On 30 June 2026, a mentorship lecture entitled “The Parish as the Primary Field of Internal Mission” was held in the crypt of the Church of St. Mark the Apostle and Evangelist in Belgrade. The lecture was delivered by Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Radivoj Panić, Coordinator of the Section for Parish Mission, while the moderator was Presbyter Dr Oliver Subotić, Head of the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci. Approximately twenty priests of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci attended the gathering.
Following the words of welcome offered by Presbyter Velisav Milovanović on behalf of the clergy of the Church of St. Mark, Fr Oliver Subotić addressed the assembled priests and briefly introduced the new Coordinator of the Section for Parish Mission, Fr Radivoj Panić. Expressing his satisfaction that His Holiness had appointed such a distinguished priest to oversee this important aspect of missionary activity, Fr Oliver also explained why Fr Radivoj was particularly well suited both to speak on this topic and to serve as an exemplary model for younger clergy.
Over the next thirty minutes, Fr Radivoj drew upon his extensive parish experience to offer highly practical guidelines and recommendations concerning internal mission, together with concrete pastoral advice applicable to parish life. He emphasized that many approaches described in books and manuals cannot always be applied directly, since pastoral practice often requires adaptation to specific local circumstances. Having personally known many distinguished figures of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Fr Radivoj also enriched his lecture with numerous instructive examples drawn from their missionary ministry. In addition, he reflected upon the differing missionary contexts of Belgrade, the Western diaspora, and Kosovo and Metohija, where he served for many years and which he continues to visit regularly together with faithful pilgrims from other parts of Serbia. He placed particular emphasis on the importance of learning to listen attentively to those in need, noting that even when a priest may not know how best to respond to a particular problem, he should at the very least offer prayer, for this remains the fundamental ministry entrusted to every ordained servant of the Church.
At the conclusion of his lecture, Fr Radivoj highlighted the importance of the Summer Spiritual School for Young People in Kosovo and Metohija, a project that has been successfully organized for many years through the dedication and tireless efforts of Presbyter Darko Nikolić, one of its principal founders and organizers. Fr Darko was then invited to share his own experiences regarding these spiritual schools for young people, as well as the recently held Summer Spiritual School on Mount Avala and the broader work accomplished through these initiatives, much of which had previously been unknown to some of the younger priests in attendance. It was agreed that Fr Darko would prepare a future lecture devoted entirely to this topic, enabling younger clergy to become more thoroughly acquainted with this valuable pastoral practice.
The lecture was followed by an open and fraternal discussion between Fr Radivoj and the attending priests, during which a wide range of pastoral topics was addressed. These included practical methods of catechizing parishioners during home blessings associated with patronal feast days and Paschal house blessings, as well as the contemporary challenges posed by sectarian, schismatic, and cultic activities and appropriate pastoral responses to such spiritually harmful phenomena. Fr Radivoj also invited the younger priests to identify the topics that most interested them and to suggest subjects they would like to explore at future gatherings. It was agreed that the Section for Parish Mission would invite a number of guest lecturers in the coming months, some from within the Missionary Department itself and others from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology. Plans were likewise made to invite experienced senior parish priests to deliver lectures summarizing the pastoral wisdom they have acquired over decades of ministry for the benefit of younger clergy.
Among those attending the lecture was Dr Christopher Lockwood, a well-known Orthodox theologian from California (USA), who is currently visiting Serbia, Romania, and Greece. Interpretation was provided by Presbyter Darko Radovanović, Programme Director of Radio Slovo Ljubve, who will also record a special radio programme with Dr Lockwood. The gathering was likewise attended by a priest from the Diocese of Srem, who expressed his desire to participate in order to benefit from the practical pastoral guidance offered by Fr Radivoj Panić.
At the conclusion of the event, the clergy of the Church of St. Mark hosted an agape meal and refreshments for all those present, in keeping with the longstanding tradition of hospitality cultivated by this Belgrade parish. On this occasion, the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci expressed special gratitude to Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Branislav Borota, Rector of the Church of St. Mark, for his generous hospitality.
