithful to continue to take
the necessary steps to establish a church in Seattle.
Saint Sava continued to have monthly Saturday liturgies at the Assumption
Greek Orthodox Church and the Saint Spiridon Cathedral from February 18 through
June, 1989.
In June, 1989, Saint Sava received its first donation to build a Church.
Two brothers, Lou and George Tomich, donated $5,000.00 in memory of their
mother. Also in June, 1989, the Executive Board made arrangements to rent the
Polish Hall at 1714 18th Avenue in Seattle for Sunday divine liturgies.
Bishop Chrysostom promised to provide temporary priests from California
for the services. The first Sunday
liturgy in the Polish Hall was held on July 23, 1989, and was officiated by
Father Petar Jovanovic from the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in San
Gabriel, California.
On August 11, 1989, Saint Sava purchased a communion cup, censor, cross,
and Gospel for a generously reduced price from Father Dositei Obradovich, a
retired priest with Northwest ties. During
previous liturgies, it was necessary for visiting priests to transport all
necessary altar items for divine liturgy. The
new purchase was presented to the Saint Sava faithful at divine liturgy in the
Polish Hall on August 13, 1989. The
purchase of altar items by a small number of Saint Sava believers gave the group
hope that they could ultimately accomplish their goal of building a Serbian
Orthodox Church in Seattle. Father
Obradovich also donated numerous icons, crosses and other religious items and
gave the Saint Sava Executive Board a great deal of advice and encouragement
during the early years of Saint Sava.
On September 17, 1989, Father Nikolai Dimitrijevic traveled from New York
to Seattle to serve a divine liturgy. It
was becoming increasingly difficult to arrange for visiting priests and, thus,
on October 4, 1989, Bishop Chrysostom appointed Father Vasilije Cvijanovic as
Administrator of Saint Sava in Seattle. Father
Cvijanovic was then serving as assistant priest in Moraga, California.
Father Cvijanovic served at divine liturgies on October 22, and November
19, 1989 in the Polish Hall and continued to serve until September, 1990.
On December 10, 1989, Bishop Chrysostom traveled to Seattle for a second
time. Following liturgy, Bishop
Chrysostom and the parishioners agreed that the time had come to have divine
liturgies twice a month. Services
were held at the Polish Hall on January 7, January 20, February 4, and February
18, 1990.
On February 14, 1990, Father Miladin Garich from the Assumption Serbian
Orthodox Church in Sacramento advised the Saint Sava Executive Board that the
Assumption Executive Board approved the donation to Saint Sava of the iconastis
previously used in the Sacramento church. Steve
Jaksich traveled to Sacramento by train in March, 1990, rented a U-Haul truck,
and transported the iconastis back to Seattle where it was stored pending the
purchase of church property. The
Assumption Church also donated candle holders.
The Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Phoenix Arizona also helped the
cause when it donated two staffs and a cross to be placed in back of the altar
table.
Saint Sava continued to have bi-monthly services at the Polish Hall
through September, 1990. On every
other Sunday at 8 a.m., a small group of parishioners would set up altar tables,
candle tables, icons, and chairs to transform a dance hall into a place for
Orthodox worship.
Following
each service, the parishioners would have a potluck luncheon and transform the
church back into a hall. It was
quite a challenge. Father Vasilije
Cvijanovic made numerous trips to Seattle during 1989 and 1990 and his
continuous sacrifices were appreciated by the Saint Sava faithful.
Other priests who assisted Saint Sava with liturgies include: Miroslav
Dejanov, Peter Jovanovic, Miroslav Markovic, Milan Sturgis and Rade Wimbish,.
The small group of Saint Sava believers paid for all expenses associated
with the services including hall rental, religious items, air-fare and
honorarium for visiting priests.
In the summer of 1990, the members of Saint Sava decided to retain a
parish priest. In September, 1990,
Father Mateja Matejic agreed to serve each Sunday on a temporary basis. Father
Matejic's first liturgy was on October 7, 1990, in the Polish Hall.
Father Matejic brought to Seattle an abundance of experience in starting
new parishes. Father Matejic was instrumental in building Serbian Orthodox
churches in Monroe, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio.
