Report from the meetings of the Clergy and the Diocesan council
of the Diocese of America and Canada, Metropolitanate of New Gracanica

The clergy of the diocese of America and Canada met on the 5th and 6th of March, 2008 and the members of the Diocesan council met on the 7th of March, 2008 in New Gracanica Monastery. Aside from discussing the usual issues in the Church, they also addressed the issue of the forthcoming reorganization of the Church on the territory of North America. The meeting was conducted in a brotherly atmosphere and understanding, and in the end conclusions were reached which in the opinion of all the participants should serve the purpose of realizing the mentioned reorganization in its due time and unto the benefit of the Church and of the faithful Serbian people in diaspora.

It was determined that the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Church in North America has made a decision concerning the reorganization without any participation of the Diocese of America and Canada and that it has publicized its proposal by printing the new Constitution, including Article 8 which can only be published after the Holy Hierarchal Council decides on the reorganization of the dioceses in North America and determines their proper names. After a long and exhausting discussion, the members of clergy made a clear stand concerning the reorganization, which was later done by the Diocesan council as well. Among other things, the following conclusions were reached:

1. A greeting is to be sent to His Holiness Patriarch Pavle.
2. A letter of support is to be sent to Bishop Artemije, clergy, monastics and faithful
Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.
3. The clergy of the Diocese of America and Canada is to send a letter to the Holy Hierarchal Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in which they will state their suggestions concerning the forthcoming reorganization.
4. The Diocesan council is to send a letter to the Holy Hierarchal Council in which it will express its full support of the stand made by the clergy of the Diocese of America and Canada concerning the mentioned problem, sending as an addendum their own view of the mentioned problem.
5. The reorganization is to be realized within 6 years from the approval of the new Constitution and its publicizing in the official publication of the Serbian Orthodox Church (Implementational regulations, Article 2).
6. A greeting is to be sent to all church-school communities of the Diocese of America and Canada with the assurance that the clergy and the Diocesan council have as their primary concern the interest of our Diocese as well as of the Serbian Orthodox Church as a whole.


From the office of the Diocese of America and Canada