SPRING 2009

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
3025 Denver Street • San Diego, CA 92117
telephone: (619)276-5827
email: frbratso@sbcglobal.net
web: http://saintgeorgeinsd.com
Church Officers & Staff
PARISH PRIEST: V. Rev. Bratislav “Bratso” Krsic
PARISH DEACON: Rev. Paul Germain
PRESIDENT: Nemanja Selezan
VICE PRESIDENT: Vladan Trifunovic
2nd VICE PRESIDENT: Dobrila Undheim
3rd VICE PRESIDENT: Simona Trifunovic
SECRETARY: Tina Zivkovic
TREASURER: Rev. Paul Germain
FINANCIAL SECRETARY: Lindsay Selezan
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Melanie Milicevic
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE: Nada Pantovich,
Vojkan Popovich, Sam Purlia, Vladan Vladisavljevic,
Vecki & Miodrag Miljkovic, Dragan & Sonja Radic,
Marko & Vera Rakic
STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY:
Chair: Lydia Petric Rhoads
AUDITING BOARD:
President: Miro Copic, Sean Wright, Zeljko Milasinovic
TUTORS/VESTRYMEN: Mico Lukic, Ladislav
Tapavcevic, Pete Dopodja, Alex Sekanovic, George
Skaljac, Marko Rakic, Vojkan Popovich, Miro Copic,
Milan Miljkovic
S.S.S. ST. GEORGE CHOIR
President: Velimir Jovanovic
CIRCLE OF SERBIAN SISTERS (KOLO)
President: Sylvia Ivanovic
CHURCH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
Deacon Paul Germain
MORAVA FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE
Director: Maria (Draskovic) Milasinovic
ADULT ORTHODOX FELLOWSHIP
Nemanja Selezan
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE
Editor: Marsha Jovanovic
(619)988-0650 • FAX (619)588-5767
email: marsha@marshaj.com
Commemoration of The Great and Holy Feast of Pascha 2
My prayer wasn’t answered; or was it? 3
Resurrection and our challenge 4
How Spirituality Keeps You Well 5
Fasting 5
Let us ask for Intercessions from St. Stefan Stiljanovic 8
St. George: the Man and the Myth 9
From the President 10
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church - 2009 Calendar 11
Continuing Our Legacy 12
Some words about Stewardship and the renovation project 13
Continuing Our Legacy Frequently Asked Questions 14
Religious Education Report, Spring 2009 16
Family Survival Guide—Reflections on Raising Children Today 16
St. Nikolai of Zicha Oratorical Festival 17
New Kolo Sisters Officers 20
From the Stewardship Chair 22
Telling Milanka’s story so no one forgets Lika 1941 25
Orthodoxy in the NFL 33
MORAVA SOCCER 33
Calling all Tradesmen 34
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen! We are now in the midst of commemorating the
greatest event in all history—the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
meaning of this event is central to our faith and our purpose in living. So it should need
no rationalization that our center for worship should reflect and honor our Lord. The
“Continuing Our Legacy” church renovation project, working to that end, is featured in
this issue. As well, we present the first portion of the amazing story of Milanka
Vlasovich. The events of World War II in Lika and other areas of the former Yugoslavia
were horrific, and eye witnesses to it are becoming rare. Those of us who escaped
the pains of war—any war as we have had several since World War II—need to listen
carefully to our brothers and sisters who did not escape. “Why suffering?” is one of
the great controversial questions of theological discourse. And there is no simple
explanation. We can only take the words of our Lord as he died on the cross, “Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do” in order not to be consumed with hatred
and revenge. We know God loves us, and He expects us to forgive those who
persecute us. It is this supernatural ability, given from God, that sets us apart from the
world. So this Pascha season, prayerfully renew your own commitment to the Lord
and His Church. We are given a great opportunity, facilitated by the faithful committee
members, to continue our legacy as Christians in this great community and country.
Do it as a follower of Christ and in memory of those who suffered and died because
they were Orthodox Christians.—Marsha Jovanovic
 The Resurrection has not yet abolished
Commemoration of The Great the reality of death. But it has revealed its
and Holy Feast of Pascha powerlessness (Hebrews 2:14-15). We
continue to die as a result of the Fall. Our
Holy Week comes to an end at sunset of bodies decay and fall away. “God allows
Great and Holy Saturday, as the Church death to exist but turns it against corrup-
prepares to celebrate her most ancient tion and its cause, sin, and sets a bound-
and preeminent festival, Pascha, the ary both to corruption and sin.” Thus,
feast of feasts. The time of preparation physical death does not destroy our life
will give way to a time of fulfillment. of communion with God. Rather, we
The glorious and resplendent light ema- move from death to life, from this fallen
nating from the empty Tomb will dispel world to God's reign.
the darkness. Christ, risen from the dead,
cracks the fortress of death and takes
“captivity captive” (Psalm 67:19). All Father Bratso Krsic
the limitations of our createdness are
torn asunder. Death is swallowed up in
victory, and life is liberated. “For as by a
man came death, by a man came also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all die, so also in Christ shall all be made
alive” (I Corinthians 15:21-22). Pascha edge, strain to affirm the meaning and
is the dawn of the new and unending day. purpose of their existence. Christ, risen
The Resurrection constitutes the most and glorified, releases humanity from the
radical and decisive deliverance of delusions of idolatry. In Him grave-
humankind. bound humanity discovers and is filled
with incomparable hope. The Resurrec-
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the tion bestows illumination, energizes
fundamental truth and absolute fact of souls, brings forgiveness, transfigures
the Christian faith. It is the central expe- lives, creates saints, and gives joy.
rience and essential kerygma of the
Church. It confirms the authenticity of
Christ's remarkable earthly life and vin-
dicates the truth of His teaching. It seals
all His redemptive work: His life, the
model of a holy life; His compelling and
unique teaching; His extraordinary
works; and His awesome, life-creating
death. Christ's Resurrection is the guar-
antee of our salvation. Together with His
Ascension it brings to perfection God's
union with us for all eternity.

The Resurrection made possible the mir-

acle of the Church, which in every age
and generation proclaims and affirms
“God's plan for the universe, the ultimate
divinization of man and the created
order.” The profound experience of and
the unshakable belief in the risen Lord
enabled the Apostles to evangelize the
world and empowered the Church to
overcome paganism. The Resurrection
discloses the indestructible power and
inscrutable wisdom of God. It disposes
Frescoes from ancient Serbian monasteries
of the illusory myths and belief systems
by which people, bereft of divine knowl-

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 2


My prayer wasn’t answered; or
was it?
Recently, after asking God for a special
favor, I waited and waited for my prayer
to be answered. After what I thought was
a reasonable time for a response, I began
to wonder, did God hear me? Was He
very busy at the time? Why didn’t I get
an answer? It was then that I decided to
try and figure out two things. What must
a person do to have a prayer answered
and what if God felt the prayer was not
good for me and His answer was no?
The scripture tells us about when the dis-
ciples asked Jesus to teach them how to
pray, His response was, “Our Father,
Who art in Heaven,... (Mat 6:9). If we
examine this passage we find specific
elements that one should remember
when praying.
• Acknowledge the existence of God in
Heaven.
• Give praise and honor and recognize the
power of God.
• Have faith that Heaven exists and is
perfect.
• Feed our body and soul every day with the
teachings of God.
• Humility, repentance, compassion and
love.
• Guidance and protection.
So you see, Jesus did not teach them
methods or techniques, He said that we
speak to God as to our Father, our loving
Father. In order for prayer to be
answered, these basic elements must be
present within the person seeking help
from God. A true belief in the existence
of God and God’s all powerful being.
That is why we believe the Profession of
Faith (Apostle’s Creed). This, plus
studying the scriptures, gives us the
foundation for our trust and faith in the
knowledge that God loves us and will
watch over and protect us.
God loves us and wants us to return that
love. We must praise and honor God in
order to show that love and acknowledge
His power. We must have faith and trust.
Faith above all else, that God will listen
to us if we follow the rules and lifestyle
He has planned for us. This is
the first key necessary for our
prayers to be answered. Sports-
men call it confidence in the
ability to perform acceptably.
We must constantly feed our
body and soul with healthy
“food” to ensure a clean con-
science and acceptable mind
and body to receive God’s
guidance. God will not speak to
a cluttered, unclean body and
mind. Be humble, accept God’s
will and guidance. Open your
heart and mind and listen for
God’s advice. Have faith!
Always be grateful for what-
ever response you receive from
God, for in His wisdom, He
will guide you along the right
path.
In the face of all difficulties,
doubts, and objections, trust in
God. He will not let you down.
If God does not grant the
means, that shows He does not
want you to do that particular
deed. If He wants it done, He will give God asking to win a million dollars.
you the means. Therefore, don’t worry. “God if you let me win, I’ll give half to
He will never grant an answer that will the poor.” God’s response: “I’ll let you
do you harm. Do you suppose I received win if you will give it ALL to the poor!”
a No answer?
“Ask and it shall be given you... (Mat
Prayer is simply a conversation with 7:7).
God, Jesus, or Mary, the Mother of God.
A conversation involves speaking and
listening, with the emphasis on listening. Donald H. Germain, Deacon Paul’s
So open your heart, soul and mind to be father
receptive to
God’s advice and
response. Have
faith and confi-
dence that God
will answer with
the response that
is best for us.
Trust Him! Just
be sure that you
do your part, have
faith, trust, and a
clear conscience.
Listen to Him!
Think about this:
A man prayed to
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 3
C E L E B R AT I O N * D E D I C AT I O N * P RO G R E S S * V I S I O N

Resurrection and our challenge
Spring is here! The refreshing rains have
cleaned off the California brown, making
everything look fresh, clean, and
renewed. And now as we are enter the
last days of fasting before we celebrate
the most important feast in our calen-
dar—the Death and Resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ—we invite you to par-
ticipate in all of this Holy Season’s
events, and especially those during Holy
Week.
tion of our parish grounds. This is a criti-
cal project that we desperately need to
continue the witness of Jesus Christ in
this place.
For the Orthodox Christian, stewardship
is a way of life. It acknowledges account-
ability and responsibility before God.
When we say we believe in God, to
whom we give our life, love, loyalty, and
trust, we affirm that every aspect of our
lives comes as a gift from Him. Orthodox
Christians should be motivated as recipi-
ents of God’s abundant love to respond
by participating and supporting His plan
of salvation and the ministries of the
Church, which bring the Gospel of salva-
tion into the world.
Thus, it is my ardent prayer that this Pas-
cha season we all recognize Jesus Christ
and make His presence foremost in our
homes, hearts, and lives. May you and
your loved ones be renewed in your faith
and share in the joy of God’s greatest gift
to us.
Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!
Fr. Bratso Krsic and family

This year our Pascha dinner, April 19,

will feature the “Continuing Our Legacy”
Renewal Project, which is bringing a
spiritual and physical rebirth among our
people that will culminate in the renova-

Photos of Bishop Maxim and the

baptism of Nikolaj Daniel Krsic who
was born on December 24th, 2008
(The Feast Day of St. Daniel the
Stylite).
On Sunday of the Publican and
Pharisee, February 8, 2009, His
Grace Bishop Maxim together with
Protopresbyters Velimir Petakovic and
Lazar Vasiljevic, Protonamesnik
Milovan Katanic, Hieromonk Jovan
(Babic), Deacon Paul Germain, and
Protopresbyter Bratislav Krsic
celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the
baptism of Father Bratso’s son within
the Liturgy.
A luncheon was served afterward.
During the luncheon a short program
was performed by the St. George choir
and Oksana and Kaija Germain.
Father Bratso, expressed his thanks to
His Grace Maxim, the clergy, his Kum,
Fr. Milovan Katanic and his family,
the St. George choir, the Germain
family, Sonja Radic and her kitchen
crew, and all the parishioners and
friends for their support of St. George
and for their attendance.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 4

How Spirituality Keeps You Well
Planning on going to church this holiday
season? That should be good for the
spirit, of course, and perhaps also for the
body. According to a study in Annuals Of
Epidemiology, people who attend reli-
gious services tend to be healthier than
the rest of us. More specifically, weekly
churchgoers have a lower risk of death
than those who never set food inside a
place of worship.
The report came out in 2008, but it’s only
the latest in a series of studies exploring
the link between health and spirituality.
This research has found that prayer and
meditation seem to be associated with
improved immune systems and fewer
episodes of chronic inflammation.
Not surprisingly, the benefits extend to
mental health as well. People who iden-
tify themselves as more religious reveal
lower rates of depression. A study
reported in September 2008 by the Jour-
nal of Affective Disorder showed lower
suicide rates among people who regu-
larly attend religious services.
So is church a healing place? While
some faithful may believe it is, scientists
point out that religious people take better
care of themselves. Studies show that
regular churchgoers are also people who
don’t smoke, drink rarely, and see their
doctors regularly. More important, peo-
ple who make church a habit – and the
same goes for people who worship at
mosques and synagogues – are more
socially integrated, which means they
have more friends and acquaintances and
a better support system to help them cope
with stressful life events.
Many researchers also believe that at
bottom there seems to be a strong con-
nection between the mind, the spirit, and
the body. Improve one, and you have an
effect on the other. Praying, meditating,
or attending religious services may not
cure a disease, but those activities may
make you feel better and contribute to a
more positive outlook on life.
Editor: We now have a scientific proof
that being religious and attending church
services is well worth it and will allow us
to have a more positive outlook on our
earthly life. Pass this on to your family
members and friends.

Dr. Ranit Mishori, in Parade Magazine

12-21-08

Fasting
The practice of fasting is very present
in the first Christian community (cf.
Acts 13,3; 14,22; 27,21; 2 Cor 6,5).
I pray that all of us use well this time of
Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all
that distracts the spirit.
I pray that we may grow in whatever
nourishes the soul, moving it to love of
God and neighbor.
I pray that we renew our commitment
to prayer and the Sacraments, espe-
cially that of Repentance and active
participation in the Eucharist = Divine
Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days of
our Holy Orthodox Church.
With this interior disposition, let us
enter the penitential and joyful spirit of
Great and Holy Lent.

Fr. Bratso

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 5

 St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
3025 Denver St., San Diego, CA 92117
Tel. 619-276-5827  Fax 619-275-4475  E-mail: frbratso@sbcglobal.net

V. Rev. Bratislav Bratso Krsic

Deacon Paul Germain

Deacon Report for the Year 2008

Annual Assembly
January 18, 2009

INTRODUCTION

I am truly thankful to God and His abundant mercy for allowing me to complete my first full
year in the blessed office of the diaconate at St. George Church. Through the prayers and
patience of our pious spiritual leaders and venerable fathers, His Grace Bishop Maxim, Fr.
Draskovic, Fr. Petakovic and Fr. Bratso, I continue to learn and grow as a clergy member. With
the love and support of our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ at St. George and throughout
the Serbian Orthodox Church, I strive to climb the ladder of divine ascent and become a better
Orthodox Christian amidst all my weaknesses. With trust in God’s will, I pray He will continue
to bless us and have mercy on us as we move forward into 2009.