In a relatively short period of time, Father Matejic demonstrated to the
Seattle faithful that it was critical to take immediate steps to build or
purchase a Church. In November,
1990, Father Matejic gave an inspiring sermon about the biblical tale involving
Jesus and Simon Peter. Father
Matejic explained that Jesus demanded that Simon Peter return to the lake to
make another attempt at catching fish and to have faith.
Father Matejic said that the time had come for the Seattle faithful to
move away from the shore and to have faith that they could fulfill their dreams
of building a Church. Father
Matejic convinced the parishioners that they should begin a search for Church
property.
On November 18, 1990, Bishop Chrysostom served a hierarchical divine
liturgy at the Polish Hall. Following
liturgy, Bishop Chrysostom announced that he would be appointing a new priest to
serve Saint Sava beginning in December. Following
services, a formal building fund was established and George Yankovich was
appointed chairman of the building fund. Pledges
were received from a number of parishioners.
On November 23, 1990, Bishop Chrysostom appointed the Reverend Hieromonk
Father Lavrentije Janjic of Teslic, Yugoslavia, to serve as parish priest of
Saint Sava.
On November 25, 1990, Saint Sava moved its services to the Garden Club at
2336 15th Avenue South. Father
Mateja continued to serve until December 7, 1990, when Father Janjic officially
took over the duties of parish priest.
Father Janjic continued the work begun by Father Matejic. For the very first time in its history, Saint Sava had their
own parish priest to serve on Sundays, bless homes, and serve at Slavas,
funerals, weddings, and baptisms. Father
Janjic served Saint Sava at the Garden Club but continuously expressed his
belief that the Serbian community in Seattle was capable of maintaining and
supporting a Serbian Orthodox Church.
A building committee was appointed to find suitable properties for Saint
Sava in the Seattle area. Unfortunately,
the high cost of property in the Seattle area made the search extremely
difficult. Members of the Executive
Board spent hundreds of hours searching for church property without success.
On March 18, 1991, Saint Sava was advised by Father Dusan Koprovica of
the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Butte, Montana, that Holy Trinity
decided to loan its Plascenica to Saint Sava until Saint Sava could purchase its
own. Holy Trinity also donated
altar robes and candle holders to Saint Sava.
In August, 1991, members of the Executive Board located a two acre parcel
of land in Issaquah, Washington. The
property is located twenty miles east of downtown Seattle. There was a four-bedroom home located on the property and a
building which had been utilized as a church and office.
The church building consisted of two floors and approximately 5,600
square feet.
A
parish picnic was scheduled at the Issaquah site for Sunday, September 22, 1991.
A barbecued lamb lunch (prepared by Ljobomir Mladenovic) was served and
the Saint Sava parishioners had an opportunity to view the property.
There were numerous concerns because the building would need substantial
renovation in order to serve as an Orthodox church.
The sanctuary area had been converted into several offices.
The downstairs hall was also in need of substantial improvements because
it was divided into several small rooms and had a concrete floor.
A special Parish meeting was scheduled for October 6, 1991, to discuss
the proposed purchase. Following a
spirited discussion, the members of Saint Sava overwhelmingly voted to proceed
with the purchase if the required down payment of $75,000.00 could be raised.
As of October 13, 1991, Saint Sava had raised nearly $60,000.00.
The donations were received from our brothers and sisters across the
United States and from many Seattle families.
Unfortunately, the Parish needed an additional $15,000.00 to achieve its
goal. Following divine liturgy on October 13, an anonymous member
of Saint Sava promised to make up the shortfall and arrangements were made to
move to Issaquah.
Closing documents for the Issaquah property were signed on November 19,
1991. Members of Saint Sava took
immediate action to prepare the sanctuary area for services.
A work crew painted the upstairs and removed several walls in the
sanctuary area and erected the iconastis which was donated by the Assumption
Serbian Orthodox Church in Sacramento, California.
The first divine liturgy in Saint Sava's new home was on December 1,
1991. A bookstore was subsequently
established where the faithful could purchase religious books, icons, crosses,
music and Serbian cultural items. The
bookstore has been extremely successful.
