Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer Church, Sherbrooke

Address: 205 Rue Albert-Dion, Sherbrooke/Deauville, Quebec, J1N 3J8

Website: www.svetisimeonmirotocivi.com

Priest: Fr. Djordje Cimesa

Phone number: 514 931 6664

Email: djcimesa_83@hotmail.com

Fr. Djordje Cimesa was born on July 23, 1983 in Vukovar, to father Jovica and mother Radmila. He completed elementary school in Borovo, and the Saint Arsenije Sremac Theological Seminary in Sremski Karlovci in 2002, as a cleric of the Diocese of Backa. In 2002, he continued his studies at the Orthodox Institute in Belgrade. Since 2004, he has lived in Canada, where in 2007 he was accepted into the clergy of the Diocese of Canada and enrolled in theological studies at the University of Sherbrooke. In the same year, he married Sladjana Lazarevic, with whom he has three children: a son Lazar and daughters Andjela and Katarina. On June 3, 2007, on the feast of the Holy Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena, at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton, he was ordained to the rank of deacon by the Bishop of Canada Georgije, and as such, he was appointed to serve at the Holy Trinity Church in Montreal. He remained in the rank of deacon until April 12, 2008, when Bishop Georgije ordained him to the rank of priest and appointed him parish priest in Sherbrooke and administrator of the missionary parish of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Halifax. He remained in this position until April 15, 2009, when, by decree of Bishop Georgije, he was appointed parish priest at the Saint Sava Church in Winnipeg. Likewise, by decision of Bishop Georgije, on February 25, 2012, he was appointed pastor of the Holy Trinity Church in Montreal. For his efforts in performing his priestly ministry to date, he was awarded the right to wear a red sash, and by decree of February 2012, he was also awarded the title of protonamesnik.

History

Beginnings and founding of the parish

Sherbrooke, a city 150 km from Montreal, welcomed its first Serbs in August 1993. On August 12, 1993, the following families arrived: Milojka and Rosa Pantic, Dusan and Nevenka Aksic, Miladin and Mirjana Sukic, Momir and Snjezana Pantic, and Zlatka and Gorica Zgodic. This group of emigrants (22 in total) was delighted with an organized ceremonial reception by the people of Sherbrooke, and a special surprise for all of them was the moment when an elderly gentleman welcomed them, in pure Serbian. It was Stevan Zivkov from neighboring Lenoxville, whose life journey had brought him from Vancouver to this city back in 1976. The immigration of Serbs to Sherbrooke continued to intensify, so that by the end of 1993 the Serbian colony had about 100 members. Due to the tragic and unfortunate events in our homeland, a large number of our people arrived in the following years (1994–1997), but for most, Sherbrooke was a transit station on the way to Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener and other cities in Canada. After this period, a lull set in, so that in recent years only the remaining members of families who remained to live in this city have arrived in Sherbrooke. Under the impression of everything they experienced before arriving in distant Canada, Serbs triedto make their lives in their new environment as meaningful as possible. To this end, in 1995, the Vuk Karadzic Association of Serbs was founded . Initially, the work of this association was based on organizing celebrations of Serbian holidays with Serbian music and dance, but over time, this work became much more diverse. Sports teams were founded that worthily represented Sherbrooke in Quebec and throughout Canada.