MINISTRIES AND PROJECTS IN 2008

1. Attended the Marriage and Family conference held in March.

2. Continued to help coordinate our Sunday School program. Helped coordinate first
Annual Children’s Christmas Program and the ongoing St. Sava program.
3. Served on the Nomination Committee for the Annual Assembly.
4. Attended Clergy Confession in Dunlap, CA.
5. Helped coordinate the First Annual One Day Bible Vacation Camp in June.
6. Helped and served at the Annual Diocesan Days event in Jackson, CA.
7. Coordinated and attended a workday trip with Project Mexico in Tijuana, BC.
8. Attended and served in the Pan Orthodox St. Nicholas celebration in December.
9. Attended and served in Pan Orthodox Vespers during Great Lent.
10. Assisted Fr. Bratso with Adult Bible studies.
11. Continue to serve as secretary on the board of directors for the Martha and Mary House –
an orthodox Christian maternity home for women in crisis who choose life for their
unborn child (http://www.marthaandmaryhouse.org/).
12. Contributed articles for the Path of Orthodoxy and the Voice of St. George.
13. Visited St. Paisius Monastery twice for spiritual renewal and education in the spiritual
life.
14. Continue to coordinate bookstore and manage sales of religious items.
15. Served Divine Liturgies and other services at St. George, St. Stephens, St. Sava (N.Y.).
St. George (N.J.), St. Paisius Monastery, St. Sava (Jackson), Sretenje Monastery, St.
Petka.
16. Member of the Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
17. Continue to provide as much assistance as possible to Fr. Bratso with various parish
ministries and duties.
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, San Diego, CA 1

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 6

2009 OBJECTIVES

It is my prayer that I will be able to continue helping with our ministries at St. George and in the
Serbian Orthodox Church to the best of my ability. By the grace of God, I will be able to include
additional activities in 2009 that further support our mission to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ
our Lord.

1. Participate fully in the parish remodeling project, especially in the fundraising

campaign.
2. Coordinate additional pilgrimages to Project Mexico and Orthodox Monasteries.
3. Expand the bookstore and enlist appropriate help to bring a better variety of items.
4. Evaluate and adjust the Church School Program and enlist others to participate in the
administration.
5. Complete a new Church Service book for the laity.
6. Increase visitations to our sick and homebound brothers and sisters in Christ.

CONCLUSION

As we enter a new year we can see how God has blessed us with the opportunity to grow our
ministries and expand our reach to those who are thirsty for truth through His Body, the Holy
Orthodox Church. I will do my very best to provide support to our clergy and serve this parish
with love in Christ Jesus. I ask your forgiveness as I learn and for your prayers, that I am
successful in fulfilling what God has set before me.

In Christ’s Service,

Deacon Paul Germain

Deacon Paul assisting Bishop

Maxim, giving communion to
Nikolaj Krsic, son of Father
Bratso & Protinica Lisa Krsic,
after his baptism

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, San Diego, CA 2

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 7


Let us ask for Intercessions from
St. Stefan Stiljanovic
The saints, martyrs, and angels are an
integral part of the Orthodox Church,
and we recognize them in many ways.
We venerate their icons and relics, we
name Churches after them, we recognize
them during Slava celebrations, along
with many other activities. But did you
know that all Orthodox Churches have to
have at least one relic of a saint in the
Church when the Church is consecrated?
Also, before the Altar table is installed
permanently, relics are put inside the
table and sealed within. At a minimum,
the Divine Liturgy can only be served if
the Antimens is on the Altar table, which
contains relics woven into the fabric. It is
necessary for the relics of a saint to be in
the Church at all times, and we should
pray to that saint, asking he/she to inter-
cede before Christ to save our souls.
The most ideal situation upon the conse-
cration of a Church is to have the relics
of the saint who the Church is named
after. Of course, this is sometimes quite
impossible, for there may be very little
relics available in the world or none at
all. At St. George, our founders were not
able to obtain relics from this beloved
saint, but instead were able to get a large
relic from St. Stefan Stiljanovic. St. Ste-
fan’s icon and relics are located in a case
to the left of the Iconostas.
Here is a brief history on the life of St.
Stefan:
He was born in the seaside of Montene-
gro. His close relative Jelena Brankovic
became a widow and invited him to come
over the Danube river to take care of des-
potovina (domain of a ruler). At the end of
the 15th or beginning of 16th century, he
responded to that invitation and joined his
cousin and took care of a portion of what
is called at present the region of Srem. St.
Stefan was known as a deeply devout
Orthodox Christian. He was also a brave
ruler, who defended the Christian land
from Ottoman invasion. Very often he was
compared with St. Alexander Nevski and
St. Jovan Vladimir. Both of these saints
were regarded as individuals of having
Samson’s strength and of having the wis-
dom of Solomon. This was the reason St.
Stefan was compared to these two well was born a Christian, but the Turkish
know saints, one Russian, the other a ruler authorities took him to Istanbul and raised
of Montenegro (Duklja). him as a Moslem. Being very bright, he
never forgot his heritage.
The sultan Suleyman the Magnificent
defeated the Hungarian king at the Battle After the news was spread about the mir-
of Mohacs and the Turks advanced acle, some monks came to Amir and asked
towards Vienna, Austria. The Turks occu- to take the body of St. Stefan. Permission
pied Budim, which is the southern part of was granted and they took him to a mon-
the capital city of Hungary. Due to the astery called Sisatovac in Fruska Gora.
The news reached his wife Jelena in Ger-
many. She immediately returned to vener-
ate her husband and soon she became a
nun under the monastic name Jelisaveta.
In response to the activities of Croatian
fascists on April 14, 1942, the body of St.
Stefan was transferred to the Belgrade
cathedral and has been there ever since.
Many miracles have happened in Bel-
grade and in his place of birth. His life is
celebrated every year on October 4.
As we pray for our Lord’s help during
our restoration campaign, we should also
fervently ask St. Stefan to intercede
before Christ our Lord to help us. We are
very fortunate to have such a large por-
tion of his relics among us and we must
recognize that his spirit is with us also.
Deacon Paul Germain & Father Bozidar
horrible terror of the Turkish forces and
Draskovic
their exploitation, there was a great fam-
ine in the region of Slavonia and Srem.
St. Stefan enjoyed a great reputation by all A Prayer to St. Stefan
Christians as well as Turkish authorities. O Holy St. Stefan, defender of the faith
Due to his diplomatic qualities he was and God’s holy servant,
able to get food from both Austro-Hun-
garian and Turkish sources, thus saving Intercede before Christ, that He blesses
thousands from hunger. All his wealth the faithful of St. George Church,
was distributed to the poor and hungry. That He has mercy on us and helps us
For these and many other reasons, he was complete our restoration project,
very popular among Christians and
That He blesses our future generations,
respected by occupying Turkish forces.
Many considered him as a living saint. So that they can continue to serve Him
and grow our Orthodox community.
He lived a life of piety and service to oth-
ers. Around 1540, he fell asleep in the O beloved St. Stefan, you have protected
Lord. His wife Jelena buried him outside our Church with your prayers,
of the city and moved to Germany. After
You who have worked miracles and given
the Turks captured the entire region, a
your whole self to Christ,
miracle happened in the middle of the
night. Turkish soldiers noticed a strange Teach us by your example to trust in
light at the place where St. Stefan was bur- God’s will,
ied. Thinking that gold and silver was bur- Bless our endeavors and pray for our sal-
ied there, they started digging until they vation.
uncovered a casket with the relics of St.
Stefan. They found that his body was Amen.
incorrupt and immediately informed their
superior Amir. Soon he found out that this
was St. Stefan, his distant relative. Amir
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 8
St. George: the Man and the Myth
St. George was born in Cappadocia, an
ancient Roman Empire province located
in modern east central Turkey. St.
George’s father was most probably a
Syrian who was martyred for his Chris-
tian faith. On the death of his mother, St.
George inherited the large family estate
in Palestine. At the age of twenty George
became a professional soldier in the
Emperor Diocletian’s Army. The young
man’s noble birth, loyalty, and unusual
intellect brought St. George to the notice
of the Emperor. In time St. George
became a trusted member of the royal
court and was promoted to the level of
tribune in the army. He might have
become a leading officer had not Diocle-
tian (245 - 313 AD) started a persecution
of the Christian community.
St. George refused to conduct war on his
Christian brothers and would not honor
the imperial edicts which outlawed the
faith. Instead he quit his exalted posi-
tions, left his distinguished military
career, and gave away his massive
estates to the poor. When the imperial
edicts were officially posted in the east-
ern capitol of Nicomedia, St. George tore
them down and demanded that the
Emperor rescind his unjust persecution.
For his defense of the true faith, St.
George was tortured and condemned to
death.
On the first day of his imprisonment St.
George was stabbed with lances, but the
spears broke like straws. The Lord would
not allow his skin to be penetrated. Next
he was tied to the ground and a crushing
weight was placed upon his chest. When
Diocletian returned on the following day.
St. George was alive and proclaiming the
protection of Jesus Christ. The Emperor
next had the saint strapped to a wheel
studded with knives and sword blades.
Diocletian thought this would surely kill
any man, but George lay perfectly still
conversing with an angel. At the end of
the day, totally unharmed, St. George
was removed. For the next five days the
glorious martyr suffered tortures beyond
description. He was submerged in quick-
lime, had his limbs beaten, was forced to
run in red-hot iron shoes, was scourged,
and was made to drink two cups of poi-
son. No matter what was done to him,
St. George survived to praise the Lord.
Many witnesses to these miracles con-
certed to Christianity.
On the seventh day of his imprisonment,
Our Lord visited St. George in a dream.
Jesus laid a golden crown on the martyr's
head and told him to prepare for Para-
dise. On awaking, St. George called his
servant. After recording his memoirs,
St. George asked the servant to have his
body taken to his beloved Palestine for
burial.
On the eighth day St. George was again
dragged before the Emperor and once
again was asked to deny his faith. St.
George refused. Instead he demonstrated
his faith by exorcising devils from the
statues which lined the Emperor's court.
From the statue of Apollo, St. George
drew out a demon who was forced to
admit that he was a fallen angel. Then, of
their own accord, all the statuary in the
great room smashed to the floor. The
Empress Alexandra, seeing the many
miracles, converted to Christianity on
the spot, as did her servants Isaac and
Croates. Enraged, the Emperor had his
wife and the servants immediately killed.
St. George was thrown back into the dun-
geon, where he died two days later on
April 23, 303 AD.
The tale of St. George and the dragon is
more symbolic than historical. The leg-
end that he saved a Libyan princess by
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 9
killing a dragon arose in the 12th cen-
tury. “George and the Dragon” may have
arisen from the myth of Perseus who
slew a sea monster near the site of
George's supposed martyrdom. The Per-
seus myth has origins in traditional sixth
century North African folktales.
The dragon, traditionally, was a symbol
of evil passions and paganism. Though
these beasts are often depicted as fire
breathing monsters, they always dwelt in
low wetlands, caves, or wells. When the
evil passions were disturbed, the monster
devoured mankind, usually in the guise
of a drought or a dry windstorm. Accord-
ing to the folk tales, a fierce dragon lived
in a marshy lair outside of Selena, Libya.
The great beast ravaged the countryside
and could only be placated by regular
sacrifices. Every day the villagers were
forced to offer the dragon two sheep.
When the animals no longer satisfied the
monster, a human sacrifice was offered.
The land’s fairest young maidens were
selected by means of a lottery. One day
the King's own daughter was chosen to
sate the beast's hunger.
St. George, so the folk tale goes, hap-
pened across the princess as she prepared
for death. On hearing the maiden's story,
St. George made the Sign of the Cross
and went to do battle with the monster.
Several powerful blows of George's
broad sword rendered the beast helpless.
St. George then led the dragon in chains
to the heart of the village. The townspeo-
ple marveled at the saint's faith and the
power of his God. All of the community
accepted baptism and converted to the
true faith. The grateful King promised
half of his lands to the savior of the town,
but St. George declined the offer of
earthly rewards. Instead he told the mon-
arch to do honor to the true Savior by
safekeeping God's churches, honoring
the clergy, and having pity on the poor.
In addition to his close relationship with
the peoples of Lebanon and Syria, St.
George is the patron of England, Portu-
gal, Aragon, Catalonia, and Lithuania.
From http://www.melkite.org/

