Archive of eight handwritten singed letters by Metropolitan Firmilian (Dražić) of Skopje 1892 – 1903
Eight handwritten letters; one in an envelope; four are written on a paper with a letterhead of the Metropolitanate of Skopje. Rare and interesting documents. Wear/aging, some soiling, creasing. Includes a letter, dated May 12, 1892, Chicago. Also includes a part of the envelope with Firmilian’s personal wax seal.
“The Metropolitan of Belgrade Mihailo sent archimandrite Firmilian Dražić to Chicago in 1892. He did so in response to a letter by Krsto Gopčević, who had addressed the Metropolitan on behalf of the Greek-Russian-Serbian Orthodox parish established in Chicago in 1891. Gopčević suggested that the Metropolitan send a priest who could speak Serbian, Greek and also “a little Arabic, since there are quite a few Syrians here.” Services in this parish were conducted in a small chapel improvised in a private home since the parishioners struggled to provide enough financing from their small community. Archimandrite Dražić returned to Belgrade six months later. After his departure from America, the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade was not in a position either to send a permanent priest or to provide financial support for this parish, which was unable to provide funds for its own survival. Even though the parish was extinguished, its short-lived efforts were an indication of the Chicago Serbs’ need to get organized in order to be able to fulfill their religious needs”.
(Krinka Vidaković Petrov. Serbian Studies Journal, 2006).
“In response to a request from the Montenegrin Gopcevic, the Metropolitan of Belgrade sent Fr. Firmilian Drazic to Chicago to start a Serbian church. Fr. Firmilian arrived just in time for the Fourth of July. To celebrate, he took the thanksgiving service for Serbian independence and replaced all the references to Serbia with “America.” Basically, he improvised hymns and prayers in commemoration of American independence.
The Serbian community wasn’t ready to support its own parish, and after about six months, Fr. Firmilian returned to Serbia, where he went on to become a bishop. When he left the country, Fr. Firmilian gave Chicago Serbs a set of vestments and holy vessels. The Serbs attended the Russian church until 1905, when they founded their own parish and were able to use the items given to them by Fr. Firmilian back in 1892.”
Archive of eight handwritten singed letters by Metropolitan Firmilian (Dražić) of Skopje 1892 – 1903
Eight handwritten letters; one in an envelope; four are written on a paper with a letterhead of the Metropolitanate of Skopje. Rare and interesting documents. Wear/aging, some soiling, creasing. Includes a letter, dated May 12, 1892, Chicago. Also includes a part of the envelope with Firmilian’s personal wax seal. “The Metropolitan of Belgrade Mihailo sent archimandrite Firmilian Dražić to Chicago in 1892. He did so in response to a letter by Krsto Gopčević, who had addressed the Metropolitan on behalf of the Greek-Russian-Serbian Orthodox parish established in Chicago in 1891. Gopčević suggested that the Metropolitan send a priest who could speak Serbian, Greek and also “a little Arabic, since there are quite a few Syrians here.” Services in this parish were conducted in a small chapel improvised in a private home since the parishioners struggled to provide enough financing from their small community. Archimandrite Dražić returned to Belgrade six months later. After his departure from America, the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade was not in a position either to send a permanent priest or to provide financial support for this parish, which was unable to provide funds for its own survival. Even though the parish was extinguished, its short-lived efforts were an indication of the Chicago Serbs’ need to get organized in order to be able to fulfill their religious needs”. (Krinka Vidaković Petrov. Serbian Studies Journal, 2006).
“In response to a request from the Montenegrin Gopcevic, the Metropolitan of Belgrade sent Fr. Firmilian Drazic to Chicago to start a Serbian church. Fr. Firmilian arrived just in time for the Fourth of July. To celebrate, he took the thanksgiving service for Serbian independence and replaced all the references to Serbia with “America.” Basically, he improvised hymns and prayers in commemoration of American independence. The Serbian community wasn’t ready to support its own parish, and after about six months, Fr. Firmilian returned to Serbia, where he went on to become a bishop. When he left the country, Fr. Firmilian gave Chicago Serbs a set of vestments and holy vessels. The Serbs attended the Russian church until 1905, when they founded their own parish and were able to use the items given to them by Fr. Firmilian back in 1892.”