It should be especially noted that since the first days of their stay in this city, the Serbs of Sherbrooke have had a very successful cooperation with the Serbs of Montreal. At their initiative, in the spring of 1994, the Serbs of Sherbrooke attended the Holy Liturgy for the first time in the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, which was celebrated by Fr. Krsto Rikic, the then-parish priest of Montreal. Having learned that there is also a Syrian Orthodox Church of Saint Ephrem the Syrian in Sherbrooke, in the following period the arrival of a Serbian priest from Montreal was organized before major holidays in order to hold sacred services in this Syrian church. These rare visits of the priest, as well as occasional trips to the Serbian church in Montreal, over time became insufficient for the religious needs of the Serbs of Sherbrooke. Thanks to a group of people and the support of Fr. Zivorad Subotic, the parish priest of Montreal, the idea of ​​establishing a missionary parish at the Holy Trinity Church in Montreal was born. At the founding assembly held on February 26, 2000, with the blessing of His Grace Bishop of Canada Georgije, in the presence of about thirty parishioners, the proposal of Fr. Zivorad Subotic that the parish be named after Venerable Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer was unanimously adopted. The Board of Directors worked with great enthusiasm on forming lists of parishioners, organizing celebrations of religious holidays, and holding sacred services as needed and, if possible, at least once a month. Significant support in the work of the parish was also provided by the Serbian sisters, who expressed their desire to establish a Circle of Serbian Sisters, which was followed at the assembly held on January 27, 2001, taking the name Velika Gospojina. Celebrations were organized: the feast days of the parish and of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, as well as the celebration of Saint Sava with the usual recitations by the youngest. A fundraising campaign was launched for the construction of a Serbian Orthodox Church, and for this purpose a Construction Committee was formed with the task of preparing a report for the construction of the church. The newly established parish of Sherbrooke also participated in the regular annual assemblies of the Diocese of Canada as well as the Holy Trinity Church and School Congregation in Montreal. A Serbian language school for the youngest also began operating, as well as a drama section. Numerous parties have been organized with the participation of famous personalities from our homeland and, since 2003, there has been a folklore group at the parish.

Church construction

In addition to all other personal and communal needs, the Serbs of Sherbrooke firmly decided to build a church and a Serbian centre for their own spiritual peace and to satisfy their religious, spiritual, cultural, national and social needs. In early 2004, contact was established with the persons responsible for the sale of existing church buildings and a response with accurate information about these churches was expected soon. The collection of funds for the realization of this common desire, the purchase of a common place for gathering, continued and was constantly present but without major changes for the next few years. Likewise, the Parish Building Committee was constantly active in finding a suitable location.

At the end of 2006, a favourable opportunity finally arose to purchase a property with a building that could be immediately used for gatherings and holding various activities, and the funds already collected covered approximately what was needed. After some ups and downs with the owner/seller, the contract was signed on December 14, 2006. The signing of the contract on behalf of the parish administration was done by members of the Board of Directors: vice-president Nedjo Kuljic, treasurer Mladenka Sindik, and member of the Construction Committee Petko Matovic. One can only imagine with what joy the parishioners welcomed and celebrated the first Christmas Eve in their new common home in Sherbrooke-Deauville on January 6, 2007. Also, further sacred services and celebrations of holidays could now be planned and performed more regularly whenever Fr. Zivorad Subotic was free from other obligations at the Montreal parish. Also, they immediately began to think about how to build a church under the existing conditions. Architects Zdravko and Ljubica Todorovic immediately got to work and created a conceptual project, which was presented at the first regular annual assembly held on February 24, 2007. At this important assembly, with the topic of making a decision on the construction of a church, Bishop of Canada Georgije also came to instruct and bless further efforts to build a church for the small but sincere community. This assembly was also attended by members of the board of the Church and School Congregation in Montreal, and with their presence they expressed that the Serbian brothers of the Montreal parish would wholeheartedly assist the Serbian brothers in Sherbrooke in their efforts to build their holy shrine and Serbian centre in Sherbrooke as soon as possible.

After receiving the blessing from Bishop Georgije of Canada and accepting the conceptual design of the future church, a new fundraising campaign was launched to secure the necessary funds to begin the work. Parishioners responded wholeheartedly according to their abilities, and appeals were also sent to other churches and parishes throughout Canada. Work on the project continued by our architects, the Todorovic family, and funds gradually accumulated, and preparations were made and the necessary permits for construction and bids for the work were obtained. After a thorough review of the bids from various contractors, Branislav Zubac, a parishioner from Sherbrooke, was accepted as the main contractor, to everyone's general satisfaction. When all circumstances were in place, the work finally began on September 10, 2008, and on October 11, 2008, the consecration and deposit of the charter in the foundations of the church took place. On that day, the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy, as well as the ceremony of consecrating the foundations and laying the charter, was celebrated by Bishop Georgije, with the concelebration of the parish priest, Fr. Djordje Cimesa, deacon Stefan Ikonomovski, and numerous faithful from Sherbrooke, Magog, Granby, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. As the work progressed, parishioners organized, as needed, work actions for the church in order to save as much money as possible. Thus, through their voluntary work and their financial contributions, the parishioners in Sherbrooke also incorporated a part of their being into their holy church. The Holy Hierarchical Liturgy and the rite of consecration of the crosses were celebrated on October 3, 2009 by Bishop Georgije, with the concelebration of the parish priest, Fr. Zivorad Subotic, and the presence of numerous faithful.

