As previously announced, the AEM Missionary Department, in collaboration with the St. Alexander Nevsky Church, held a lecture titled “The Mystery of the Church” in English, on April 25, 2024.
The speaker was Deacon Dr. Djordje Petrovic, a professor of dogmatics at the St. Sava Seminary in Belgrade, and a clergyman who spent several years in the West, studying at renowned theological academic institutions.
To begin with, the audience was addressed by Presbyter Dr. Oliver Subotic, the head of the Missionary Department and the event moderator. He briefly presented the NevskyTalks project, and then proceeded to discuss the topic at hand, citing the Pauline understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ, derived from the experience of divine knowledge. He then gave the floor to Professor Petrovic, who gave a exceptionally substantial lecture, befitting the theological institutions where he had studied.
Professor Petrovic put particular emphasis on the liturgical experience of the church, and the doctrinal terminology of the Nicene Creed within the ecclesiological field. The professor provided some very profound insights in his lecture. The audience was able to learn about a lot of themes: the Church as a community of all those who have answered God’s call, the Mystery of Christ and our relationship with Him through His Church, the difference between that which is created and that which is uncreated…
A fruitful exchange of ideas ensued, during which Professor Petrovic patiently and skillfully fielded the questions from the audience, and also exchanged views with the moderator concerning the accuracy in translating theological terms, relevant to the discussion.
The evening lasted around 90 minutes. Once again, NevskyTalks attracted the people from all over the world, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Burundi. It also included a professor from Turkey, who accidentally found himself next to the Nevsky Church, just before the start of the lecture. As usual, there were also Serbian citizens in attendance, curious to see what the lectures within the NevskyTalks missionary project for foreigners were all about.
At the end of the evening, Presbyter Oliver Subotic thanked Deacon Djordje Petrovic on behalf of the AEM Missionary Department, for his exceptional lecture and announced to the audience that the next NevskyTalks meeting will be held at the end of May. The speaker will be Presbyter Aleksandar Sekulic, one of the fellow priests at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, who also studied in the USA.