From the President
Dear Brothers and Sisters, respected
Fathers:
One month has passed since I was
elected president of Saint George parish.
When asked to consider this position I
gave it deep thought. I prayed that God
would give me strength and wisdom to
make the best decision. It is a true honor,
the greatest of my lifetime thus far, to
serve as president of one Serbian Ortho-
dox parish within the diaspora. You,
stewards of St. George, have entrusted
me with this honor. Hence, it is my duty
to devote my body and my soul to the
well-being of our parish. Alongside the
current board, guided by our parish priest
Father Krsic, and spiritually supported
by Fathers Draskovic and Petakovic, we
will preserve our history while we perse-
vere into the future through the restora-
tion of our parish.
In the upcoming period this restoration
project awaits us. It will include not only
Draga braćo i sestre, poštovani
Sveštenici,
Nedavno se navršilo i prvih mesec dana
od kako sam izabran za predsednika
Crkveno-školske opštine „Sveti Đorđe“.
Kada sam bio upitan da li želim da prih-
vatim ovakvo mesto, duboko sam
razmislio i snažno se Bogu pomolio da
mi podari snagu i mudrost u donešenju
ispravne odluke. Velika mi je čast,
najveća u mom dosadašnjem životu, biti
predsednik parohije Srpske pravoslavne
crkve u dijaspori. Vi parohijani ste mi
ukazali poverenje a na meni je da se u
budećem radu posvetim dušom i telom,
da uložim svoj maksimum za dobrobit
naše parohije. Uveren sam da uz mudre
članove naše uprave, uz našeg sveštenika
Oca Kršica i uz duhovnu potporu Oca
Draškovića i Oca Petakovića, zajednički
ćemo istrajati u očuvanju i daljnjoj
obnovi parohije „Sveti Đorđe“.
U narednom periodu očekuje nas velika
obnova čitavog parohijskog imanja i pos-
the social hall, but also repairing the
church and restoring the property of St.
George. Given the grandiosity of this
project, I appeal to all Serbian people, all
Orthodox Christians of San Diego, and
all friends of Saint George to join us in
strengthening this extraordinary parish. I
am calling on my friends and peers, and
all of the Orthodox youth in our area.
Join us. Give us your contribution in any
form. Every individual is important and
carries great potential and talent that can
be of vast importance to the parish. In
return, the parish takes in every one of us
and serves as a true home. Our parish
represents faith, camaraderie, and foun-
dation, especially to those who find
themselves in diaspora far away from
their homeland.
As we face these challenges I cannot
leave out a story that serves as the foun-
dation of our Christian faith. It is the
story of the flock of sheep and their shep-
herd, in which we learn that when sheep
are scattered it is the shepherd that gath-
ers them. When a sheep is hurt it is ban-
daged and healed by its shepherd. We
tojecih gradjevina. Time pozivam sav
srpski živalj, sve pravoslavne hrišćane
ovoga grada i sve prijatelje Svetoga
Đorđa da nam se priključe u slavi Boga i
da pomognu da ojačamo ovu divnu paro-
hiju. Molio bih sve svoje prijatelje i
vršnjake da nam priđu, da daju svoj
doprinos i osete plod zajedničkog rada.
Svaki pojedinac je bitan i u sebi nosi
potencijal i talenat koji može biti od
velikog značaja za jačanje parohije. Za
uzvrat ona će prihvatiti svakog od nas i
pružiti nam istinski dom. Naša parohija
predstavlja veru, druženje i oslonac za
sve one koji žive u dijaspori, udaljeni od
svojih bližnjih.
Pri prizivanju naroda da nam se priključi
ne mogu a da ne spomenem osnovu naše
hrišćanske vere. To je priča o stadu i nje-
govom pastiru. Ona glasi kada je stado
rasuto pastir je taj koji ga okuplja, kada
se ovčica povredi pastir je povija i leči.
Kada je stado rasuto i svaka jedinka sama
za sebe, ono ne može da preživi u takvom
obliku. Jedinka može da uspe i da blista
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 10
learn that when the flock is scattered,
when every sheep is on its own, they do
not survive. Sheep can survive and thrive
only as part of a flock. This story teaches
us that, just as sheep, humans cannot
thrive away from their flock. As our
“matica” faces great challenges, and our
parish embarks on a physical renovation,
it is imperative we strengthen our com-
munity. Only through active participa-
tion in our community can we keep our
customs, culture, and Serbian language
alive. Just as our forefathers did when
they came to America, it is our duty to
continue. They understood the necessity
to build churches, and through these
churches they preserved our religion and
traditions. Saint George is a perfect
example of this. It stands as a true legacy
of our forefathers. A legacy that, if we
cherish it as they did, will continue to
provide for generations to come.
With respect,
Nemanja Selezan, St. George Church
President
samo kao deo stada. U trenutku kada je
naša matica suočena sa velikim
iskušenjima a naša parohija prolazi kroz
fazu fizickog obnavljanja, pravi je tre-
nutak da osnažimo našu zajednicu. Samo
kroz aktivnu uključenost u zajednicu
možemo očuvati naše divne običaje, kul-
turu i srpski jezik. Kao što su to naši
preci, prvi imigranti Srbi i Crnogorci u
Americi činili, mi smo dužni da to nasta-
vimo. Oni su bili svesni neophodnosti da
grade svetilišta i kroz njih čuvaju svoju
veru i tradiciju. Poput tih je i hram „Sveti
Đorđe“ u San Dijegu koji je istinski
primer zaostavštvine naših predaka. Ako
je čuvamo i obnavljamo ta zaostavštvina
nastaviće da služi našim budućim poko-
lenjima.
Spoštovanjem,
Nemanja Seležan, Predsednik Crkveno-
školske opštine „Sveti Đorđe“
 St. George Serbian Orthodox Church - 2009 Calendar

APRIL SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - FRC

Sunday 5 Quarterly Stewardship Meeting
Diocesan Sunday
Saturday 11 Lazarus Saturday
Sunday 12 Palm Sunday - Cveti
Thursday 16 Great and Holy Thursday
Friday 17 Great and Holy Friday
Saturday 18 Midnight Matins
Sunday 19 Pascha

MAY SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - KOLO

Sunday 3 Church Slava
Sunday 10 Mother’s Day Brunch
JUNE SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - CHOIR
Monday 15 Apostle’s Fast Begins
Sunday 21 Father’s Day
Sunday 28 St. Great Martyr Prince Lazar
All Serbian Martyrs - Vidovdan

JULY SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - MORAVA

Friday-Sunday 17-19 Morava Folkfest
Sunday 19 Quarterly Stewardship Meeting
Nemanja Selezan, St. George Church President Sunday 19-8 Summer Camp Begins

AUGUST SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - AOF

Friday 14 Dormition Fast Begins

SEPTEMBER SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - KOLO

Friday-Sunday 5-7 Diocesan Weekend in Jackson
Church Closed
Saturday 12-13 Serbian Festival
Sunday 20 KOLO Slava /Church School Begin

OCTOBER SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - MORAVA

Saturday 17 St. Stefan and Jelena (Stiljanovic)

NOVEMBER SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - CHOIR

Sunday 1 Quarterly Stewardship Meeting
Stewardship Sunday
Sunday 26 Thanksgiving Day
Friday 27-6 Nativity Fast

DECEMBER SUNDAY LUNCHEON/EVENT DUTIES - AOF

DATES & LUNCHEON SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!

Hristos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese!

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 11


Continuing Our Legacy
I’m so excited to report on the progress
our “Continuing our Legacy” St. George
Stewardship Capi-
tal Campaign has
made. March
2009 was a very
active time for our
fund raising teams
and meant to be a
time to communi-
cate a new vision
for our St. George
parish via printed
materials, a film, special events focused
on open discussion, and thoughtful
prayer. The goal was to allow each fam-
ily to have enough exposure and knowl-
edge to make an informed decision
before deciding on their personal level of
financial commitment to this church
Renewal Project. I am not going to
repeat the details of the Renewal Project
scope and funds needed, since The Voice
of St. George has kindly reprinted these
details in this Spring issue for our parish-
ioners to read in detail. As well, many of
you have already received mailings
regarding the project scope and costs.
Instead I am going to update you on the
current activities of the team.
By the time you receive this Spring 2009
issue of The Voice, our various fund rais-
ing campaign teams will have completed
the following under RSI’s wise guid-
ance.
Print Team: Custom designed, printed
materials to help educate the parish about
the Renewal Project
Video Team: Storyboard, ‘shoot’ film,
edit, and finish a video about our goals &
why it matters in a compelling and
dynamic way
Info Team: Host two ‘open house’ Q&A
panel events: March 15 & 22, to further
inform parish of the ‘whys, whens, &
hows’ of the remodel project and fund
raising effort
Cont. Legacy Dinner Team: Organize a
special dinner (April 4th) & inviting
parishioners to an event to learn more
about how we as a community can
become part of this Renewal Project to Pascha Team: Tina Zivkovic+,
continue our legacy. Simona Trifunovic+; Vecki Miljkovic,
Sonja Radic
Web Team: Update all activities on St.
George web site including: print material, Cont Legacy Dinner:Fr. Bratso Krsic+,
dates of events, video link, and digital Jadranka Bozinovska+;
archive of the last ~20 years of St. George Velimir Jovanovic, Lydia Rhoads (Milas-
print photos (Mara Bosnak archived the inovic family donating all food & cook-
photos with images used in past issues of ing); Vladan Trifunovic (arranging the
The Voice) “Re-Inventing Tesla” performance)
Prayer Team: Spiritually guide the entire Info Team: Vera Rakic+; Vladan
effort and inspire the parish to prayerfully Trifunovich (Choir luncheon Sundays-
consider donating time, talent, and trea- thank you)
sure as stewards of St. George.
Distrib. Team:Protinica Lisa Krsic+
Info Distrib. Team: Mail all invites, bro-
Program Leaders:Jennifer Milanovich+;
chures, FAQ pamphlets, etc. to congrega-
Dragan Radic+
tion
RSI Consultant: Roger Boatman
Admin. Team: Make sure all teams are
aware of scheduled meetings, minutes for 3-D Model Construction:Dragan
meetings, and helping organize logistics Radoicic+; Nemanja Selezan, Marko
for team meetings. Rakic
YET TO COME- last but certainly HVALA LEPO! to everyone who has
NOT least—is our been so giving and good examples of
Pascha Team: This team will be organiz- church stewards: giving time, talent, and
ing Pascha activities this year, happening treasure to the overall campaign.
April 19. Since the “Continuing Our Leg-
acy” Renewal Project is all about a spiri- We can all do this together. I have faith in
tual and physical rebirth of our parish our future and God’s divine providence.
grounds, we decided to have all our efforts
for this Renewal Project culminate on this May God Bless you and our endeavors
sacred day. towards helping our venerable St.
George Serbian Orthodox Church and
They say it takes a village to raise a parish grounds.
child, and as you can see, it takes a small
Serbian ‘spiritual army’ to raise funds
for the restoration of the St. George par- Jennifer Milanovich, Co-Chair Program
ish grounds! I am blessed to work with a Leader, “Continuing Our Legacy”
talented, passionate, visionary group of Stewardship Campaign
individuals on this Renewal Project. I’ve
listed their names under the RSI teams
they are a part of with leaders marked by
a cross (+). Please join me in thanking
these hard working individuals for their
loving efforts, courage, and faith to
“Continue Our Legacy”!
Prayer Team: Deacon Paul Germain+;
Frs. Draskovic and Petakovic
Print Team: Mara Bosnak+, Melanie
Milicevic+; Miro Copic; Diana Coso
Administrative Team: Lindsey Boyce+
Web Team: Nemanja Selezan+; Vlastimir
(Vlasta) Sindjelic
Video Team: Marko Rakic+, Zeljko Mila-
sinovic+; Dobrila Undheim
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 12