The Bylaws previously adopted by Saint Sava were approved by Bishop
Chrysostom on March 27, 1992.
During 1992, numerous improvements were made to the sanctuary area.
All of the improvements were made possible by donations from individual
parishioners. The improvements
included: a new altar platform,
carpeting, paint, a remodeled nursery and Sunday School rooms.
Steve and Debbie Jaksich also took charge of refinishing the iconastis
and paid for the reframing of the icons on the iconastis.
Parishioners also donated additional items to make the church complete
including: an altar table and cloth, chairs, tables, vigil lamps, candle tables,
gospel, icon stands, wedding crowns and icons.
The pre-existing Circle of Serbian Sisters (K.S.S.) also donated a
beautiful chandelier.
A one-year anniversary celebration was held in rememberance of the
purchase of the property on November 15, 2002 with a divine liturgy, banquet and
dance.
In late 1992 and early 1993, Saint Sava remodeled the downstairs hall
area. The project was complicated
by the fact that the hall was divided by a large supporting wall. In order to remove the wall, a special steel beam would need
to be installed at a cost in excess of $5,000.
The project also included covering the concrete floor with linoleum, the
cost of which would also exceed $5,000. Two
brothers from the Saint Sava parish, “Uncle” Lu and Demitre Petrovich, paid
for the renovation of the hall.
The downstairs hall area was completed in 1993 with painting, floor trim,
rest room renovation, electrical work, and the construction of a bar area by
Steve Jaksich. The members also
painted the exterior of the church with paint donated by a parishioner and had
new gutters installed on the church and home.
Two large crosses made and donated by a member of Saint Sava were also
installed on the church roof.
The members of Saint Sava also donated their time and money to remodel
the home. The renovation included
new doors, paint, heater, shower and carpet.
Eleni
Schumacher and family donated their time to maintain the grounds and landscaping
as well as organized a tree planting program and numerous members donated money
to plant trees.
The original purchase documents for the Issaquah property required Saint
Sava to refinance the seller-financed loan within two years. Saint Sava had a difficult time procuring financing but on
October 14, 1993, Saint Sava refinanced the loan with Issaquah Bank and
prevailed.
During the early part of 1993, an aunt of a Eleni Schumacher, Dr. Mary
Kamberoe, pledged $10,000 to purchase a new epitaphios, plascenica, and other
altar items. Subsequently, many
members from Saint Sava donated an additional $4,000 to the fund. A beautiful new epitaphios and plascenica was purchased and
used during Holy Week of Pascha in 1994. Excess
funds were used to purchase a new communion Chalice set and a new lawnmower.
The remaining funds were donated to the Church's general fund.
Saint Sava also received a large refrigerator in 1993, courtesy of the
local Circle of Serbian Sisters (K.S.S.).
In February, 1994, Metropolitan Christopher
appointed Father Dane Popovic from Houston, Texas, to replace Father Janjic.
Father Popovic began his duties on March 15, 1994.
Father Popovic and his family continued the work of the Church.
Large numbers of worshippers attend Sunday services and the Sunday School
program has experienced dramatic growth.
The members of Saint Sava also started construction of a new barbecue
area. The project has been made
possible because of donations from the American Serbian Heritage Association of
Seattle in the sum of $5,500.00.
On November 12, 1994, the newly enthroned Bishop Jovan visited Seattle.
Following a Hierarchal Divine Liturgy and lunch, the Saint Sava youth
folklore group performed traditional songs and dances for Bishop Jovan.
At the February 26, 1995 Annual Meeting the membership also decided to
begin raising funds to remodel the Church Hall kitchen. A committee including Debbie Jaksich and George Petrovich,
among others, was appointed and donations were solicited. With the assistance of significant donations from our
parishioners and substantial volunteer labor, we accomplished our goal and
completed a remodel of the kitchen.
The Consecration of our Church was the most important event of our
Church's history and took place on July 21, 22, and 23, 1995.
Our consecration committee, which included Mike Jankovich and Georgiana
Gavrilovich, among others, and many other volunteer workers donated thousands of
hours of volunteer labor to make our Consecration a special event.