In addition to regular services in the church hall, regardless of the ongoing works, the following were held regularly: the celebration of Saint Sava, the Slava of the church and the patron saint of all parishioners, Vrbica, the celebration of Pascha, the Slava of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, the Djurdjevdan uranak, as well as cultural and entertainment evenings, and the contributions from them went in only one direction – to complete the church as soon as possible and to decorate it as beautifully as possible to the glory of God. Always ready to give their best, the teams of parishioners led by architects Zdravko and Ljubica Todorovic, main contractor Branislav Zubac, and the Parish Board headed by president Radmilo Gagovic, truly worked selflessly on the reconstruction of the building and construction of the church, as well as the final interior decoration of the church. They all contributed and especially deserve praise and recognition for the exceptional and professional work with which the dilapidated building on the property was appropriately transformed into a holy temple and Serbian centre.

As can be concluded, a full two years passed since the beginning of the first works until the consecration of the church. For such a numerically small and recently arrived refugee colony of Serbs settled in Sherbrooke, struggling for the basic need to ensure personal and family existence in a new environment, this is truly a monumental success. It should also be borne in mind that all this was achieved and accomplished without large loans and long-term debts. Of course, in addition to the large and small contributions of the parishioners of this parish themselves, a great contribution was also made by the help of parishioners from other churches and Church and School Congregations throughout Canada. With the great contribution of all who helped over the years in the preparation, furnishing and decoration of the new church, the early morning of September 19, 2010 will be remembered for the radiant faces of indescribable happiness and special joy because on that day, many years of hard work were crowned and a wish was fulfilled, with the consecration of the newly built church of the Venerable Simeon the Myrrh-bearing in Sherbrooke by the hierarchical right hand of His Grace Bishop Georgije of Canada, who called upon the Heavenly Holy Spirit to descend and settle in it and handed it over for the prayerful use of the faithful in Sherbrooke. As is a traditional and centuries-old custom, the godfathership, as a special and great honour on the day of the consecration of the church, went to one of the Sherbrooke builders, Slavoljub Marjanovic, who selflessly deserved it with his selfless work and contributions. Bishop Georgije of Canada also awarded his hierarchical gramata (charter) to the 25 most deserving pioneers of this God-pleasing work. Also present was Mrs. Natalie Gauguin (representative of the municipality of the City of Sherbrooke).

And indeed, the Serbs who have made their new home here in Sherbrooke with the construction of this church and the Serbian centre, will now be able to more easily maintain their Orthodox faith, the Serbian language and the Serbian cultural and national identity, acquired from their ancestors who they brought with them to their new residence. In order for the desire and intention to be partially realized, it was necessary to provide other conditions that the newly created situation required. First of all, the urgent need for a church and parish is the holding of regular sacred services and a permanent parish priest. Again with the help of the Holy Trinity Church and School Congregation of Montreal and the consent of the priest Fr. Zivorad Subotic to be accepted as the parish priest of the Sherbrooke parish, since February 25, 2012, the newly built and consecrated church has been holding regular sacred services and meeting all the needs of a parish. This accomplished work of many years of efforts by pious and patriotic Serbian brothers and sisters, by building another Orthodox church in the country that received us, far from our Fatherland, the Serbian community in Sherbrooke, in this much-dreamed-of temple, can now perform the Holy Liturgy and the sacred rites of the sacraments of baptism and chrismation, confession and repentance, and the Holy Sacrament of marriage, to rejoice in the Lord and pray for the salvation of the souls of all Serbs wherever they are in the world and for all those who suffer in the name of our Orthodox faith and the Serbian name or are already in the Kingdom of Heaven, as well as for all Christians.