Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer Church, Calgary

Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer Church, Calgary

Address: 16025-243rd Avenue E, De Winton, Alberta, T0L 0X0

Phone: 403 244 9323

Website: www.svetisimeon.org

Priest: Fr. Obrad Filipovic
Phone number: 403 244 3586
Email: protaobrad@gmail.com

Fr. Obrad Filipovic was born in the village of Stranjani, near Prijepolje, to father Milisav and mother Dusanka (nee Bakovic), on December 21, 1978. He was the second of five children of his parents. He started primary school in his native village and finished it in Prijepolje. He enrolled in the Seminary of St. Peter of Cetinje, with the blessing of the Canadian (and then Bishop of Mileseva) Georgije, in 1994. He graduated with excellent results in 1999. The same year, on October 10, he married Milanka Kopitovic from Cetinje. On December 3, 1999, he arrived in Canada with his wife. He was ordained to the rank of deacon on December 14 of the same year at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton. He received his priestly ordination on January 16, 2000, at the Church of St. Nicholas in Hamilton. With the blessing of Bishop Georgije, he was appointed to the parish of St. Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer in Calgary. Fr. Obrad still serves in this parish today. The Lord blessed Fr. Obrad and his wife Milanka with three children – daughters Kristina and Katarina and son Teodor. Fr. Obrad was awarded the right to wear the red sash by Bishop Georgije of Canada in 2003, the rank of protonamesnik in 2006, and the rank of protopresbyter in 2010. By the decision of Bishop Georgije on June 25, 2012, he was appointed the Dean of the Western Canadian Deanery. He was awarded the right to wear a pectoral cross and the title of protopresbyter-stavrophor at the consecration of the new church in Calgary on April 27, 2014.

History

The Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer Church and School Congregation was founded on July 27, 1970, with the blessing and personal presence of the Bishop of Eastern America and Canada Dr. Sava (Vukovic). In November 1971, a plot of land with a two-story building was purchased, which was converted into a parish house with a chapel. In 1985, a neighbouring property was purchased and a church with a hall was built on it. The church was consecrated by the Bishop of Canada Georgije on September 28, 1986. In September 1988, another property was purchased and quickly paid for on the same street, in the immediate vicinity of the church, with a house.

In August 2002, a new property was purchased and fully paid for in another part of the city where the construction of a new Serbian church in Calgary was planned. Sometime during 2003, it became clear that the construction of a new church on the existing property would not be possible. On the one hand, the expected funds for construction did not arrive, and on the other, the municipality came up with very expensive demands (installing traffic lights at the intersection, building a section of the road that rests on the property, and digging a lake to receive surface water for the entire area). The following year, in 2004, the plan to build on the said property was abandoned and work began on finding new, more suitable land for this venture.

A suitable site for construction was found in 2009 in the southern part of the city in one of the elite parts of Calgary. The plot consists of 17 acres (6 hectares) of land. In the same year, after reaching an agreement with the seller, work began on obtaining the necessary building permits. The following year, thanks to the efforts of the Board of Directors and the company engaged in obtaining permits, a change in the land use (re-zoning) was achieved. By a vote of city councilors with a result of 5 to 3, the land use was changed from agricultural to the purpose of building a church and accompanying buildings. It is important to note here that the support of neighbours played a major role in obtaining the permit. There was only one vote against, and that was from a person who lives almost ten kilometres away from the property. All neighbours living in the immediate vicinity of the property gave their unselfish support to the construction. In order to pay for the new property, it was necessary to sell the old property. This task was undertaken by Velibor Djukic, a real estate agent from the Calgary community. After more than a year, the property was sold, and the newly purchased property was paid for in full. It is worth noting that Velibor waived the entire commission for the sale of the property and thus contributed $60,000 to the church.

After much time and money invested, finally, on Saint Sava Day, January 27, 2012, a development permit was obtained. The last, building permit, was obtained on May 30, 2012. This marked the end of a long and arduous journey. Finally, all the paperwork was in place and the work could begin. In order to save money, the Board of the Church and School Congregation decided to take on the role of general contractor. This great responsibility, with the enormous help and support of the Building Committee, saved over a hundred thousand dollars. The largest part of the work in this regard was taken over by the president of the Church and School Congregation, Bratoljub Blagojevic, and he had the wholehearted support of Niko Uzelac and the responsible parish priest, Fr. Obrad Filipovic. Fr. Obrad also took on the responsibility of site safety supervisor, for which purpose he completed four courses at the Calgary Construction Association. Before the start of the work, Fr. Obrad blessed the land and a cross was placed on the site where the altar itself would later be located. The blessing was performed in the presence of a large number of parishioners on June 10, 2012. In the same year, on July 13, 2012, construction of the new Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer Church in Calgary officially began.

