Serbian Patriarch Porfirije on September 2 celebrated the Divine Hierarchical Liturgy at the chapel of the Saint Sava Seminary in Belgrade, marking the beginning of the new academic year.
Following the reading of the Holy Gospel, Patriarch Porfirije addressed students, professors, and parents with a message about the sacred calling of theology. He reminded them that being a theologian is not simply about acquiring knowledge but about living in Christ and bearing witness to the Gospel.
“There is no higher calling than that of a theologian, nor a more exalted ministry than that which theologians are entrusted with,” the Patriarch said. “Especially when this vocation becomes the priestly ministry – for it is a service through which we participate in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His Liturgy. He serves, and we co-serve, or serve by His blessing and in His name.”
With warmth and encouragement, he expressed joy at the start of the school year and urged students to embrace their studies not as a burden but as spiritual refreshment: “We rejoice today because the school year begins and because I am certain that you have grown tired of a long vacation. You older students, I am sure, could hardly wait to return to the seminary – where, by laboring in your studies, you will truly find rest, be spiritually refreshed, and nourished by the words of the Gospel, the words of Holy Scripture, the writings of the saints, and above all, by worship and the Holy Liturgy.”
Source: Patriarchate of Serbia
