Five Years Since the Repose of Fr. Michael Doder

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the repose of the Very Reverend Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Michael Doder. On this occasion, let us recall some excerpts from his biography.

Fr. Michael Doder (or Fr. Mihajlo as he was affectionately known) was born on February 10, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri to parents Jefto, an Orthodox Serb from Herzegovina and Matilda (née Hickman), an American Roman Catholic. His father Jefto passed away in 1948 before Fr. Michael reached the age of three but his mother Matilda raised him in the Serbian Orthodox tradition. Fr. Michael graduated from elementary school in 1959 and high school in 1963 – both in St. Louis. He then enrolled in the Saint Sava Seminary in Belgrade and he was soon transferred to the University of Belgrade Theological Faculty where he studied until April 1965. He spent the 1965–66 school year at the pre-theology program of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York. From 1967 to 1970 he studied at Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania where he graduated in May 1970.

On September 5, 1970, he married Zorka (née Erdeljan) from Montreal, daughter of Zaharije and Ruzica (née Kotur).

He was ordained a deacon on October 4, 1970 by the Bishop of the Midwestern American Diocese Firmilijan (Ocokoljic) of blessed repose and he was then appointed as deacon of the Saint John the Theologian Serbian Orthodox Church in Glendale, Missouri where he served until February 1971. That same year, he was appointed deacon of the Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago and as a clerk of the diocesan office. He remained there until December 1971, when he received a canonical transfer to the Diocese of Eastern America and Canada.

He was ordained a presbyter on January 2, 1972 by the Bishop of the Eastern American and Canadian Diocese Sava (Vukovic) of blessed repose. He passed his practical exam for permanent parish priest in Cleveland on May 1, 1974. He then served in the Vancouver parish until the end of September 1976. He returned to America and was appointed parish priest in Lorain, Ohio and was awarded the right to wear the liturgical red belt in 1977, by Bishop Sava. Fr. Michael served in Lorain, Ohio until October 14, 1980. On October 15, 1980, he returned to Canada and became a parish priest at the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Toronto.

Fr. Michael received the title of protonamesnik by the Bishop of Eastern America and Canada Christopher (Kovacevich) of blessed repose in 1984. On Christmas Day January 7, 1988, Bishop of Canada Georgije (Djokic) appointed him a protopresbyter. In 1992, he enrolled in post-graduate studies at Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and at the end of May 1995, he received his Master of Divinity Degree from the seminary. In 1996, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church awarded him the title of protopresbyter-stavrophor for his service to the Church, giving him the right to wear the pectoral cross.

Fr. Michael served at the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Toronto until 1999 when he began serving at the All Serbian Saints Serbian Orthodox Church in Mississauga. He retired on November 27, 2011 but continued to serve his Church and help his parishioners until his last day on this earth.

Fr. Michael fell asleep in the Lord on December 20, 2020. He was predeceased by his wife Zorka, just eight days before his own passing. They were survived by their three children and granddaughter. Fr. Michael’s funeral (officiated by Fr. Prvoslav Puric, Fr. Jovan Marjanac and Fr. Sava Medakovic) was held on January 11, 2021 at the Holy Transfiguration Serbian Orthodox Monastery in Milton with interment following at the monastery cemetery.

Fr. Michael was blessed with gentleness, warmth, and a voice that brought people closer to the Lord at every Holy Liturgy. He was a wonderful man who loved humour and who always had time for his parishioners. His service to the Church and dedicated work will remain permanently recorded in the annals of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Canada. May God rest the soul of Fr. Michael and the soul of his wife Zorka and may their memory be eternal.