With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan John of Dubna, the Very Reverend Archpriest Theodore van der Voort, former member of the Archdiocesan Council and Dean of the Benelux, travelled to Belgrade on the occasion of his 75th birthday, with his daughter, who gave him this trip as a gift, in order to visit the Cathedral of St Sava and, if possible, to concelebrate the Liturgy there on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord:
On 13 February I was welcomed kindly and fraternally at the Cathedral of St Sava, the largest functioning Orthodox church in the world. I was told that I should visit the office of the secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije the next day in order to introduce myself. There I handed over our Metropolitan’s letter of recommendation to the two people present in the office. They were very kind and cooperative. Indeed, a few hours later I received the message that His Holiness had given me His blessing to take part in the Divine Liturgy of the feast.
At eight o’clock in the morning I was already at the cathedral. The atmosphere among the priests and deacons present was solemn and fraternal, without any tension. Some deacons were organizing the reception of His Holiness and indicating to each priest his place. The Divine Liturgy, in this magnificent cathedral, was very beautiful. There were two choirs, who sang like angels. Six chalices, filled with wine, had been prepared in advance and were carried to the altar during the Great Entrance. In this way the crowd of believers could receive communion very quickly. The role of the deacons before Holy Communion was interesting. It was they who distributed the Lamb and placed the portions in the six chalices. I was given one of the chalices to commune the faithful. Taking part in this Liturgy was a great joy for me.
After the Liturgy, my daughter and I were invited to the meal in the parish house next door, in which His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije also took part, together with the other bishops, priests and deacons who had taken part in the Divine Liturgy.
Archpriest Theodore van der Voort