On Wednesday, 28 January 2026, at 6:00 p.m., a solemn Saint Sava Academy was held at the Cultural Centre in Nova Varoš, organized by the Church Municipality of Nova Varoš. The keynote speaker of this year’s Saint Sava Academy was Presbyter Dr Oliver Subotić, Head of the Missionary Department of the Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovci, who was born and raised in this town at the foot of Mount Zlatar.
Following the hymn dedicated to Saint Sava, His Eminence Metropolitan of Mileševa, Mr Athanasius, addressed those present who had filled the Cultural Centre with a brief and inspired address, in which he called upon everyone, following the example of Saint Sava, to be responsive to God’s call and, among other things, stated: “There are many who have responded, of various ages. Children respond the most, and children sing to Saint Sava most beautifully and most warmly. We elders will also compete with them in that love for Heaven, for God, for Saint Sava. We shall compete in love, in every evangelical virtue.”
After the introductory address of Metropolitan Athanasius, this year’s keynote lecture at the Academy was delivered by Fr Oliver Subotić. The lecture was primarily focused on the need to contextualize Saint Sava within the moment in which we find ourselves, so that, as a people who are, historically speaking, few in number yet elevated in spiritual models and achievements, we might be able to orient ourselves in the century ahead. Fr Oliver drew parallels between the time in which Saint Sava lived and the time in which we live today—a time that is not the most difficult, but is the most complex, due to profound and turbulent geopolitical and technological changes.
In the central part of the lecture, a parallel was drawn between Saint Sava, the greatest Serb of all time, whose 850th anniversary of birth we have commemorated, and Nikola Tesla, the greatest Serbian inventor of all time, whose 170th anniversary of birth we are celebrating this year. It was noted that differences exist between them, yet that their shared characteristic is what generally distinguishes great individuals: they understood their lives as a mission and clearly perceived before them the task entrusted to them to fulfill in their chosen fields. Fr Oliver further emphasized that we would have had neither Saint Sava the Equal-to-the-Apostles nor Nikola Tesla had it not been for their pious and Christ-loving parents, who imparted the very best to their descendants, who had to fulfil their great respective historical destinies.
In his concluding remarks, the speaker emphasized that, bearing in mind the example of great Serbs whose firm foundation was based on parental love, support, example, and dedication, all parents in our society—both biological and spiritual (among whom teachers and clergy hold a special place)—have an important missionary task to devote themselves fully to the children entrusted to their care and to prepare them properly for life. For this reason, the role of parenthood today represents the most significant role in our society.
This was followed by a rich cultural and artistic programme featuring students of the Music School from Nova Varoš, children and educators of the Preschool Institution “Paša i Nataša,” pupils from primary schools in Nova Varoš and the surrounding villages, students of the Nova Varoš secondary school, as well as the women’s singing group of the Cultural and Artistic Society and members of the Folk Ensemble of the Nova Varoš Cultural Centre.
Photo: Diocese of Mileševa
