On the day of St. Ignatius the God-bearer, Bishop of Antioch and Martyr, which is the 2nd of January 2010 (December 20, 2009), in our Monastery of New Grachanica, His Grace bishop Longin ordained a deacon Marko Bojovic, the former subdeacon of St. Nicholas Church in Indianapolis, IN.

Marko was born in 1979 in Belgrade, where he finished elementary and high school. Then he goes to Athens to study International Business and Political Science, spending a semester, as a part of these studies, in Indianapolis and getting so into a touch with his current church of St. Nicholas. After Greece, he comes again to America, to study general theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York, with the blessing of bishop Longin and recommendation of Fr. Dragan Petrovic. Then he goes again to Belgrade, where he works as a translator and librarian. Upon a new arrival to Indianapolis and his church there he gets to know better an active member of its choir, his present wife, Biljana, born as Bozhinovska in Bitola, 1979, who has lived for 11 years in America and has studied and worked as a composer, a cello player and a professor of music. They were married on St. Sava’s Day in 2009.

During the holy liturgy, in which his concelebrants were priests Milorad Loncar, Djuro Krosnjar, Dragan Petrovic, Seraphim Baltic (hieromonk) and Dragan Micanovic, and deacon Nikolai Kostur, helped in the altar by several pious servers and followed by beautiful singing of the cantors, bishop Longin said, addressing the people in the church, especially those who, despite very cold weather, came from various sides to participate in the ordination, that the service of diaconate was established by the apostles, who wanted to devote more themselves to a missionary work and preaching of the word of God, leaving to deacons to lead the people in prayer and to take care of the needy. This is why this service has always required people full of love, like St. Archdeacon and the First Martyr Stephen, people who are prayerful, compassionate, benevolent and of pure heart. His Grace congratulated Marko and wished him that, by the grace and mercy of God and by the gifts oh His Holy Spirit that came upon him in the Holy Sacrament, as well as by the prayers of the saints, he may exemplify these virtues himself, in his St. Nicholas Church, where he will continue his service. The bishop also congratulated Marko’s parish priest, praising his love, care and patience for his spiritual child. Congratulations were extended also to Marko’s wife, a new deaconess, and their whole family and friends.

And we all wish them many years of a fruitful and God-pleasing service!!!