Some words about Stewardship
and the renovation project
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
By the grace of God and the efforts of Fr.
Velimir Petakovic, in 1992, I joined a
group of
three bish-
ops, fifteen
priests and
five popadi-
jas on the
pilgrimage
to the Holy
Land. It was
one of the
most memo-
rable experi-
ences of my
life.
While pondering on how I would con-
tribute to the renovation of our social
hall, two memories from this trip crossed
my mind – the Sea of Galilee and the
Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a rather
small lake, about 7 miles wide and 13-14
miles long. It is embraced with lush
banks and contains more than 25 variet-
ies of fish. Many animals and birds make
their nests around its banks.
While some of our fellow pilgrims took
cameras to memorize the picturesque
lake, I closed my eyes and peeked from a
distance at the surface of the lake, where
I imagined the boat with our Savior,
accompanied by His disciples.
The lake is fed by several streams, but
primarily by the Jordan River, in which
Jesus was baptized. While the gentle
breeze blew, I remembered chapter 6 of
St. Mark (when Jesus walked on the
water) and the shortest prayer invoked
by St. Peter, “Lord, save me!” The Sea of
Galilee is beautiful, full of life teaming
with varieties and scores of living things.
Reality brought me back, and I joined the
pilgrims heading south on the way to
another sea, the Dead Sea. This body of
water is more than 1400 feet below sea
level. The water is about ten times saltier
than the water in Mission Bay. Depend-
ing on the season, the water is more than
35% salt. The story is true that you can
lay down on the water and not sink. To us
people born in Montenegro, this idea is
very appealing.
Due to the saltiness, no bacteria nor
plants, fish or animals live in the water or
around the water. This body of water is
called the Dead Sea, and it is rightfully
so. I would like to bring something to
your attention. Both lakes receive water
from Jordan River. The Sea of Galilee
receives from Jordan River, and the river
flows through and down south to the
Dead Sea. It is same water supply, yet
one lake is full of life, while the other
one is dead.
The Dead Sea is far below sea level and
has no outlets. One lake receives and
gives; the other receives, but does not
give. In this example, I see a prodigious
stewardship lesson. Those two lakes bear
witness to the fact of human life. It is in
receiving and the giving back in order
that life and hope is sustained.
Remember, while I served God and you
for 21 years, I delivered annually several
sermons on Stewardship, but never did I
ask for money. Furthermore, I never
asked nor expected any money for my
family or myself. God knows, I found
that word difficult to pronounce, even as
I find it difficult now to use it. However,
I am reassured by St. James 4:2: “You do
not have, because you do not ask.” So
now I am asking for money and when I
ask, I really mean it. Naturally, when I
make this plea, I do it with love and
respect for you, also with integrity and
with deep conviction that what we do at
St. George matters. The long overdue
restoration of our social hall is worthy of
our care, devotion, and financial support
(money!).
The lesson of the Sea of Galilee is true.
In receiving and giving back, life and
hope are sustained. I believe that Our
Lord got two fish from the Sea of Gali-
lee, and together with five loaves of
bread, He fed a multitude. In 1992, my
family and I came to the Church that was
built on the site of this miracle. Fr. Peta-
kovic was like a boy scout; he came pre-
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 13
pared. We had everything we needed for
kolach blessing on the very spot. This is
what the stewards of St. George and the
followers of Jesus Christ are called to be
givers of meaning, life, and hope. We,
too, must be prepared.
Now allow me please to refresh your
memory and write briefly about Stew-
ardship. “Follow Me,” Jesus simply but
powerfully commanded of the Apostles,
and they did. That call is made to us as
well on this day and in this time at
St. George. How do we follow Jesus? We
try to live our lives as he did – the exam-
ple of the perfect steward. Stewardship is
discipleship. It is the care and use of all
that we have been given by God and is
often explained in terms of talent, trea-
sure and time. Why? Because communi-
cation requires that a message is sent and
received, thus explaining stewardship in
simple terms is more effective. Here is a
way to look at these aspects of steward-
ship.
Talent
We are all blessed with so many talents,
and yet we may not know they exist. Tal-
ents are found in our personalities, our
interests, and in our skills. Those who
love interacting with people, love to talk
and love to be with groups have incredible
talents to assist with outreach, evange-
lism, and missionary work. Your use of
talent for the work of God is one of the
most personally fulfilling opportunities of
your lifetime. Payment in a smile, in relief
of suffering or in lending a hand to some-
one in desperate need is greater than any
material payment you will ever receive.
Treasure
Our use of treasure to support the charita-
ble works of the church helps to bring jus-
tice and equity to the world. Charity is not
a tax. It should be given freely because we
understand and believe in the end result of
our giving of financial support to any min-
istry.
What should you give? There is no one
answer, but we should all give according
to what we have been given. Rather than
gifts of equal size, gifts should be based
on equal sacrifice. For example, those
who earn minimum wage will find it diffi-
cult to provide even basic living needs for
Continued on page 14.
Continued from page 13.
themselves and for their family. This
financial responsibility is a priority, but it
may still be possible to be a good steward
in terms of time and talent.
For many others, it is very possible to
make a financial gift. A gift that is truly a
sacrifice is a gift out of our need, not just
our excess. Only you and God know what
is fair, but one way to know when you are
making the right gift is when you stop
making excuses for its size and stop trying
to rationalize why it is enough.
Time
The gift of time is just that – a gift. None
of us know exactly how much time we
have been granted on this earth. Before I
rest for the night, I said the prayer, and
then I “negotiate” with the Lord by say-
ing, “please don’t take me this night.” In
the morning, I say, “thank you, Lord, you
are a most generous and gracious God.” In
the time that we have, we are asked to use
that time effectively by continuing the
mission of Jesus Christ throughout our
days. Both at church and at home, we are
responsible for handing on the faith to
future generations. How we interact with
people in front of children teaches valu-
able lessons on how to live. Our participa-
tion at Liturgy and in ministries prepares a
road map for ourselves and those with
whom we have influence on how to lead a
Christ-centered life.
Time is fleeting. Make the most of yours
by using all of your gifts to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus. “We continually
remember before our God and Father your
work produced by faith, your labor
prompted by love, and your endurance
inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”
I Thessalonians 1:3.
Very Reverend Father Bozidar
Draskovic
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 14
Project Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are we renovating?
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church is
renovating three main areas: the Church,
the social hall and the surrounding prop-
erty.The majority of the work will be
done to the social hall including renovat-
ing the main hall and existing kitchen,
bathrooms, sliding doors, and patio area.
We will add restrooms and expand the
bar area at the back of the hall. New
classrooms (for Sunday School and Ser-
bian cultural activities), a multi-purpose
room and two offices/meeting rooms
will be added.
Around the surrounding property, we
will redesign the parking lot, landscape
and hardscape as well as replace several
retaining walls.
Most important, we will make some
much needed renovations to the Church
structure. In particular the heating sys-
tem, the roof (where water leaks are
damaging our precious mosaics), the ter-
razzo floor and the front steps to the
church are areas of focus.
2. Why are we renovating it?
Over the last 40 years, our
beloved and reliable church
social hall has fallen into dis-
repair. Although it has served
us faithfully over these years,
there is a clear need for a new,
inspiring building that is better
equipped to grow with our
future needs. The St. George
Social Hall links the entire
Serbian Orthodox community
together: it is where weddings
and baptisms are celebrated;
our children are educated in
religious and ethnic traditions;
meals are cooked and events
are shared; our Church board
and stewardship meetings
occur here; and it is one of the
very first places new faces to
our community get to experi-
ence both the Orthodox and
Serbian cultures. In essence,
it is the heart of our warm fel-
lowship and active social
activities within our church; a
welcoming door to community participa-
tion and spiritual guidance. A newly
remodeled social hall will continue our
legacy into a bright new future and will
inspire our friends, families, parishio-
ners, and supporters to become more
involved in our growing community!
3. How much will the renovation cost?
The entire renovation will cost approxi-
mately $1.5 million dollars.
4. When will the renovation be com-
plete?
The first remodeling phase should be
done by late summer with additional
phases following immediately after. A
calendar will be posted in the church so
everyone can see the progress we are
making.
5. How will we pay for it?
We will pay for it with the money raised
through the Capital Stewardship Cam-
paign: Continuing Our Legacy.
6. What is a Capital Stewardship Cam-
paign?
A Capital Stewardship Campaign is a
special church project that seeks pledged
donations that can be made over a period
of three years from members of the con-
gregation to be used in paying for a
major construction project; in our case,
the renovation of our social hall.
7. How much are we hoping to raise
through the Capital Stewardship Cam-
paign?
Ideally we’d like to raise $1.5Million.
This can be achieved by a $2K-3K com-
mitment made over a period of 1-3yrs
from each of ~500 families that are cur-
rently part of the St. George community.
A $2K-$3,000 donation per family might
sound daunting, but it isn’t that big a sac-
rifice over time. For example, a $3,000
commitment over 36 months is just $83/
month! Over a one year period, that is
$250/month. For a family, this means a
few less coffees and one less dinner out a
month.
However, we understand that every fam-
ily does not have equal financial
resources. What is most important is
prayerful consideration of what you can
donate to further God’s work. This is
your opportunity to continue the legacy
of our grandparents, parents, kumovi,
and friends.
8. Will I be pressured to make a pledge
or commitment?
No. Participation in the campaign and
how much you give is entirely up to you.
All members and guests will be given the
opportunity to contribute if they wish to
do so.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not
sow or reap or store away in barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not much more valuable than they
are? Who of you by worrying can add a
single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:26-27
9. How may I prepare to participate?
Inventory your blessings and potential
for giving via: income & sacrifice
(delaying vacations or purchases); giv-
ing assets (stock, real estate, and sav-
ings); and time & talent (donation of
services/materials through business or
personal means).
Allow God to speak to your heart
through prayer. Read Scripture passages
that speak about stewardship and giv-
ing. “Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you.” Matthew
7:7
These Bible passages are also suggested
for reading as you discern your family or
personal commitment: 1 Corinthians
16:2; Proverbs 11:25; Proverbs 3:5-9; 2
Corinthians 8:7; Acts 20:35; Luke 6:28,
and Psalm 116:12.
10. If I can't give a large amount, does
my commitment really matter?
Absolutely! All pledges matter, regard-
less of amount, because as we all partic-
ipate according to our ability, God
multiplies our giving.
Keep the example of the Widow’s mite
from the Gospel according to St. Mark
12:41:44 and St. Luke 21:1-4. This story
is a great illustration of the spirit in
which the gift should be given. Loyal
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 15
devotion to God's call, gratitude, gener-
osity, humility and trust in God are guid-
ing posts for your mind and heart as you
consider preparing to pledge your three-
year commitment to the Capital Steward-
ship Campaign.
11. When are we expected to give the
amount pledged?
Commitment Cards will be turned in on
Easter Sunday, April 19th, or earlier.
Please visit our new website: www.saint-
georgesandiego.org for details about
online pledges and Pascha 2009 at St.
George Parish.
12. What forms of Contributions will be
accepted?
Credit cards, online PayPal payments,
checks, cash, and/or giving resources
(talents, donation of services/materials)
may be gifted to this cause. Gifting
assets such as stock, trusts, or real estate
will also be accepted and may have
potential tax advantages for the giver.
13. May I update my Commitment after
Easter Sunday (4-19-09)?
Yes, Donations will be accepted over a
period of up to 3 years; however, the
remodeling projects are in the works
now. The sooner we understand how
much our community can donate, the
sooner we can complete the project in a
seamless way with less starts and stops.
14. Do you have to be a member to par-
ticipate in the campaign?
No. Participating in the campaign is a
personal decision for each of us, and
anyone may contribute to God's work in
our church.
15. Where can I turn if I have other
questions?
• Father Bratso Krsic
Phone: 619.276.5827 or 619.316.2362
Email: frbratso@sbcglobal.net
• Jennifer Milanovich
Phone: 858.733.4826
Email: jenniferleigh2234@yahoo.com
• Dragan Radic
Phone: 760.492.4595
Email: Dragutin@hotmail.com

Religious Education Report,
Spring 2009
Our Church School program got off to a
big start in 2009 with our second annual
Christmas play of the Nativity of Christ,
followed later in the month with the
always blessed St. Sava celebration. Our
youth are extremely talented and gifted
children, eager to participate and always
do a great job. We thank God for all of
the volunteers, for their tireless dedica-
tion to the Church, and to our children so
that we can make these programs avail-
able to them. Thank you, Lord, for all of
your blessings upon us!
Please help us encourage our children to
attend and participate together as one
family in Christ. St. Theophan the
Recluse once said: “Of all holy works,
the education of children is the most
holy.” The responsibility lies with us to
make Christian education a reality for
our children. We are responsible for
making it a priority for them. Thank you
for your help with this important mission
in our Church.
As we enter Great and Holy Lent, I pray
we find more time for God and make
Him more a part of our lives. On behalf
of our dedicated Church School staff, we
pray you have a most blessed Pascha,
one filled with the glory of Christ’s res-
urrection.
In Christ our Lord,
Deacon Paul
Family Survival Guide—Reflections
on Raising Children Today
A Special Message to Parents
Values…Teaching in Today’s World
Communicating your values has never
been more important than it is today.
And the good news is, it all begins and
ends with you. When all is said and done,
parents have far more influence over
instilling values in their children than
any other factor.
Here are some simple, and very impor-
tant things we should all remember about
values, and passing them along:
• Kids get their sense of what’s right and
wrong from people they love and respect.
No one has more influence over teaching
values than you do. You input can make
all the difference!
• When it comes to teaching
values…actions always speak louder than
words. Children need to see the values
lived out by you. Respect for life, respect
for other people, honesty, integrity…kids
get those by watching you.
• Families are still the best vehicle for
raising children. A loving, nurturing
family unit, of whatever form, creates the
kind of environment kinds need to learn
what’s right from wrong…and how to
love themselves, too.
• Always strive to teach your kids to love
and respect themselves as children of
God. A healthy love and respect for
themselves is incredibly important for any
kid. It’s also the first essential step in
helping a kid learn to love and respect
those around him/her.
You’ve got a tough job…
None of us were ever taught to be par-
ents. So we can’t help but disappoint
ourselves sometimes. How often have
you heard yourself using the very same
words you hated hearing from your own
parents? And when our kids become
teenagers, it gets even harder. They seem
to reject everything we’ve taught them.
As far as they’re concerned, we know
nothing. Our values and beliefs are con-
stantly challenged. Every word we utter
is seen as interference. Emotions run
high.
But we’re more important to our teens
than ever. As they try out the values of
their peers, who are more influential then
ever, we counter the pull of drugs and
alcohol. These entangle children every
day and can ruin their lives.
The stakes are high…
Teenagers who don’t get what they need
at home look elsewhere. Some run away
from home. Many more consider other
ways of running from pressure…a once
bright and happy son escapes to
drugs…a vivacious daughter starts
drinking. Think about these facts:
• Each year, one million students drop our
of high school or are chronically truant.
• Four out of ten teenage girls will become
pregnant before age 20.
Good news is The Church can help…
• Never stop talking to God about your
children, i.e. pray for them everyday.
• Attend services regularly
• Read Bible and Lives of Saints
• Talk to your priest
• Spend more time with your children; play
with them.

Please help us...

When you move, inform our church office about your new address and
contact information change.
Also, would you like to be on our email list (keep in mind that you will be
receiving two or three emails a week).
Questions? Call the church office at: 619-276-5827 or e-mail Father Bratso
at
frbratso@sbcglobal.net

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 16


St. Nikolai of Zicha Oratorical
Festival
The St. Nicholai of Zicha Oratorical
Festival is a triennial oratorical contest
in which the youth of the Serbian
Orthodox Church in North and South
America, ages 14-18, are given the
opportunity to demonstrate their
knowledge of the Orthodox faith,
writing, and oratorical skills in the
English language.
This is the second contest. The first
one took place in Detroit in 2006 in
which each diocese of the Serbian
Orthodox Church in North and South
America was represented with one
oratorical festival delegate.
This year, two girls from St. George,
Christina Webber and Elizabeth
Kasic, have entered the contest, and
we include their essays here. The
essays must also be delivered orally.
Please congratulate these young peo-
ple for participating in this year’s
event. Such activities strengthen
young people in the Faith and help
them develop leadership and poise.
They also serve as good Christian
examples to other young people.
Father Bratso was the Western Dio-
cese coordinator for the contest.
Voice Editor
LIFE and SALVATION: Why Being
Orthodox In Today’s World is Crucial
An Essay by Christina Louise Webber
I was asked why being Orthodox in
today’s world is crucial and at first I did
not know how to answer such a dense
question. Who possibly could when first
presented with that question? I intend to
explain to you my thoughts and beliefs as
well as insight from others.
To me believing is not faith, faith is
believing. “I believe” are not just words
to me; they have meaning, glory and pur-
pose. My faith helps me believe that God
will handle all the problems I encounter,
on his own time in his own way. I believe
that he will solve all of the worlds’ prob-
lems and all the individual problems
people encounter in their everyday lives.
Faith has helped me grow in the church
by believing that God sent Jesus to save
me and the world. Also that he gave the
disciples the will to write about Jesus and
let us, the future generations, know what
Christ did for us. My faith has not hin-
dered me, in my life or in my church. “As
a man thinketh in his heart so is he”
(Proverbs 23:7) I believe this is true
because if you believe and have faith in
the Lord all will be okay. Understanding
the difference between “faith” and “rea-
son” is important to know because then
you can idealize whether you are inde-
pendent or if you are drawing from only
others ideas. You also will understand
what you think or believe. When dealing
with faith and reason there are many
things that separate these two words.
First faith is having belief, you do not
need proof when you have faith, you
need no reassurances and you draw your
faith from yourself and your religion.
Reason demands logic, requires physical
or written proof, needs reassurance and
comparables, and the ides are taken from
yourself and the world around you.
Adam was made from the rib of God and
the dust of the earth, he was considered
the first man of dust. Eve was created
from Adam but was made a woman.
When birth was given to the savior Jesus
Christ, he was considered “the new
Adam” due to being born of a virgin; he
was the first man of heaven. The Greek
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 17
word for
image is ikon.
God created
the image,
taken from
him and the
dust of the
earth, he cre-
ated the physi-
cal structure
of a human
being. Then he
put his spirit My name is Christina Louise
into that struc- Webber, I attend Saint
ture. The
George Serbian Orthodox
Church. I am the daughter of
physical struc- Deborah-Lynn Carter. I was
ture represents baptised when I was three,
the image of and my Kum is no longer in
God, and the California. Some of my
spirit repre-
Hobbies include singing,
dancing and acting. My
sents the like- favorite being singing and
ness of God. dancing. I sing in our church
Therefore I choir and dance with
look like God Morava Folklore Ensemble.
I am very dependent on my
and I have his church and my friends to
spirit, I am help me, and I have pride in
like him in the church and the culture.
almost every-
way. What this means to me is that I need
to act in a Godly manner, I am his ikon, I
am his passage into this world, I am his
eyes and his messenger. I should live a
righteous and godly life, to satisfy him,
and make him proud of his creations.
In the Nicene Creed it says that Jesus for
us and for our salvation had come down
from the heavens, was incarnate of the
Virgin Mary, and became man. I believe
that salvation is not a right it is a privi-
lege. Many people think that if they are
just religious, they are immediately
saved. But no matter what religion you
are, if you are baptized or christened and
you are not active in your religion, you
will not be handed salvation on a silver
platter. I believe that God must see that
you want to be saved; he must know that
you want it with your heart and soul. He
must see that you have earned your right
in heaven by living a safe and righteous
way. Jesus saved the world from eternal
damnation, by dying on Calvary. St. John
the Baptist said, “Repent and be bap-
tised.” This was made possible by Jesus
Continued on page 18.
Continued from page 17.
giving his life to save us. Personally
Jesus is saving me from myself and peo-
ple who want to harm me. I do not think
God makes it obvious that he is saving
you, because at times everybody feels
unsafe or unaware. They ask questions
like: “Where was he?” and “Why did this
happen to me?” He saves us in his own
way, ways that we as humans could and
will never be able to understand. He does
not want us to be burdened by that com-
plex plan that only he understands.
So why is it important to be Orthodox in
today’s world? First of all what you are
taught in church. The relief that you get
when you learn about God, Jesus, Mary,
Faith, Remission of Sins and more is
overwhelming and it makes you think.
Secondly what you are taught about
being a better person, helping people and
trying to make the world a better place.
Next when you are in trouble, you have
your faith and your religion to fall back
on and trust. And lastly, you move and
you are having a hard time, there is
always a church nearby or priests that are
willing to drive to you and help you
through the tough times. But most
importantly for me, it’s the support that
no other religion offers. There are so
many ways you can keep up your reli-
gion. There are so many things that are
unique about this religion, which brings
so many people to it.
In today’s world there are so many bad
people, so much harm being done by
other people. There are even people of
different religions that are doing this
harm, people who are supposed to be
men and women of God. This religion is
a safe religion. It is legitimate and it is
comforting. I believe that orthodoxy,
because of its roots, will last a very long
time, if we keep our hearts open to love
and the glory of God. Saint John Chrys-
ostom once said, “When Christ says to
follow the narrow path, he addresses
everyman. The monk as well as the lay
person can attain the same spiritual
heights.” In Orthodoxy no one gets left
behind.
Christina Webber
LIFE and SALVATION: Why Being
Orthodox In Today’s World is Crucial!
An Essay by Elizabeth Kasic
For us fellow Christians, there is no more
important question to reflect on than the
questions of salvation. For me as an
Orthodox Christian teen this question is
answered through the love and support
of the Orthodox Church in which I
attend. This answer is nothing new. My
orthodox church has been proclaiming it
for over two millennia. Salvation is the
union with the Triune God, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit – One God in Trinity.
In Psalms 17, verse 10, we read: “He
bowed heaven and descended.” My
Orthodox Church taught me that the sal-
vation, that is, the union between God
and man, is made possible through
Christ’s birth in the flesh or as the Holy
Fathers of the Church say, salvation is
made possible through the incarnation of
Christ. Because there was no way for
man to raise himself up to God, God
came to us in the person of his Only-
begotten Son. In the gospel of St. John
3:16 we read: “For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son,
that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have everlasting life.” St.
Athanasius said: “God became man so
that man can become God.” This means
that in Jesus Christ we are given an
opportunity to reach our ultimate goal of
becoming like Christ.
Now you must wonder, how does this
relate to me and my personal life as an
orthodox teen? First, what I have learned
over the years as an orthodox teen is that
I am simply not alone; I am a part of a
larger Orthodox family that plays a big
role in my life. I am given an opportunity
to grow within this larger family. As a
teenager, life throws out extreme chal-
lenges in which I must face. Luckily I
can always look to my larger orthodox
family for support. I am given the
responsibility of dealing with everyday
hardships, which is where my faith
comes in. If anything, I turn to God to
receive the love and attention needed
throughout difficult situations. I may
also ask older fellow parishioners for
advice and seek their guidance.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 18
My orthodox
faith helps me
to live a pure
life. My faith
helps me
when it comes
down to deci-
sion-making,
and to tell the
simple differ-
ence between
right and
wrong. Not My name is Elizabeth Kasic,
only do I I attend Saint George
attend church Serbian Orthodox Church. I
regularly, but am the daughter of Rade &
I pay close Radmila Kasic. I was born in
Yugoslavia. My Kuma is
attention and Maria Kunac. Some of my
strongly hobbies include swimming,
observe the gymnastics, cheer leading,
traditions of playing tennis, and folk
the Orthodox dancing. I dance with
Morava Folklore Ensemble
Church I at church. My future goal is
attend. As a to study medicine and
Serbian become a pediatrician. The
orthodox St. George Church has
teen, my fam- always been a very
important part of my life.
ily and I cele-
brate a slava,
which means to venerate a saint on a spe-
cial day that comes around once a year.
But, this veneration of saint actually
extents to God whom we worship and
who is glorified in his saints. This is why
most hymns for saints end with these
words: “And you, o holy saint___, pray
to God for us, so that our souls may be
saved”.
The Holy Fathers of our Orthodox
Church teach us that “In everyday life we
naturally think that good deeds should be
rewarded and crimes punished. But our
God does not “punish” on the basis of
human standards. He corrects and chas-
tises us, just as a loving father corrects
his erring children in order to show them
the way. But this is not the same thing as
being “sentenced” to a “term” of pain
and suffering for some misdeed. Our
God is not vindictive; He is at all times
perfectly loving, and His justice has
nothing to do with human legal stan-
dards. He knows that we cannot come to
Him without purity of heart, and He also
knows that we cannot acquire this purity
unless we are free from all things: free of
attachments to money and property, free
of passion and sin, and even detached
from bodily health if that stands between
us and true freedom before God. He
instructs us, through both Revelation and
correction, showing us how we may
acquire this freedom, for Ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you
free (John 8:32). As St. John Cassian
teaches: God “leads you on by a still
higher step to that love which is free of
fear.” Through this you begin effort-
lessly and naturally to observe all those
things you originally observed out of
fear of God and punishment, but now
you do them no longer from fear of pun-
ishment, but from love of Goodness
itself, and delight in virtue” (Institutes).”
Oksana Germain continues to be busy with local piano competitions. On February
“THE WAY OF salvation which leads to
7 she won second place in the MTAC Concerto Competition at USD. She played
eternal life is narrow and hard (Matt.
Saint Saens Piano Concerto #2, Second Movement. On February 21, Oksana’s
7:14). It is appointed both by our Lord's
chamber ensemble group won first place in the VOCE competition at Cal State
holy example and by His holy teaching.
San Marcos. The group will be going to the VOCE California State Finals in April.
The Lord foretold to His disciples and
They will play Schumann’s Piano Quintet, First Movement. and Shostikovich Piano
followers that in the world, that is, during
Quintet for both competitions.
their earthly life, they would have tribu-
lation (John 16:33; 15:18; 16:2-
3)....From this it is clear that sorrow and
suffering are appointed by the Lord Him-
self for His true servants during their life
on earth” (Bishop Ignatius Brianchani-
nov, The Arena).