Sunday July 29, 2012 will be a date etched in the history of this church and in the hearts of all Serbs in Calgary. On that day, the Canadian Bishop, Georgije, consecrated the foundations of the new church, with the concelebration of Fr. Obrad Filipovic, Fr. Dragomir Ninkovic from Edmonton, Fr. Radovan Maric from Regina, and Fr. Milos Puric from Toronto. In addition to Bishop Georgije and the clergy, the charter was signed by the president of the Church and School Congregation, Bratoljub Blagojevic, and the godparents of the foundation, Zeljko and Dragana Popovic. A banquet was also held on this occasion, at which over eighty thousand dollars was raised. In the following months, with occasional delays that are an integral part of construction work, much was accomplished. The walls for the hall in the basement of the church were sheathed and built, a slab was placed, and the foundations were filled. The entire property was leveled and two full-size soccer fields were built. In December 2012, work began on installing the metal structure of the church. It is worth noting that the support of the parishioners in this project from beginning to end was absolute. Four work actions were organized and the response was more than good. It is interesting to note that in Calgary, since 2003, there has been a group of people gathered around a common project called the Krajisko vece (Krajina Night). Once a year, the Krajina Serbs of Calgary organize a celebration with a special program, which is also the most massive event of this type in the local Serbian community. Almost all the income from this evening was paid by the Krajinians into the Construction Fund for the construction of the church, and these contributions make the Krajisko vece the largest contributor to the fund.

Saturday April 26 and Sunday April 27, 2014 will be dates inscribed in golden letters in the history books of the small but united church community in Calgary. During those days, a long-held dream of building a new church was realized. On Saturday evening, with the blessing of Bishop Georgije and in the presence of the Russian Bishop Job and the Ukrainian Bishop Hilarion from Edmonton, as well as numerous clergy from all over Canada and America, the Vespers service was celebrated in front of the iconostasis. After Vespers, a banquet was held in a solemnly decorated hall, attended by over five hundred guests. The banquet was also attended by the great benefactor of the Milton monastery, Zeljko Colakovic, recipient of the Order of Saint Sava, who traveled from Toronto on this occasion in a delegation with Bishop Georgije. On Sunday morning, in front of the magnificent church, the godparents Marjan and Stojanka Acimovic were selected. On this occasion, they contributed $50,000 to the church’s Construction Fund. The consecration of the church and the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy were presided over by Bishop Georgije, with the concelebration of Bishop Job and Bishop Hilarion, sixteen priests and three deacons. The Bishop placed a particle of the relics of Holy Prince Lazar on the altar. Although the church can accommodate over five hundred believers, it was too small for all those who wanted to take part in this God-pleasing event. After the Liturgy, Bishop Georgije distributed six orders of Saint King Milutin, which were approved for this occasion by the Holy Synod of Bishops, to parishioners who were especially deserving of the construction, as well as certificates of Great Benefactors, Benefactors and Founders of the newly built church. The banquet that followed the service was attended, among others, by the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Serbia in Ottawa and four ministers of the Alberta government. The initiative launched by the Church and School Congregation to rename the street from which the property is entered to Nikola Tesla Street was supported by all the ministers present who promised their assistance. Later in the day, those present were able to hear several speakers and enjoy a cultural and artistic program.

Near the church, at the intersection of Highway 2 and Dunbow Road, is the Serbian Scientists Memorial Park with memorial plaques in honour of four famous Serbian scientists: Nikola Tesla, Mihajlo Pupin, Milutin Milankovic and Mileva Maric Einstein. The memorial plaques are made of stainless steel. The memorial park is located in a beautifully landscaped area that is unfenced and accessible to everyone.

The church property also houses the Serbian Heritage Building, built by the local chapter of the Ravna Gora Movement of Serbian Chetniks. The building was designed by Zoran Ivanovic, a local Serbian architect, to reflect the old traditional Serbian architecture seen in the old country, with approximately 4000 square feet on two levels. On the second floor is a Serbian library, which houses rare books bequeathed to the church. The library is planned to become a Serbian research and education centre in the future. There is also a space for meetings and presentations, an office, a kitchenette, and an open veranda with a barbecue overlooking the soccer fields used by local Serbian teams. The main level of the building also serves the church as a candle-making facility with a garage for all equipment. The building was consecrated on October 1, 2023, and the act of consecration was performed by the Bishop of Canada Mitrofan, with the concelebration of the local parish priest Fr. Obrad Filipovic and Fr. Sinisa Milutinovic from Vancouver. The godparents at the consecration were Branko and Katarina Tumbas.

The church is home to the Mala Gospojina Circle of Serbian Sisters as well as the Serbia Sports Society, the Saint Sava Serbian School and the Frula Serbian Cultural and Artistic Society.

Parish priests
Fr. Bogdan Zjalic (1970–1975)
Fr. Mihajlo Doder, Fr. Miroslav Dejanov, Fr. Vukic Atanaskovic (administrators; 1975–1980)
Fr. Radisa Ninkovic (1980–1982)
Fr. Vukic Atanaskovic (1982–1990)
Fr. Zivorad Subotic (1990–1995)
Fr. Krsto Rikic (1996–1999)
Fr. Obrad Filipovic (2000–present)