Wonderful, hard-working, devoted, loving, talented, inspiring......there aren't enough adjectives to describe our ladies of St. Sava's Serbian Sisters Circle. Once again they celebrated their Slava, St. Petka Paraskeva, with a solemn memorial service as Fr. Marko read the names of hundreds of deceased Kolo members that have passed throughout the years. Every year our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and Kumovi are remembered in our prayers. The Kolo Sisters are the backbone of our church, and we all acknowledge the fact that we could not exist without them. The Djordjevic family and Sisters from New Carlisle also celebrated their Slava that day. After Divine Liturgy, the ladies treated us to a delicious meal served by young folklore dancers and future Kolo leaders. A new framed photo tribute to past Kolo presidents was unveiled and will now be permanently displayed in the north wing. President Milena Beba Rudman thanked all the guests as well as her sisters "Martha Stewart" (Mimi Orlich) and "Paula Dean" (Zorka Glumac). There were many more to thank, but she hasn't nicknamed them yet! Guests included  Kolo Sisters representing NWI and Chicagoland Circles. Kum Dan Sever expressed his personal admiration for and memories of our sisters. A grand Serbian dessert table offered an unbelievable assortment of homemade desserts and pastries!

In spite of the extreme hot weather, many parishioners attended the annual Serbian Day Memorial Service for General Draza Mihajlovich and other deceased members who served their country. After Divine Liturgy, a procession led the faithful to the new Legacy Tree for a short service. Special guests included Fr. Dragomir and Kristina Tuba from Akron, Ohio with their family, as they make their way to Phoenix to serve that parish. Young Lazo Knezic was in charge of the lamb and pig crew - great job, gentlemen! Thanks also to the Ajder family and Snezana for serving a delicious luncheon.

Violet Milanovich was remembered with a 40 Day Parastos when members returned into the church before the luncheon.

THIS SUNDAY, JULY 15TH, at the Serbian Day Celebration, the SECOND DRAWING for the EARLY-BIRD RAFFLE will be held in the south wing after the luncheon. It's a chance to win an extra $1000 Prize, plus your ticket will be re-entered into the drawing for the $25,000 Grand Prize and all other Prizes in the SERB FEST RAFFLE! Get your tickets soon from any church member, or contact Vinko Mancich, Mike Jaksich, or David Gerbick. Ticket price is $100. Good Luck! Winner need not be present.

His Holiness passed away Sunday morning.  May he rest in peace and His memory be eternal.

The Northwest Indiana regional memorial service for Patriarch Pavle will be held tomorrow Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at St. George, 905 Joliet Road in Schererville.  Father Marko is encouraging all parishioners to attend this memorial service.

Special Thanks to Mara Cucuz from Florida for sending us the link to this video.

This year's Serbian Day Celebration marked many new beginnings for our Church. After closing our Church Hall last August, we were forced to make adjustments, and we certainly did. A long-time tradition of the Draza Mihajlovich Memorial Service was celebrated for the first time in Merrillville, and a new Legacy Tree was chosen and dedicated. A piece of the original tree from 49th Avenue was cut out and brought to the new Church. The Cross carved in the trunk was carefully preserved. The few remaining Chetniks who were able to attend stood proudly and emotionally as their Leader was remembered. Pictured are Milos Katic, Petar Baljak, Chedo Radovich, Jovan Mileusnic, and Milorad Mileusnic. Not pictured is Nikola Loncar. Unable to attend was Blazo Dragich. A breezy, sunny day was the backdrop for a sky of many flags. Some parishoners stayed for a luncheon and took in the Memorial displays honoring the many Serbs who served their countries proudly. Even the kids had a great time playing games and relays Thanks to Kim Mileusnic. And of course, a perfect ending to a Serbian celebration is for all the women to come out of the kitchen and join everyone in dancing a Kolo.

(Click photo to enlarge)