So, why being orthodox in today’s world

is so crucial? For me as an Orthodox
Christian teen this question is answered
through the love and support of my
Orthodox Church. My Orthodox Church
has been proclaiming the truth of salva-
tion for over two millennia. Salvation is
the union with the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. Being Orthodox in
today’s world is to be in the only true
Church of Christ where the fullness of
grace, love, and community of those
united in one faith dwells. As an ortho-
dox teen I am a part of this great and
awesome mystery. This makes me feel Kristina, Stefan, and Nikola Zivkovic were the Grand Prize winners at St. Steven’s
safe and loved. Festival. The prize – tickets to a Laker game. They would like to personally thank Vla-
domir Radmanovic for getting them extra special tickets. They had the time of their
lives ☺. Mom and dad had to have custom Radmanovic Jerseys made – Kristina of
Elizabeth Kasic course chose to have #3 and Zivkovic put on the back of her Jersey. Thanks again to
Vladi and we wish him the very best with his new team – The Bobcats.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 19

New Kolo Sisters Officers

Congratulations to the new Kolo Serbian

Sisters Board of 2009-2010!
• President: Sylvia Ivanovic
• Vice President #1: Vera Rakic
• Vice President #2: Mira Jovanovic
• Secretary: Milica Trifunovic
• Membership: Linda Pantovic
• Treasurer: Dushanka Urosevic
• Historian: Ana Lazetic
• Sunshine Committee: Nada Pantovich
and Protinica Lisa
• Hall Rental Coordinator: Tina Zivkovic

It's never to late to join this dynamic

group of ladies whose mission it is to
support all the activities at St. George
SOC. Many events are being planned
and we need your creative ideas and sup- Still Life with Fruits, oil painting by Jovan Ardeljan
port. To join in on our fun, contact Linda
Pantovich or any other member.

Red Eggs at Pascha
During Easter Day the egg stands as
symbol of the resurrection of Christ, and
is universally used as means of Christian
greeting and present. The symbolical and
church significance of the egg has its
roots in the greatest antiquity. Long
before Christianity, all the cultured
nations of antiquity held the egg to be the
symbol of life in all their beliefs and cus-
toms. According to heathen cosmogo-
nies, the original world’s chaos was
contained in an egg, which broke into
two halves, the one forming the sky and
the other the earth.
Out of the lower part of the egg
Came mother earth.
Out of the upper part of the egg
Arose the high vault of the sky.
From the fact that this idea is to be found
amongst all nations, one has to conclude
that it is a reflection of the primitive
belief which constituted the religion of
mankind in the remotest antiquity and
then universally spread at the time of the The red color, which generally is used for
dispersion of nations. Easter eggs, serves to remind us of the
precious blood of God the Redeemer,
With Christianity, the old belief receives
which was shed on the cross for the sal-
new contents, and the egg receives a reli-
vation of all men.
gious significance amongst the Chris-
tians. There exists a tradition which The blessing of the eggs takes place after
makes Mary Magdalene to be the origi- the morning Easter service. The breaking
nator of the custom of using red eggs on of the lenten fasting on Easter Sunday
Easter day. After the Ascension of our begins with eating the blessed eggs.
Saviour, Mary Magdalene went to Rome Christ is Risen!
to preach the Gospel and, appearing
before the Emperor Tiberius, she offered
Taken from“The Most Useful
him a red egg, saying: CHRIST IS
KNOWLEDGE for the Orthodox
RISEN.
Russian-American Young People,”
Thus was begun her preaching. Learning
compiled by the Very Rev Peter G.
about this offering of Mary Magdalene,
Kohanik, 1932-1934
the early Christians imitated her, present-
ing each other with eggs. Hence, eggs
began to be used by Christians in the ear-
liest centuries as a symbol of the Resur-
rection of Christ and of the regeneration
of Christians for a new and a better life
along [with] it. The custom of presenting
each other with red eggs was familiar to
the Christians of the earliest Universal
Church.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 20

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VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 21

 St. George Stewards—2009 • Melnick, Stanley and Pauline
From the Stewardship Chair • Alemany, Lazar and Linda • Mijailovic, Goran

• Andolsek, Tonska D. • Mikler, Zora

The concept of stewardship is not new to
St. George. One of our past Presidents, • Aud, Matthew and Laurie • Milanovich, Jennifer
Wayne Papac, introduced the program to • Milasinovic, Zeljko and Marija
• Barron, Zorka
our church over ten years ago. Steward-
• Belcevich, Milos • Miljkovic, Milan and Diane
ship is the giving of Time, Talent, and
Treasurers. With your faith and support, • Benesh, Kathryn • Miljkovic, Miodrag and Vecki
we continue to build on this concept. • Milicevic, James and Melanie
• Copic, Miro
Being a steward of St. George is more
• Cronemeyer, Zorica • Milovancev, Miroslav and Mira
than making a financial commitment to
the Church. Of course, we need your • Denton, Natalie • Mitrovich, Jelena
financial commitment to keep the church • Mitrovich, Predrag
• Drakulich, Persida
doors open every Sunday, but being a
• Draskovich, Father Bozidar and • Mrja, Millie
steward is also someone who gives of
their time and your talent. Painting the Protinica • Nedic, Sava and Spomenka
flag pole, cooking meals, teaching Sunday • Freeman, Lillian • Nikolic, Dragan and Gordana
School, these are all contributions that • Fulton, Jeff and Radmila • Novakovic, Drago and Dana
you can pledge as a steward.
• Gavrilov, Gleb • Papac, Wayne and Sandie
You should all know that our yearly oper-
• Germain, Deacon Paul and Natalija • Pantovich, Nada
ating expenses are approximately
$175,000, about $465 per day. This fig- • Gregovich, Ljubica • Petakovich, Father Velimir and
ure does not include any of the costs for • Grijakovic, Vladomir Protinica
the renovation of the church property. You
• Hyduke, David • Petric, Alex
also should know that 100% of the operat-
ing budget comes from your donations. • Ilic, Boris • Petric, Milovan and Jelena
Without your donations, we could not • Ilic, Petar and Rosa • Plavsic, Milan and Ljubica
exist.
• Irick, Olga • Popa, Cornelia
As of today, we have 87 families who • Popovich, Dolly
• Jaich, Dennis and Rhonda
have made their 2009 pledge to St.
George. I encourage each and every one • Jojic, Dobrinka • Popovich, Ella
of you to make your 2009 pledge if you • Jojic, Vesko and Julie • Pugh, Zachary and Milica
have not already done so. I have included • Purlia, Sam and Gloria
• Jovanovic, Martha
a list of the 2009 stewards. If I have inad-
vertently left off your name or misspelled • Jovanovic, Milivoj and Verica • Radjenovic, Mirjana and Milica
your name, please let me know. • Jovanovic, Misha • Radojevich, Protinica Nada
Tax statements for 2008 have been mailed • Jovanovic, Velimir and Mira • Radovanovic, Dragoslav and Ljiljana
out. If you have not received one, please • Raicevic, Vladimir and Silvana
• Kennedy, Ken and Sonia
contact me.
• Kinach, Alex and Seka • Rhoads, Howard and Lydia
I am very excited to let you know that you
• Kostic, Tordis • Saathoff, Ron and Stephany
can make your weekly, monthly, or yearly
donations on our website: • Krsic, Father Bratso and Protinica • Savchuk, Nikolaj and Olga
http://saintgeorgeinsd.com • Kukich, Branislav • Selezan, Nemanja and Lindsay Boyce

If you have any questions about steward- • Kunac, Dusan and Maria • Serder, Sophie
ship, please contact either Father Bratso • Leff, Dylan • Smith, Justin and Zorana
or myself.
• Leff, Kathryn Thickstun • Srbich, Alexander and Mrs.

