Paschal Greeting

Dear beloved faithful people, friends, supporters, and donors of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology, Christ is Risen - Truly Christ is Risen!

We greet you with these words of joyous victory of life over death and confess that the feast of Christ's Resurrection is the foundation of the Church and the true source of faith and hope in our life on earth. The experience of the joy of Christ's Resurrection represents the core and identity of an Orthodox person. Our experience of festive joy reminds us of the inexhaustible source of comfort that we find in the words of the Holy Gospel: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in Me will live even if he dies" (John 11:25).

Today's man is faced with everyday problems and a consumer mentality, which often leads him to avoid confronting the mystery of life and death. We are witnessing that it is increasingly difficult for a man to cope with the fear of death, which he faces all the time, not only at the end of life. Many world religions and organizations accept, in the words of Father Alexander Schmemann, "reconciliation with death" or the feeling that "life is only a journey towards death", where death is the only reality, the beginning and the end of everything. Contrary to such understandings, the Church of Christ testifies throughout the centuries to faith in the dignity and sanctity of human life, believing in Christ's Resurrection, which defeated the greatest and last enemy, which is death (1 Cor. 15-26). Church teachers, philosophers, writers like Dostoyevsky, and many others dealt with this existential question, and they found their answer as well as consolation in the content of the feast of Christ's Resurrection, in which we experience the eternal victory of justice over injustice, truth over lies, and life over death.

In these days of joy of Christ's Resurrection, we send a clear message that people with strong faith in Christ cannot perish. For us, the feast of Pascha is not only a memory of the Resurrection of Christ, but an experience of our own rebirth. Our true revival begins when we feel the joy of our faith and the presence of Christ in our lives. He gives us optimism and strength to be a source of peace, love, understanding, and joy in this time of great challenges and world trials. Our sincere joy is our family, children, and friends, and that is why we do everything possible to help those who are searching for the content of life that leads to Christ with our example, experience, and faith. If we keep our faith in Christ and His Holy Church, we will not perish and disappear, neither as people nor as a nation. That is why we share this festive time of the Resurrection of Christ with our neighbors, with all those who most need our kindness, attention, understanding, and Christian love.

With these thoughts, we greet all our beloved faithful people, friends, supporters, and donors and thank you in advance for the love you selflessly show by helping our St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology according to your financial capabilities. You can send your Easter, Paschal donation by mail (32377 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, IL 60048) or make an electronic/card payment securely on our website www.stsava.org.

We joyfully greet you: Christ is Risen – Truly He is Risen!

Very Rev. Dr. Aleksandar Novakovic,

Dean of the School