THE SAINT PETKA CIRCLE OF SERBIAN SISTERS ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . .” (Luke 1:46-47)

Beloved and most cherished Sisters,

We offer our heartfelt congratulations on this meaningful jubilee, the 60th Anniversary of the founding of your Circle. As such we mark the efforts and endeavors of your ever-memorable founders, as well as you, their successors. It is truly the living history of individuals and your community, devoted Serbian Orthodox women, who through their as who through their commonality and unity sought to create, develop and sustain a parish Circle of Serbian Sisters at the St. Sava Church in St. Petersburg for their own and succeeding generations.

The creation of every parish is the creation of a new home, in every sense of the word: a place to raise your families and provide them with a sense of belonging to an old faith and culture under new circumstances by preserving from forgetfulness the old and emphasizing the new. Churches are built as a common home to provide places of worship. However, it is the faithful Circles of Serbian Sisters that make of a house, a home with their maternal warmth and sisterly hospitality.

May Christ, our true God, the Author and Lord of History and histories, in History and beyond all histories, through the prayers of the venerable mother, Saint Paraskeva-Petka, the first of our Serbian ethnos to have been revealed as a saint, to whom you have dedicated your Circle, grant you the strength to constantly move forward. May He fill your hearts with unimaginable joy at the time of this, your Diamond Anniversary and forever!

With archpastoral blessings and paternal love,

+ I R I N E J