• Lukich, James and Petka • Srdanovic, Tom

Lydia Petric Rhoads, Stewardship
Chairperson • Lukic, Milos • Stanojevic, Andja

• Markley, Scott and Nada • Tepavcevich, Ladislav

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 22

• Trifunovic, Vladan and Milica
• Trifunovich, Robert and Simona
• Undheim, Robert and Dobrila
• Vasich, Branko and Ruja
• Vasic, Milica
• Vladic, Milorad and Vladanka
• Vlasovich, Milanka
• Vukotich, Danica
• Vukotich, John and Jean
• Vukotich, Stefan and May
• Vuksanovic, Dusan
• Vulovich, Filip
• Wright, Sean and Svenja
• Zivkovic, Jovan and Tina
“Continuing Our Legacy”
Who We Are. In 1969, the founding
fathers and families of St. George built a
beautiful, venerable, and historical
expression of their Orthodox Faith and
Serbian culture. Inside, magnificent
mosaic walls and icons tell the story of
our Orthodox faith in a rich and mean-
ingful way. Visitors feel the presence of
God when they enter our church. St.
George is a tribute to the founding
parishioners’ courage and sacrifice in a
new land, and a testament of their spiri-
tuality. Like the tiny glass fragments that
create our wondrous mosaics, the found-
ing parishioners came together to build a
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 23
home and cultural roots for their
faith—atop a hillside above Mission
Bay.
Today, St. George Church hopes to build
upon the shoulders of the faithful who
came before, continuing the legacy the
founding families have generously
entrusted us with. The time has now
come to renovate the Church Hall and
surrounding property as well as our
spirit. The Renewal Project will help us
meet the needs of our growing parish.
During the past 40 years, we tried to
maintain the church and make small
upgrades, but time and daily use has
finally worn down the original struc-
tures. Though our social hall has served
us faithfully, it is time for more exten-
sive renovations.
Our goal is to update the social hall to
make it more practical and functional
for our present and anticipated needs.
One of the most critical aspects of the
project includes the remodeling of the
bathrooms and kitchen, to comply not
only with health department require-
ments but also to allow easier access
for the very young, elderly, and
parishioners with special needs. The
newly restored Church Hall will
ensure the continued enjoyment of our
special gathering place for Orthodox
fellowship, celebration, and spiritual
growth, benefiting the entire parish.
These renovations will preserve and
revitalize our legacy and carry us to a
bright future, inspiring parishioners,
families, friends and supporters to
become more involved in all aspects
of our growing church community.
This effort will only be possible if we
unite together in spirit and action. Let
us ask ourselves, “Are we not as capa-
ble today as previous generations to
make sacrifices, to trust God and His
guidance, to take pride in our heritage,
and to care for our future genera-
tions?” Imagine what would your par-
ents or grandparents have done if
given the opportunity to grow as an
Orthodox Christian Family/Commu-
nity? How would they have answered
God’s call? Spiritual deafness does not
befall the old or weak, only the weak
in spirit. Please consider answering this
call in any way you can, so that we may
grow together, and build upon our Chris-
tian Orthodox legacy. It is our turn to
think about what we can do for future
generations.
Where Are We Going? The St. George
Renewal Project was initiated several
years ago, with the intent to renovate
what had through natural wear and tear,
fallen into disrepair. Initially, the project
started as an effort to update the kitchen
and bathrooms and it evolved into a
broad vision to expand and evolve our
church buildings into a place that will be
a beacon for our church community, our
Orthodox Christian faith, and our Ser-
bian culture. In order to sustain St.
George’s legacy, it is vitally important
that we embrace this vision and work as
a community to make this vision a real-
ity.
The renovation plans outlined below will
better enable us to advance our growing
ministries and provide a new inspiring
space for worship, fellowship, and cele-
bration! We are focusing on three areas
for renovation—the Church, Social Hall
and Church Grounds.
Social Hall Renovations:
• Renovate existing kitchen, restrooms,
sliding doors, and patio area.
• Expand the restroom facilities and bar
area at back of hall.
• Renovate the main hall with new
classrooms, a multi-purpose room, and
two offices/meeting rooms
Church Restorations:
• Repair the Church structure and heating
• Fix the rooftop (water leaks are damaging
our precious mosaics), Terrazzo floor as
well as the steps in front and side of the
church
Property Renovations:
• Reconfigure the parking lot to add more
parking
• Improve the landscape and hardscape
(sidewalks) to allow better movement
throughout the grounds
• Replace and expand retaining walls
around the property.
OUR RENEWAL PROJECT BENE-
FITS ALL ST. GEORGE PARISHIO-
NERS AND OUR FUTURE
GENERATIONS. PLEASE JOIN US IN
CONTINUING OUR LEGACY!
How We Get There. St. George Serbian
Orthodox Church is currently beginning
a capital fundraising campaign: Continu-
ing Our Legacy. We need to raise $1.5
million to complete all phases of the res-
toration. The project will be completed
in phases and will take between 2-3 years
to complete.
In order to honor the church’s founders,
donations are kindly requested from our
faithful stewards and St. George parish-
ioners as well as friends of the Ameri-
can-Serbian community nationwide.
This endeavor will require the commit-
ted hearts and minds of each and every
one of us who loves St. George and is
willing to sacrifice to see it thrive. It is
our hope that all St. George Church
members, stewards, and guests are
inspired to participate in the campaign.
Today’s generation is now called upon
to contribute, to preserve, and grow
our spiritual legacy. Not everyone has
the same monetary resources; however,
we all have the ability to contribute what
we can, be it your time, or raising dona-
tion funds by getting the word out about
our much needed renovations. This
group effort is a meaningful investment
in the spiritual growth of our Parish, and
we pray for God’s blessing in our
endeavors. Besides monetary contribu-
tions today, also consider what assets
(such as stock, real estate, trusts, sav-
ings) and resources (talents, donation of
services/materials – business or per-
sonal) you or others can gift to our cause.
In a personal way, think about how this
commitment will help bring you closer
to God. If our parish unites in this com-
mon cause and goal, collectively we can
bring this dream to reality. By making a
donation to the CONTINUING OUR
LEGACY campaign, you are investing in
the mission and ministry of our church
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 24
today and for future generations to come.
This type of deep and meaningful contri-
bution to God’s spiritual kingdom here
on earth doesn’t occur often: leaving a
legacy is no small matter. Take time to
reflect on all the gifts and blessings God
has bestowed on you and your family
before making your final decision. Read
Scriptures, pray with your family at
home and in church on Sundays, and talk
with your fellow parishioners. Remem-
ber the Widow’s Mite (St. Mark 12:41-
44 & St. Luke 21:1-4) as a guiding exam-
ple to spiritual giving. It is not the gift
amount given, but the size of her propor-
tional spiritual contribution that was so
significant to the Lord. Today, Jesus rec-
ognizes the portion of any spiritual gift
just as He did during His time in Jerusa-
lem. Thank you and may God Bless you
for your time, energy, and devotion to
preserve and restore our faithful parish.
“Continuing Our Legacy” Committee
Patriarch Kirill believes world
economic crisis will help spirituality
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus-
sia said that the global economic crisis
will do its bit for spiritual improvement
of people, despite its adverse effects.
"Not only is the crisis our plague, it is
also our blessing. It gives us a good
opportunity for soul-searching and
makes us think. Following our well-trod-
den ways, we get used to our bread-and-
butter sandwich, but when this sandwich
is taken from our mouths, this means a
challenge and an impulse," Patriarch
Kirill said Sunday at a press conference
in Kaliningrad.
He urged people to remember that
money imposes a huge responsibility
upon its owners, because “God does not
give money for squandering.” Patriarch
Kirill expressed hope that the economic
crisis would “finally pick this thin artifi-
cial coating called ‘virtual economy’
which covers nothing in fact, and ... soci-
ety will emerge from the crisis strong
rather than weakened.”
 together a written
Telling Milanka’s story so no one version of a com-
forgets Lika 1941 plicated story like
Milanka’s is daunt-
ing, and sometimes
Prologue it takes a third
party to move the
I visited Plitvice Lakes in the Lika region project along. And
of Croatia several times in 1979 when I from a writer’s out-
was living in Dubrovnik. But it wasn’t sider point of view,
until 1986 that I first heard about the it also takes a spe-
area’s dark secrets. While driving to the cial inspiration to
lakes with my elderly parents, my jump-start the
“Yugoslav” husband, Misha, explained story. So when
to us the meaning of the ruins of burned “Mama’s Story” is
churches we noticed along the way.1 The finished, Dobrila
horror of it was numbing. Here we were, and I expect it to be
my parents and I, a family who spent the a special exegesis
days of World War II safely in America, that will not only
hearing for the first time about wartime be Milanka’s story
atrocities that even occupation enemies but will also mirror
could not fathom. But soon we were the stories of our
overcome with the peculiar beauty of the country’s many
16 cascading Plitvice Lakes, followed by post-World II Ser-
the cheerful ambience of an ethnic res- bian immi-
taurant, and the enjoyment of being on grants—a story of
vacation together in my husband’s home betrayal and suffer-
country. And we didn’t talk about the ing, death and
war anymore. destruction, rescue,
perseverance, hard
Now more than 20 years have gone since work, and, in the
driving past those burned out churches, end, triumph, thank
and the horrors of Lika have visited me God!
again. But this time, I am not going to be
lulled into quiet. I am going to share the What I am going to
story and its cruel truth. I am going to tell share with the Plitvice Lakes in 1986
the world about what happened there Voice readers, in
through the words of a witness to that this Spring 2009 issue, is just the begin- sounded. So I quit, thinking it was not
horror, a woman who lives among us... ning of Milanka’s story, and I offer it in good. But now I am going to tell it to
Milanka Vlasovich. memory of what happened to the Serbian you, good or not. I am 82 years old, and
people of Lika during the spring of 1941 I need to have the events of my life
Milanka’s only child, St. George Church and the months following. May we recorded. So it will not be forgotten—the
2nd Vice President, Dobrila Undheim, receive God’s grace to forgive those life we had, our beautiful home, our lov-
contacted me some time ago about help- responsible and pray such things will ing family, our many friends, the joy of
ing her put together what she calls never happen again.2 living we had, and then how everything
“Mama’s Story.” On March 6, we finally changed and was gone almost before we
connected, and the three of us met at Milanka remembers... knew what had happened.” Milanka’s
Milanka’s home in Vista. Dobrila has eyes filled with tears, as she began
been recording interviews of her “Many times I thought about it, in fact, I recalling events from her earliest memo-
mother’s story for many years for the even started to write out my story a cou- ries.
purpose of sharing her remarkable life ple of times. But I never liked how it
with family and friends. But putting Born March 15, 1927, to Siba (Kusulja)
2.Unfortunately, war was to return to this area in and Petar Prica, she was the fourth of
1.Some 450 Orthodox churches were set on fire in 1991 and 2001 in a series of violent conflicts as the five children and the second daughter.
Croatia during World War II, many of them packed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)
with men, women, and children. Three Orthodox disintegrated. These civil wars ended with much of There were 10 births in all, but only five
bishops and most of the Orthodox priests were the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty and mas- survived early childhood as was com-
murdered by the end of 1941. sive economic disruption. mon in those days. And also common in

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 25

those days was the desire to have sons.
So when the Croatian midwife who
delivered Milanka announced that the
baby was a girl, Siba told her to throw
her in the garbage.
Not knowing if she was joking or not, the
midwife refused, saying “God help you,
madam (lugarica3)! Do not throw her in
the garbage! Look at how pretty she is,
just look.” And so Milanka was saved by
the midwife, or so it was told.
Petar Prica was well-known in Lika
because he was a lugar, which is like a
forest ranger. He later would be pro-
moted to a county recorder. He was well
educated, he was a property owner, he
supported his family well, and because
of his job, he and his family lived in sev-
eral different towns and villages
throughout the area over the years.
Milanka remembers when the family
lived in Preboj, Ličko Petrovo Selo, and
Korenica. Then in 1939, her father was
posted to Zavalje, which was only a few
kilometers down the road from her
father’s old house in Baljevac.
The other children of Siba and Petar
Prica were as handsome and intelligent
as their sister. Bogdanka4 was seven
years older than Milanka, Milan was two
years older, Bogdan was one year older,
and Savo was one year younger. Like
stair steps, each separated by a grade
level, the four younger Prica children
happily marched off to school together in
those idyllic days before the war. While
their oldest sister attended high school
(gimnazija) away from home.
Petar had wanted the talented Bogdanka
to study medicine after she finished gim-
nazija, but she wanted to become a
teacher. Nevertheless, a father’s will
would prevail, and Bogdanka was sent to
Bihać to begin premedicine study. But
she was not so easily pushed into what
she did not want to do. So she deliber-
ately did not apply herself to her studies
3.Lugarica is an honorific title derived from the
husband’s profession, lugar.
4. Bogdanka Prica Lukich was a well-known mem-
ber of St. George parish some years ago. She
passed away in 1980.
and had to leave the school in Bihać. She
returned home, and an alternative plan
was made.
Bogdanka was sent to live with Siba’s
wealthy brother in Zagreb. Milan
Kusulja was a successful attorney who
had married an Austrian countess. The
countess died a few years before, leaving
him with two opulent houses to manage.
They had had no children of their own.
So he adopted Bogdanka, and she
became his assistant, paralegal, and host-
ess. This gave Bogdanka a grand life-
style with servants, parties, and endless
cultural activities in one of the country’s
most important cities, that is, until 1941.
The Prica family was Serbian. But in
those prewar days, ethnicity didn’t mat-
ter much, or so it seemed. Petar and Siba
had friends and even relatives who were
Croats. Serbian and Croatian families
worked together, ate together, shared
with each other, and their children
courted and even married each other. On
the surface, they were the same; only
religion seemed to differentiate the peo-
ple living in the Lika region. Orthodox,
Catholic, and Moslem, it wasn’t that
important. At least, it wasn’t important
until the war.
The war that was lost in a week
On Palm Sunday, April 6, 1941, the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia, of which Lika
was a region, was invaded by the Axis
powers—primarily, German forces, but
also Italian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian
forces. The same day the German Air-
force bombed Belgrade. And within only
a week, the war was lost. Four days after
Easter Sunday, the Royal Yugoslav
Army surrendered. Besides being hope-
lessly ill-equipped, the Yugoslav Army
attempted to defend all borders but was
only able to thinly spread its limited
forces. And, sadly, some of the Royal
Yugoslav Army’s divisions welcomed
the Germans as liberators from what they
considered Serbian oppression. Resis-
tance to the invasion collapsed over-
night. None of the national groups,
Slovenes, Croats, or Macedonians,
wanted to fight in defense of what they
considered a Serbian Yugoslavia. In fact,
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 26
Bogdanka & Milanka Prica
the only effective opposition to the inva-
sion was from wholly Serbian units
within the borders of Serbia itself.
The terms of the capitulation were
severe, and the Axis proceeded to dis-
member the country. Germany occupied
northern Slovenia, and it maintained
direct occupation over a rump Serbian
state. But in Croatia, Germany supported
a Croatian nationalist movement called
Ustaše and allowed it to create the Inde-
pendent State of Croatia (Nezavisna
Država Hrvatska or NDH) that extended
over much of today’s Croatia and con-
tained all of modern Bosnia and Herze-
govina. Mussolini’s Italy gained the
remainder of Slovenia, Kosovo, and
large chunks of the coastal Dalmatia
region, along with nearly all its Adriatic
islands. It also gained control over the
newly created Montenegrin puppet state,
and it was granted the kingship in the
Independent State of Croatia, though it
wielded little real power within it.5 Hun-
gary dispatched the Hungarian Third
Army to occupy Vojvodina in northern
Serbia and later forcibly annexed sec-
tions of Baranja, Bačka, Međimurje, and
Prekmurje. Bulgaria, meanwhile,
annexed nearly all of the modern-day
Republic of Macedonia.
And so ended the Kingdom of Yugosla-
via, and unhappily began a brutal occu-
pation and bloody civil war that would
not end until 1945.
5.After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, all territo-
ries under Italian administration were placed under
German or Ustaše control. This included Kosovo,
Albania, Montenegro, and much of Dalmatia.