The Kumovi for our Consecration were Ljubomir Petrovich and George
Yankovich. Our Bishop Jovan was the
celebrant Bishop and Bishop Giorgije of Canada also assisted.
Visiting priests included Father Miroslav Dejanov, Father Miladin Garic,
Father Petar Jovanovich, Father Nicholas Soraich and Father Anthony Tomaras.
The S.S. Bishop Lastavica choir from Schererville, Indiana, was the guest
choir and sung all responses at church services.
Jedintsvo, a traditional tambura orchestra from Phoenix, Arizona,
provided excellent musical entertainment.
The weekend's festivities began on Friday with a Vesper's service in
which the relics were presented for placement in the altar table.
Following the religious ceremony, a special dinner/dance at our Church
was held which featured barbecued salmon and pasta.
On Saturday, evening we had a second Vespers service which was followed
by a formal banquet at Kennedy High School.
Our brother, Mike Karlica, of Vancouver, British Columbia, served a
delicious dinner of pork, chicken and beef.
A special program was presented including speeches from our Bishop Jovan,
Father Dane, Father Nicholas Soraich, and Robert Stone, the president of the
Serbian National Federation. Our
visiting choir also gave a concert and we saw our Sunday School dance group give
an excellent performance. After the
program and dinner, our guests danced and sang long into the evening.
On Sunday we witnessed a beautiful
consecration service officiated by Bishop Jovan and Bishop Giorgije.
During services Father Dane received the special honor of being elevated
to the rank of Protojerea. Nikolai
Jankovich and Steve Pribic were also blessed as "readers".
The Church Board, Church School Congregation and the Jankovich family
were also presented with Gramatis from Bishop Jovan.
We will never forget the closeness and brotherly love that we all
experienced on this special day. Following
the consecration service, we enjoyed a special barbecued lamb lunch organized by
Mirko and Cheryl Spasojevic.
The planning for the Consecration began in January. Many parishioners expended considerable time and energy to
plan and work at our Consecration weekend.
The committees and chairpersons were:
Ad Book - Georgiana Gavrilovich and Debbie Jaksich; Transportation and
Lodging - Debbie Jaksich; Ticket Sales - Eleni Schumacher and Judy Petrovich;
Set Up - Bob Schumacher and Pete Laketa; Cleanup - Sreten Nesic; Meals - Mike
and Cathy Jankovich; Bar - George Yankovich, Anne Preston and Peter Antovich.
Helen Penovich, Stella Milenkovich and Bosiljka Dalilchek also donated
special t-shirts to sell during the weekend.
In September, 1995, we had a special cevapcici luncheon to raise funds
for our suffering brothers and sisters in Bosnia and Krajna.
On November 25, 1995, we had a special Vespers service and dinner/dance
to celebrate the four-year anniversary of purchase of Saint Sava Church
property; nine-year anniversary of formation of Saint Sava; eight-year
anniversary of arrival of Father Dane and Popadija Milica into the United
States; and fifteen-year anniversary of ordination of Father Dane.
Following a Vesper service, we had a cevapcici and mousaka dinner.
Through 1996 to 2001 the St. Sava parish continued to work at building a
stronger Serbian community, both in the Northwest and abroad. Members of the congregation joined in protests in downtown
Seattle against the war in Bosnia and the tragic bombings in
Kosovo. The church rectory
was converted into a rental home. Many
parishioners continued to support their church with help in areas of maintenance
and financial support. In August
1999, the church exterior was painted, and Bronko Cekarmis painted a new welcome
sign for the church property. During
this continued growth for St. Sava, stewardship tripled.
In the late nineties, the beginnings of the first official Building
Committee was formed. Lead by
Vojislav Kokeza, the committee began search for new land so that the Serbian
community could begin work on creating a new church and hall that would benefit
the Serbian Orthodox people in the Northwest for decades to come.
