On Sunday, February 1, 2026, in the packed Church of the Holy God-bearing Ancestors Joachim and Anna in the Belgrade suburb of Kaluđerica, belonging to the Archbishopric of Belgrade–Karlovci, a solemn Saint Sava Academy entitled “In the Footsteps of Saint Sava” was held.
Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Mihajlo Marjanac spoke about Saint Sava as a fervent intercessor and a skilled applicant of God’s commandments. Drawing on his rich pastoral experience, the protpresbyter instructed those gathered on the importance of imitating God’s saints, for they became vessels of the grace of the Holy Spirit. He reminded the faithful that the prayerfulness and peacemaking of Saint Sava likewise call us to become people of prayer, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
A discourse on Saint Sava—“When Saint Sava Walked the Earth”—was delivered through stories for children by the writer Radmila Mišev. She concluded her presentation with a personal testimony about a children’s poem dedicated to Saint Sava, before the centuries-old doors of the Žiča monastery.
“Saint Sava, the adornment of the Church, the beauty of the hierarchs, and the praise of monasticism” was the title of the Saint Sava sermon delivered by catechist Branislav Ilić, editor of the missionary portal Kinonia. According to Catechist Branislav, Saint Sava has called us into a communion of love, so that we might bear witness to the beauty of contemplation of Christ, manifesting our faith through words and deeds. “Just as the Old Testament prophet and God-seer Moses was appointed by God to lead the Jewish people out of Egyptian bondage, to go before his people and care for them for forty years, so too Saint Sava was and remains to be the guide of the Serbian people towards eternal life,” said Catechist Branislav Ilić.
The musical segment of the programme, consisting of chanting to the glory of God and in honour of Saint Sava, was enriched by the singing of the Church of Saints Joachim and Anna choir, under the artistic direction of conductor Danilo Tomić. The gathering was further adorned by the melodious chanting of the Byzantine chanter Nikolaj Sandić, as well as the soloist Angelina Sandić.
The programme hosts were Marija Staletović, Marina Popović, Aleksandar Jovanović, and Filip Marković. The creative director of the Saint Sava Academy was Presbytera Violeta Sandić.
At the conclusion, all those present sang together the Hymn to Saint Sava. This chant crowned a wondrous journey in the footsteps of Saint Sava, along the path of faith, hope, and love.
The message of this year’s Saint Sava Academy beneath the vaults of the church in Kaluđerica is contained in the words of Catechist Branislav Ilić: “Saint Sava gatherings call us to remembrance, discernment, and the continuation of the works of great people, and the greatest of all figures of our nation—whom we continually remember, about whom we constantly reflect, and whose deeds we emulate—is undoubtedly Saint Sava. We celebrate Saint Sava so that his faith and life, embodied and fulfilled in the acceptance of the two New Testament commandments—love for God and love for one’s neighbour (Matt. 22:37, 39)—may serve as signposts towards the fulfillment of our life and the path by which it can be attained.”
Source: Kinonia Portal