Ličko Petrovo Selo today
Ustaše and the new Croatian state
Ante Pavelić, known by his Ustaše title,
Poglavnik (headman) returned to Zagreb
from exile in Italy on April 17, only a
week after the puppet state had been
established, to become its absolute
leader.6 The Ustaše agenda was to create
a pure Croatian nation, free of Serbs,
Jews, and Gypsies (cigani). There were
more than two million Serbs living in the
newly created puppet state, one third of
the total population, in fact. There were
also significant numbers of Jews, Gyp-
sies, and members of other national
groups.
Claiming Serbs were both racially and
religiously different from Croats, the
Ustaše planned to kill one third, convert
one third to Roman Catholicism, and
expel one third. The Jews and Gypsies
were to be completely annihilated. The
Ustaše government and its jurisdiction
passed a series of laws, orders, and regu-
lations by which Nazi-fascist methods of
terror and ethnic genocide were made
legal. However, in the end, they acted on
their racial, religious. and national intol-
erance without regard for any kind of
laws or norms. Sadly, the Croatian Peas-
ant Party (Hrvatska Seljacka Stranka or
HSS) and the greater part of the Catholic
clergy and the Muslim religious commu-
6.Dissatisfied with the Pavelić regime in its early
months, the Axis Powers in September 1941 asked
Vladko Maček, the leader of the Croatian Peasant
Party (HSS), to take over, but Maček refused.
nity had pledged its alle-
giance to the NDH.
Trouble for non-Croats in
the new state began
almost immediately. On
27 April 1941, a newly
formed unit of the Ustaše
army began its reign of
terror by killing the Ser-
bian community of Gudo-
vac, near Bjelovar.
Eventually all who
opposed or threatened the
Ustaše were outlawed.
The HSS was banned in
June in an attempt by the
Ustaše to take its place as the primary
representative of the Croatian peasantry,
and its leader put under house arrest.
Jews and Serbs were ordered to leave
certain areas of Zagreb. Mile Budak,
then a minister in the Pavelić govern-
ment, publicly proclaimed the violent
racial policy of the state on 22 July 1941.
Vjekoslav “Maks” Luburić, a secret
police chief, started building concentra-
tion camps that summer.
The violent Ustaše activities in villages
across the Dinaric Alps led even the
occupying Italians and the Germans to
express concern. A Gestapo report to
Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler,
dated February 17, 1942, stated:
Increased activity of the bands [of
rebels] is chiefly due to atrocities
carried out by Ustaše units in Croatia
against the Orthodox population.
The Ustaše committed their deeds in
a bestial manner not only against
males of conscript age, but especially
against helpless old people, women,
and children. The number of the
Orthodox that the Croats have
massacred and sadistically tortured
to death is about 300,000.
In the beginning, the Germans and the
Italians forces split the NDH into two
zones of influence: the southwest was
controlled by the Italians and the north-
east controlled by the Germans.7 Later
control over the NDH territory varied as
the Partisans grew more successful in
fighting the Axis forces.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 27
Friends and neighbors no more
In tranquil Lika, the change brought by
the Axis invasion and installation of the
Ustaše state came quickly. German
troops and tanks rolled past Baljevac for
days on their way to Serbia; and the Ital-
ian troops came and stayed in the area.
And the long-time harmony among
Serbs and Croats was transformed over-
night into shocking distrust and hatred.
“On Easter, April 13, 1941, I, with my
brothers and father, walked to Ličko
Petrovo Selo for Matins. Already Italian
soldiers were roaming the streets. They
were curious, so they would open a little
door of the church and look inside. But
the church was empty except for us and
the priest—fear had already spread
among the Serbs,” Milanka recalls.
“After the services, we walked back
home for Easter dinner. And that was the
last celebration of Christ’s resurrection
we would ever have together.”
Former neighbors were now openly
Ustaše. “People who had been our
friends, close friends, now told us kids to
get off their property and never come
back or they would shoot to kill us,” she
painfully remembered. Warm hospitality
turned to cold hostility. At the age of 14,
Milanka could hardly comprehend this
turn of events, this indescribable hatred.
The importance and prosperity of her
well-known family now amounted to
nothing. “One could not even receive a
small favor by offering valuables, such
as pieces of our land; they knew they
would eventually have all of our land
without giving anything for it,” Milanka
related when recalling her own mother’s
desperate attempt to get help from a for-
mer friend.
7.In 1943, the Germans suffered major losses on
the Eastern Front and the Italians signed an armi-
stice with the Allies, leaving behind significant
armaments that the Partisans used against the occu-
piers and the Ustaše. Fighting continued for a short
while after the formal surrender of German Army
on 9 May 1945, as Axis forces and many refugees
attempted to escape to Austria. The Battle of Pol-
jana, between a mixed German and Ustaše column
and a Partisan force, was the last battle of World
War II on European soil. Pavelić, however, with the
help of associates among the Franciscans, managed
to escape and hide in Austria and Rome, later flee-
ing to Argentina.

People were hiding in the forests at night
for fear Ustaše soldiers would come in
the night and take them away or kill them
on the spot. Huddled together in the
woods, the family shivered as they heard
gun shots and screams from Serbian
houses up the road from them. What was
happening? Why was this happening?
The mind of the confident teenager was
filling with disappointment, rejection,
and fear. Their world was turning upside
down.
No Serb is safe
With all of his wealth and prestige, even
Uncle Milan and the adopted Bogdanka
were not spared the humiliation of being
Serbs in the Croatian puppet state. They
were forced to leave their fine homes in
Zagreb, the capital city of the new state,
never to return. “Uncle Milan hired sev-
eral trucks to take what he could from his
properties in Zagreb, and he and Bog-
danka made their way to Korenica in
Lika,” Milanka remembers.
In Korenica, Milan Kusulja rented the
largest house he could find and filled it
with the beautiful furnishings he had
brought from Zagreb. The house was
built of stone, with huge, thick walls, and
after it was furnished, it became the fin-
est house in the town. And when it was
noticed by the Italian Command, they
took over the entire first floor to house
their senior officer.
Milan’s knowledge of legal Latin facili-
tated communication with the Italian
officer now living in his home, and they
developed a friendly relationship, in
spite of the awkwardness of the situa-
tion—Italy having invaded and occupied
the country! This friendship was later to
be an important association for Milanka
and the last Serbian families in Korenica.
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 28
Some geography
All of the villages and little towns in
Lika where Milanka and her family had
lived over the years or where relatives
lived were not far from each other—usu-
ally only a few kilometers (see the map).
People walked between them, or rode
bicycles, if they were lucky to have one.
Bihać, one of the largest towns, is the far-
thest east. Its population was (and still is
today) predominately Moslem. The
Prica family routinely walked to Bihać to
go to the market.
Southwest about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles)
from Bihać is Zavalje, where Petar was
county recorder in 1941. Most of the
population living in Zavalje were Croa-
tian.
Northwest of Zavalje about 4 kilometers
is Baljevac. The Prica family house was
on a large piece of land on the northern
edge of Baljevac and was one of only
Serb households in the village. Petar
Prica was in the process of renovating
the house. Its side yard was full of con-
struction materials for his plans to mod-
ernize the house.
Another 4 kilometers northwest from
Baljevac is Željava, then Novo Selo, and,
finally, Ličko Petrovo Selo, all of which
were populated primarily by Serbian
households. Novo Selo was the birth-
place of Petar Prica. Many of his rela-
tives still lived in these villages.
Running parallel to the west of these vil-
lages was a huge mountain—Plješevica,
which separated the settlements from the
cities in the Korana River plain, includ-
ing Vrelo and Korenica. Vrelo was the
birthplace of Siba Prica, and where many
of her relatives still lived. Korenica was
south of Vrelo, and was where Milan
Kusulja and Bogdanka now lived.
Plješevica mountain is a great natural
barrier.8 At nearly 5,400 feet (1660
meters), it was covered with dense for-
ests full of wild animals, including bears.
As the crow flies, Vrelo and Korenica
were only a few kilometers away from
Baljevac. But the mountain’s height and
ruggedness made crossing it a feat suited
to trained mountain climbers. The most
reasonable way to reach the towns and
villages of the Korana River plain from
Baljevac was by going around Plješevica
through the village of Preboj (now called
Prijeboj). Preboj was just west of Ličko
Petrovo Selo. The Prica family had lived
in Preboj on one of Petar’s assignments.
They had many friends there; that is,
they had many friends there before the
invasion. Now its predominately Croa-
tian population either joined or aligned
themselves with the Ustaše, and passage
through to the other side of the mountain
was strictly controlled.
Arrested!
“They took many men away right after
the occupation. They put my father in jail
in Korenica,” Milanka continues.
“Through Uncle Milan’s connection
with the Italian commander, my father
was released.” After he came home, Siba
Prica pleaded with her husband to take
their sons and escape to the forest, which
he knew well because of his work. But
Petar just could not believe things would
continue to deteriorate. He thought the
whole thing would just blow over.
Then they came for him the second time,
and once again he was released through
Milan’s connections. This time he was
put under house arrest in Korenica
because the authorities had been told he
was too ill to be on a work detail. They
concocted a drink mixed with tobacco to
help him appear jaundiced and convinc-
8. During Marshal Tito’s times, it would become
the site of a huge military installation. Construction
of “Objekat 505,” also known as Željava or Bihać
Air Base, began in 1957. The base was completed
in 1965.Costing $6 billion dollars, it was one of the
biggest and most expensive military installations in
Europe. The air base was used intensively during
the war of Yugoslav partition in 1990-1991. In the
course of its withdrawal, the Yugoslav Peoples
Army (JNA) destroyed the base by filling and
igniting the explosive positions that were in-built
during the construction phase of the base and as
part of base design. To prevent any possible future
use of the complex and preclude any advantage to
an opposing party, the Military of Serbian Krajina
finalized its demolition in 1992 by setting off an
additional 56 tons of explosives. The ensuing
explosion was so powerful that the nearby city of
Bihać shook violently. Villagers say that there was
smoke coming from inside of the tunnels even six
months after the destruction.
ingly unwell. In May, Petar Prica
returned again to Baljevac and his fam-
ily.
“Then Ustaše soldiers, who were really
our neighbors, came for father the third
time. It was still May and in the morning.
My mother heard pounding on the door,
and it was them. Now they demanded my
brother Milan, who was only 16 years
old, as well as my father. They had
already rounded up all of the Serbian
men and boys from Željava and Balje-
vac. Ours was the last Serbian house.”
Milanka’s mother asked the soldiers
where they would be sent. One of them
replied derisively, “To finish the roads
your king started.” She then asked why
her son needed to go because he was just
a child.
Hearing his mother trying to save him,
Milan came downstairs and told her,
“Mama, I am stronger than father. I can
go.” Milan, bless his heart, was actually
trying to save his own father by trying to
convince the soldiers that his dad was
still sick. But it was no use. The Ustaše,
former neighbors, added Milanka’s
father and brother to the rest of the poor
Serbs they had collected and took them
to a barracks in Zavalje.
Beginning of the end
“So now we were alone. But mama does
not give up yet. She immediately pre-
pared some food—chicken, bread,
cheese, and so on—and tells me to take it
to father and Milan in Zavalje, food for
the trip to wherever they are going.”
Milanka gathered the lunch and started
walking down the road. It was about six
or seven kilometers to Zavalje.
Along the way, she met a kuma of the
family, Mika Vlaisavljevic, who asks her
where she is going. After Milanka tells
her, she says: “Don’t go there, child.
They will not let you in. They will not
give your father and brother the food.
They just chased me away. They would
not let me in to see my husband and son.
They would not let me see any of our
friends and relatives. It is better to go
home.”
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 29
Milanka answered that she was going to
try anyway. “Good luck, then,” Kuma
Mika replied.
“I knew where the barracks were—not
far from father’s office,” Milanka adds.
“The building had a huge wooden gate,
which now had two Ustaše guards with
shotguns on their shoulders standing one
on each side. I tried to approach the gate,
but they stopped me, asking me what I
wanted. I told them that I wanted to bring
food to my father and brother. They, of
course, refused to let me in and chased
me away.”
There was a big truck outside, and
Milanka thought the Ustaše would take
the men and boys away in the truck. So
she decided to wait, out of sight of the
guards, to see if she could catch one last
look of them as they left.
She found a place to sit on a wall, and,
while sitting there, she began to cry.
When some of the town’s women saw
her crying, they laughed. Then after a
time, a group of men, chained together
with armed Ustaše guards by their sides,
came down the road, apparently being
taken to Bihać. When the guards saw
Milanka sitting on the wall, they pointed
their rifles at her. She quickly jumped
down and ran for home.
By this time, Ustaše soldiers were situ-
ated in intervals along the road. When
Milanka came to the first group, she tried
to compose herself, wiping away her
tears. The men asked her where she had
been. And as she was telling them, there
was the sound of gun fire in the distance.
The soldiers then sarcastically asked her
if she knew what that sound was. She
answered she did not know. But in her
heart, she knew. She knew it was the end
of her father, her brother Milan, her
kumovi, her neighbors, her relatives, and
everyone who had been arrested that
morning.
Before she continued her sad trek home,
the soldiers cruelly added, “Tell your
brother Bogdan not to go anywhere, to
stay at home.” Everyone knew the Prica
family because of her father’s position as
a lugar. Was there no escape? Now they