By late 2002, the committee was reformed under the auspices of Anne
Preston, and the faithful members of this new Building Committee have reaffirmed
the need for new land and progress for our church
In August 2002, Father Ilija Balach was appointed by Bishop Jovan as the
new priest of our church. Father
Ilija served his first divine liturgy on September 8, 2002.
Our Church paid off its mortgage a year ahead of schedule and celebrated
the event at its annual Serbian Days luncheon/dance on July 20, 2003.
The mortgage was burned in the presence of over two-hundred happy
parishioners by Father Ilija Balach, president Mary Jane Vujovic, past
presidents Mike Jankovich, Vjera Melton, and Sreten Nesic, and members of the
current Executive Board (Cathy Jankovich, Pete Lalic, Cedo Marusic, William
Nickinovich, Judy Petrovich, Radoje Spasojevic and Dinka Vujovic). Special thanks were given to our former priest, Father Dane
Popovic, for all of his work to make the paying off of our mortgage a reality.
The burning of our mortgage was a very important day for Saint Sava
because many parishioners have labored long and hard and have overcome
significant obstacles. We are
extremely thankful for those that have given their time, money and labor over
the last eighteen years. Even
though we recognized that we have reached an important milestone in our history,
we also recognized that the time has come to plan for the future and to acquire
additional property so that we can build a traditional Serbian Orthodox Church
to serve the needs of all Serbian Orthodox Christians in the state of Washington
and other Orthodox Christians that currently attend our Church and others that
will attend in the future.
Beginning in November 2003, the Executive
Board, at the behest of Father Ilija Balach and Dan Cekarmis, realized the need
for improvements to the church nave. Led
by Dan Cekarmis, many members including Fr. Ilija Balach, Bronko Cekarmis,
Radomir Jasika, Pete Laketa, Pete Lalich, Cedo Marusic, Gary Melton, Sreten
Nesic, Drasko Raco, Jovo Raco, Milan Radic and Milan Vincic, began what would be
a two month process of creating new steps to the altar and creating a choir
alcove. Thanks to food and drink
from Popadija Carole Balach, Pete Lalic and Rada Marusic, and the clean-up help
from members of the Drina Folklore dance group, the men went about the work
quickly and effortlessly. As a
surprise bonus to the church, Dan and Bronko Cekarmis and Cedo Marusic painted
the interior of the nave.
In February 2004 the congregation was called upon again to help repair
the church property. In this
instance, the church rental home was in need of work.
Led once again by Dan Cekarmis, members Bronko Cekarmis, Dragoljub Grujic,
Radomir Jasika, Vojislav Kokeza, Cedo Marusic, Gary Melton, Sreten Nesic, Drasko
Raco, Jovo Raco, Milan Radic, Vladimir Radojevic, Mile Stevanovic, Milan Vincic
and Nenad Vujic, repaired an exterior wall, replaced a deteriorated deck with a
new deck, painted the interior, replaced the carpet and tiled the bathroom and
kitchen. With thanks to Cedo
Marusic, Gordana Cekarmis and Vjera Melton, the men were well fed and the home
cleaned so that the project could be completed.
Since then, the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church has maintained a healthy
spirit and strong community. Thanks
in large part to Father Ilija and Popadija Carole Balach, the Sunday School and
Bible Study programs have been successful.
The church choir has been dedicated to bringing the best of themselves to
Sunday divine liturgies, practicing weekly.
A soccer team was created to represent our church, and they’ve already
walked away with several victories. Most
importantly, the Drina Folklore Group, headed by Aleksandra and Vesna Radojevic,
have injected a new sense of culture into our church and our youth. The dance group has been requested at many historical events,
including the 100th Anniversary of the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox
Church in Butte, Montana. The group
has been a regular at Slavic Fest held each year at the University of
Washington, and are regularly asked to dances and celebrations in the Northwest.
May
God grant us wisdom and the faith to continue His good works.
May He bless us all.
Compiled
by Mike Jankovich
Edits
and additions by the 10th Anniversary of the Consecration Committee
Due
to the long history of Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, some historical
events and those involved may have been inadvertently left out.
The 10th Anniversary of the Consecration Committee regrets any errors or
lack of inclusions that may offend a deserving member of our congregation, past
or present.
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