Lička Plješevica
would come for 15-year-old Bogdan,
too.
Milan’s coat
Milanka, filled with sorrow and fear,
continued walking home. There she
found everyone crying, crying, crying.
Kuma Mika had already told them how
they had refused to allow her to see any-
one, and that she had met Milanka on her
way back. Now things appeared to be
getting worse quickly. Bogdan and even
the thirteen-year-old Savo were at risk.
“We were scared. No one knew what was
later going to become of any of us.”
Within a few hours their worst suspi-
cions were confirmed when Bogdan
came screaming into the house. He had
seen the neighbor Toni Jurković walk by
carrying a load of coats, and on the very
top was Milan’s distinctive school coat.
It was undeniably his. “Now we knew
for certain what was intended for all of
us,” Milanka says, “and we had to make
some decisions quickly.”
Kids on the run
Siba Prica knew she had to get what
remained of her family away from Balje-
vac. All of the Serbian men and most of
the older boys from the Serbian homes in
the nearby villages were gone already.
She had two boys left, and she already
knew they planned to come for Bogdan
soon. So she told Milanka to take Savo
and walk to Vrelo to join her relatives,
and it wouldn’t be far from Korenica
where Bogdanka was. She and Bogdan
would stay to figure out what to do with
the farm animals and the house, then
they would follow immediately. So the
two young teenagers, Milanka and Savo,
set out alone for Vrelo.
To control movement of the Serbs,
Ustaše guards were posted all along the
main road. So getting by them posed a
big obstacle. After encountering a couple
groups, they decided to get off the main
road and travel on the mountain to avoid
more patrols.
Željava, Ličko Petrovo Selo, all along
the way, it was the same story in every
Serbian village: Ustaše came and took
away the men and boys, and they never
returned.
When they had reached the plateau of
Preboj, they decided reluctantly to go
through Preboj, the small Croatian vil-
lage on the plateau. The Prica family had
lived there before and was well known
by inhabitants of the village. In fact, sev-
eral families they had considered very
good friends. Perhaps they would help
them. However, here it was the same
story. Now friendship with a Croat meant
nothing if you were a Serb in the new
Croatia. The two kids weren’t offered
even a cup of water by their former
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 30
friends they had known since they were
little children. Now the people of Preboj
were rejoicing about the killing of the
Serbs and their new independent state.
To Milanka, these people were more
fearsome than the wild animals in the
forests on the great mountain. They had
to get out of Preboj.
The Preboj Ustaše leader, Milobara,
owned the village store. He, too, had
been a good friend of the family. Now he
harassed the two kids, but eventually
allowed them to continue on to Vrelo. By
the time Milanka and Savo arrived at the
house of their Aunt Mara and Uncle
Vujo, they learned that like everywhere
else, the men and boys, including their
uncle, had already been arrested and
killed.
Within hours of their arrival, Bogdanka
heard that her youngest brother and sister
had come to Vrelo. so she came from
Korenica to see them as quickly as she
could. They caught her up on the sad
news from home. Now if only Siba and
Bogdan would get to Vrelo soon. They
waited for them to come for two weeks.
Growing impatient, Bogdanka ordered
the two to return to Baljevac to see what
had happened.
So it was across the mountain again and
through the Preboj checkpoint again.
Climbing the mountain was the only way
they could go to avoid the main roads.
Torturous and dangerous as it was, they
trudged on back to Baljevac.
Travail of the mother
After Milanka and Savo had left for
Vrelo, a horse-drawn cart full of Bosnian
Moslem soldiers from Bihać came look-
ing for Bogdan. Siba Prica tried to pro-
tect her second son by having him hide in
the woody area across from the house.
The soldiers demanded to know where
Bogdan was, and when she said she did
not know, they began beating her. Their
assault on Siba continued so long that her
screams finally brought Bogdan out of
the woods to save her. He gave himself
up to the soldiers to stop his mother’s
beating. He was immediately arrested
and taken to Bihać. As they took him
away, Bogdan screamed, “You’re all
alone now, Mama, you’re all alone!” He
did not return.
Crossing paths
As Milanka and Savo were nearing their
home after being ordered to return by
Bogdanka, a friend told them that their
mother had left alone for Vrelo, and that
they had missed her along the way. So
they decided to split up, with Milanka
going on to Ličko Petrovo Selo and Savo
back to Preboj. Eventually, Milanka
found her mother; but when Siba saw
Milanka alone, without Savo, she
became hysterical, believing she had lost
her third son also.
Milanka explained that Savo had gone
back and would wait for them in Preboj.
So together mother and daughter went
through the dark woods and over the
mountain, and Siba explained what had
happened to Bogdan. The sorrow of los-
ing two sons and her husband weighed
heavily on Siba, and she feared for the
third boy. But when they got to Preboj,
they saw Savo sitting outside the cafe
waiting for them.
Milobara was more difficult to get by
this time. He was annoyed to see the kids
again. Siba tried to reason with him,
reminding him of their long friendship
and even offered him a bribe. Finally, he
allowed them to proceed to Vrelo.
Even after Siba was united with her chil-
dren and family in Korenica, she could
not bear not being in Baljevac. The sor-
row was too great. Maybe they would
come back, and she wouldn’t be there for
them. So she left her two daughters and
youngest son and returned to Baljevac
across the mountain alone. They never
heard from her again.
Partisans9 surrounded Korenica, they
and 120 Serbian families were protected Christ is risen
by the Italian Command. As the Italian
army retreated to Italy, the Colonel from the dead,
refused to give any Serbs to the Ustaše, trampling down
and, in so doing, he saved many lives,
including what remained of the Petar death by death,
Prica family: Milanka, her sister Bog- and upon those in
danka, and her brother Savo. All three
eventually immigrated to the United the tombs
States. But that is another story, which bestowing life!
we will tell another day.
Vecnaja Pamjat
Milanka and her daughter Dobrila
Petar Prica was learned in 1982 from an eye witness that
executed by the Siba Prica had been beaten by Ustaše
Ustaše in soldiers in a field as she and a neighbor
Zavalje in May woman were running away toward the
1941. woods. The soldiers then buried her
alive. The witness, at the time ten years
Milan Prica, old, was the son of the neighbor. He had
age 16, was exe- hidden himself in a tree and had seen the
cuted with his atrocity from there.
father by the
Ustaše in Milanka and Dobrila were not able to
Zavalje in May visit the site where Siba Prica was buried
1941. in 1982 because its location was on land
that was part of the huge Željava Air
Base. Ten years after their trip to Lika,
Bogdan Prica, the base was destroyed by the Yugoslav
age 15, was Army during another war in Croatia.
executed by Today the grave site is still inaccessible
Moslems in because it is located in the midst of an
Bihać some- abandoned mine field.10
time in 1941.
Marsha Jovanovic, Voice Editor,
background and historical information
Siba Prica from Wikipedia; map derived from a
disappeared in satellite image from Google Earth; and
the fall of 1941. events in Lika during 1941 from the
words of Milanka Prica Vlasovich

Saved by the enemy

There is, of course, much more to
Milanka Vlasovich’s story. However, for
now we are going to stop here. Milanka
and Savo joined Bogdanka and their
Uncle Milan in Korenica. There they
were protected by the Italian Colonel for
the duration of the war. And even as the
9.The Partisans were a communist-led resistance
movement that did not have a national or racist
agenda. Its members fought against Axis forces
and their collaborators from 1941 to 1945. In 1945,
the Partisans defeated the Independent State of
Croatia and the Germans. The former kingdom
became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugosla-
via, and Partisan leader, Josip Broz Tito, ruled as
President until his death in 1980.
10.Even after its destruction in 1992, extreme cau-
tion must be used if visiting the Željava Airfield
complex because of the vast number of land mines
remaining on and around the former base. The local
police use the area to train canines in land mine dis-
covery. In November 2000, a Federation Airforce
Major walked on a land mine when searching for
mushrooms on base land. He died of injuries sus-
tained by the explosion.

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 31

 ST. GEORGE SERBIAN FESTIVAL 2009
HOLD THE DATE – SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2009

Planning will begin soon for the St. George Serbian Festival 2009. In order to make this
a successful event we need your assistance. This year the Festival will take place in
September again – but on 2 days. Yes we pray with everyone’s assistance that we can
bring back the original 2 day Festival. So hold the dates – September 12 and 13th, 2009.

We will once again be having a silent auction. Start looking to see what you can
contribute to this event. Suggestions are: timeshares, mileage points, electronics, golf
clubs, professional services, etc. can be offered and would be much appreciated for our
silent auction. We are also looking for someone to chair this activity.

Please, please, please ladies (and gentlemen) bring traditional home made torte to be sold
at the festival. This was a huge success last year. We received so many compliments on
all the wonderful torte that everyone so graciously made and donated. Any kind of
Serbian torte – any size, any shape. With a 2 day event – we will need even more this
year.

A meeting will be scheduled soon for people who would like to chair positions. We need
help with the Pijaca, the kitchen, the bar, clean-up, the carnival, the silent auction, etc.
We can not do it alone and encourage everyone to get involved. Clean-up this year will
be big and will require maybe even a vacation day off from work on Monday so that you
can come and assist. Plan early!!! We definitely need someone to work on getting a
crew there the next day. So once again, let’s pull together and make this the BEST
YEAR EVER!

If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call at 760-533-6713 or Simona
Trifunovic, Co-Chair at 760-224-2375.

Thanks for everyone’s support.

Tina Zivkovic

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 32


Orthodoxy in the NFL
Strong safety Troy Polamalu has
become known around the Pittsburgh
Steelers as the last guy out of the locker
room on Sundays after home games. All
of his teammates are long gone and even
most of the equipment guys have cleared
out by the time he emerges. Pola-
malu goes through a detailed process,
including a dip in a cold tub and a
lengthy shower to relax after a hard-hit-
ting afternoon. However, for a guy who
doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave,
Polamalu does put a serious priority on
his time away from the field with his
wife, Theodora, the sister of Polamalu's
former USC teammate Alex Holmes.
Polamalu took some after Sunday's win
over the San Francisco 49ers to engage
in a Q&A with Yahoo! Sports.
Cole: Do you have a routine you follow
on your day off?
Polamalu: We work out together because
that's our only day off together. It's a
pretty decent workout. She does a lot of
running and I do a lot of stretching. Tues-
day is also our only opportunity to go
to church together, so we do that.
Cole: When and where do you go?
Polamalu: It starts at 8:30 (a.m.). It's the
Nativity of the Theotokos monastery (in
Saxonburg, Pa.).
Cole: I know you're devoutly Christian
(Polamalu has a carefully arranged series
of religious items in his locker at Heinz
Field), but exactly which denomination?
Polamalu: Greek Orthodox. Theot-
okos literally means the Mother of God.
Cole: How long are you in services?
Polamalu: They usually go to
about 12:30.
Cole: That's a four-hour service. Is that a
normal service?
Polamalu: Pretty much, especially at a
monastery.
Cole: Can you describe it?
Polamalu: What's really neat about the
Orthodox church is that it's like walking
back in time 2,000 years to the time of
the Apostles, when they created these ser-
vices. You walk into that and it's really
like living it. They have maintained the
truth ever since the beginning.
Cole: You're Polynesian. How did you
end up at a Greek Orthodox church?
Polamalu: There are different ethnicities,
like Russian Orthodox. My wife is Greek.
I was a non-denomination Christian
before we got married. So we sit around
there and meet with our spiritual mother
and then we go home, maybe take a nap,
work out and then go home and have din-
ner.
Cole: Do you have any other hobbies or
things you do away from the field? Maybe
bowling?
Polamalu: No, not really. The single guys
go bowl. The guys who are married go
home, mostly. I really focus on spending
time with my wife.
Cole: How hard is it to get time at home
during the season? I know guys like
(Miami Dolphins linebacker)
VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 33
Morava Soccer Stari Team in its
brand new turquoise blue
uniforms—sharpest team in the
Huff ‘N Puff league!
Standing, left to right: Lazo
Simovski, Milan Stevanovic, Vlatko
Varagic, Isaak Izadi, Juan
Velasquez, Richard Kalani, Alan
Farber, Vladimir Medenica, Milan
Stefanovic; Kneeling: Vladimir
Miletic, Misha, Jovanovic, Srdjan
Novakovic, Rade Kasic, Gregory
Diaz, Mehdi Rastakhiz, Jerry Selby
& Dragan Jelic; Not in the picture:
Drasko Draskovic.
2009 Soccer season is under way.
Morava has already played 4
games. The team won two games,
tied one and lost one. The season
continues through June 14, 2009.
Zach Thomas stay at the facility until very
late studying film and (Indianapolis Colts
quarterback) Peyton Manning is watching
film at home.
Polamalu: First of all, I'm a Christian so
my prayer life really comes first. Second
of all, I'm a husband so my wife
comes before anything else. If I have time
to do anything else after that, I do it, but I
don't sacrifice any time with her.
Cole: A lot of guys do it the other way
around. Football comes first. They say
family and faith come first, but they
really do the football first. How do you
reconcile it?
Polamalu: It's really easy for me. I love
my faith and I know that's first. .. I really
think I know what's important in my
life and that's my faith and my wife.
Cole: So football is a really focused activ-
ity. There's no wasted time, right?
Polamalu: Actually, it's a lot of fun and
it's something I enjoy. It's not like when
I'm here it's business time and then there's
family time. Football is, for me, it's some-
thing I do. It's like for you, you're a
reporter. It's what you do, not who you
are. Football does not define me. How I
am with my faith and how I treat my
wife is what truly defines you as a man.
That is my goal in life to live that way and
believe in it. It would be cowardly of me
to say that I enjoy my time with my
faith and my wife if I really didn't spend
that time with them.
Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for
Yahoo! Sports.
Fr. Bratso encourages you to:
Take Advantage of Our Rates
• Send your e-mail address to: frbratso@sbcglobal.net
if you would like to be placed on a church
information email list so that you get updated
announcements of important changes or events
during the month between monthly and quarterly
mailings.
• Let him know when people are sick so that he can
call or visit them if they want him to do so, and add
their names to the weekly prayer list.
And Lower Your Phone Bill!
• Call him at any time; with questions, with concerns,
with suggestions. If it’s important to you, it’s
important to him! Domestic Rates As Low As 2.7¢
Our Bookstore has many items on sale!
Don’t forget to shop in our church bookstore. We Serbia & Mn 6.9¢ Bosnia 12.9¢
have many items: gold crosses, gold chains, Croatia 4.9¢ Macedonia 12.9¢
prayer books, books on various topics, tapes,
Slovenia 5¢ Bulgaria 5.6¢
video tapes, DVDs, icons, prayer ropes, etc.
Russia 8¢ Germany 3¢
Stewardship Pledges
Did you forget to submit your stewardship card or Save On International Calls From Your Cell Phone!
perhaps misplaced it somewhere, or do you sim-
ply need some more offering envelopes? Call our Quality Reliability Savings
church office 619-276-5827 and we will immedi-
ately send you a stewardship card/s and enve-
lopes.

Thank you, everyone!

Fr. Bratso would like to thank all of our stewards,
Executive Church Board members, and supporters Info: 858-552-1360
for the many ways you bring Gospel values into www.artofsaving.net
your homes, workplaces, and civic communities.
“Well done good and faithful servant…” God
bless you all! We appreciate you all!
Morava Soccer
Morava Soccer Mladi team
Calling All Tradesman ended its 2008/2009 season in
Here is a chance to help your church with the renovation project. If you are in construction the Second Division of the San
and are licensed, insured, and bonded in the State of California, we need your help. We are Diego County Soccer League
looking for people in the following fields: March 29. Out of nine teams in
• Plumbing the league and 16 games played,
the team ended in 7th place with
• Electrician
with 5 wins, 2 draws , and 9
• Mechanical (HVAC) losses.
• Framing Good news for the next season is
• Concrete / Masonry the arrival from Belgrade of the
If we choose a general contractor for the job, we will allow any subcontractors to bid the job
Stevanovic brothers, Luka, 16,
and interview with the general contractor. A competitive bid would include dollar cost, and the and Dusan, 17. They have
subcontractor would have to meet time and quality requirements of the general contractor. already played several games
this season, and they will be a
Our goal is to create a Church Hall that will serve us for generations, I could think of nothing
more appropriate than if we were able to do it with our own tradesmen.
good addition to the team for the
new season, which starts the first
Please contact me at Vladan.trifun@gmail.com, if you are interested. Sunday in October.
Vladan Trifunovic

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2008 34

Studenica Monastery by Gordana Ivetic

Hristos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese!

Misha Jovanovic
Firstworld Travel & Misha Tours
130 East Main Street * El Cajon, CA 92020
619-588-5811 or 619-588-4644

VOICE OF ST. GEORGE • SPRING 2009 35

 Schedule of Services
April 2009
Sunday Divine Liturgy 10:30am; Saturdays – Vespers 6pm

April 11 LAZARUS SATURDAY-APRIL 11

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
Vespers & Vrbica 3:00 p.m.
April 12 PALM SUNDAY-APRIL 12
Divine Liturgy 10:30 a.m.
Lenten meal 1:00 p.m.
April 16 GREAT & HOLY THURSDAY -APRIL 16
Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
Matins & Passion Gospels 6:00 p.m.
April 17 GREAT & HOLY FRIDAY-APRIL 17
Decoration of Christ’s Tomb 10:00 a.m.
Flowers & candles needed for decoration
Burial with Lamentation 7:00 p.m.
APRIL 18 GREAT & HOLY SATURDAY-APRIL 18
Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
Resurrection Matins: Midnight
APRIL 19 RESURRECTION - APRIL 19
Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
Banquet [watch mail for details]

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church NON-PROFIT

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