Saints Peter and Paul Church, Oakville

Church and School District of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles, Oakville

Phone: 905 257 2745

Priest: Father Radovan Kodić

Phone: 905 299 3369

Email: radovan.pravoslavac89@gmail.com

Father Radovan Kodić was born on August 15, 1989 in Jajce to father Jovo and mother Radojka. He completed the “Nemanja Vlatković” primary school in Šipovo in 2004, and then enrolled in the Theological Seminary of Saint Arsenius of Srem in Sremski Karlovci. After graduating from the seminary in 2008, he went to theological studies in Foča at the Theological Faculty of Saint Basil of Ostrog. By the grace of God, with the blessing of His Eminence Bishop Mitrofan, he married his wife Ana in 2014, with whom he has two sons – Nikolaj and Lukjan. He was ordained a deacon in 2015 by Bishop Vasilij of Srem in the Fenek Monastery. By the grace of God, with the blessing of His Eminence Bishop Mitrofan, he arrived in Canada in 2017 at the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord in Milton, and then in Hamilton at the Church of St. Nicholas on Nash Street. After that, he was appointed pastor at the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Oakville, where he serves God and the people to this day.

Church history

Establishment of a parish

Even during the bishopric of Bishop Sava (Vuković), there was a desire in Oakville and Mississauga to form a church-school community for this territory. There were certainly reasons for this: the C.S.O. in Hamilton at that time covered a large geographical area with over a thousand families living there, and over five thousand lived on the territory of the C.S.O. of St. Sava in Toronto, so the priests of these two parishes could not devote enough attention to the believers of Oakville. They barely arrived, sometime in the spring, to bless the homes with Epiphany water.

As the number of Serbs in Oakville-Mississauga increased, the need arose to purchase a suitable space – a house or land for the construction of a place of worship. A group of Serbs voluntarily raised $40,000. With this, they planned to purchase a house that would be adapted for holy worship. While they were negotiating, the planned house was sold. On a hill, they were given the opportunity to purchase 18 acres of land with a forest. This did not meet with general approval; there were many comments and objections, so the initiators returned the donations to the donors and gave up the planned purchase. In a spontaneous conversation with Father Stevo Stojsavljević, a parish priest from Hamilton, who performed religious services in Oakville, the idea was born that Father Stevo should address the Bishop of Eastern America and Canada, G. Christopher, to approve and bless the formation of a church-school municipality for the territory of Oquillo. In response to the request of Father Steve, Bishop Christopher, by act no. 218 of April 13, 1980, suggested the formation of an Action Committee that would bring together the parishioners of Oquillo and Mississauga. This suggestion was acted upon.

The Diocesan Administrative Board of the Diocese of Eastern America and Canada, by act no. 515, dated December 2, 1980, submitted a decision on the establishment of a parish for Oakville Mississauga, which states that "based on Article 10 of the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church for the USA and Canada, the Serbian Orthodox Parish for Oakville and Mississauga is hereby established as an integral part of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America and Canada, which is an organic part of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Patriarchate with its seat in Belgrade".

For the purpose of more efficient material operations in the external administration of this newly established missionary parish, the following members of the Action Committee are appointed by decision: priest-administrator, president: Vojislav Ananić, vice-president: Milan Vučak, secretary: Savo Đurđević, treasurer: Milan Nikolić, tutor: Nikola Bilbija, members: Milan Dragičević (senior), Savo Radoš and Ratko Jovičić. Supervisory Board of the Commission: president: Živko Dončić, members: Milan Dragičević (junior) and Damjan Bilbija. Oakville was designated as the temporary seat of the parish, and the final decision on the seat, as well as the boundaries of the parish, as stated in the decision, "will be determined subsequently with the approval of the diocesan authorities, in agreement with neighboring parishes." The decision of the Diocesan Board of Directors authorized the Temporary Commission to register the parish under the name: Serbian Orthodox Parish for Oakville-Mississauga.

Appointment of a priest-administrator

By his act No. 1117, dated December 2, 1980, Bishop Christopher of Eastern America and Canada appointed "the temporary parish priest in Kitchener as administrator of the newly established Serbian Orthodox parish in Oakville-Mississauga effective December 10, 1980."

Immediately after being appointed administrator, the parish priest of Kičerski, Father Bogdan Zjalić, began intensive work. Accompanied by his closest associates: Vojislav Ananić, Živko Dončić, Milan Vučak and Sava Đurđević, they visited the Anglican priest, Father Paul Jackson, who served in the church of St. Cuthbert in Oakville. The meeting took place in an atmosphere of fraternal and Christian understanding. Father Jackson showed them the church, hall, chapel, offices and promised them all for free. This noble Christian gesture of the Anglican priest had an encouraging effect on the parishioners to attend services in greater numbers and more actively, and it meant great moral and material support to the priest and the Temporary Trustees.

Land purchase

At the semi-annual session, on June 7, 1981, the parishioners elected the holy apostles Peter and Paul for the temple glory. In July 1981, Father Bogdan moved to Oakville. Since then, he has been the parish priest in Oakville. After a short break in work, the Commission, at its session on April 14, 1983, made a decision to purchase a property on Highway 5, Dundas Street, in Oakville, which occupies an area of ​​10 acres. The priest appealed to the faithful through Radio Hour "Šumadija" to express their moral and material support. The response was beyond expectations. On June 30, a purchase and sale agreement was signed with the owner of the land. Guarantees were given by: Father Bogdan Zjalić, Vojislav Ananić, Savo Đurđević, Milan Nikolić and Pilip Đaković, all members of the Commission.

At the quarterly meeting held on March 11, 1984, it was decided to pay off the remaining debt on the property, in the amount of $59,000. The implementation of this decision was selflessly helped by Danilo Šuka, with a loan of $15,000 for one year, and Slobodan Lakić (senior), with a loan of $30,000, for one year. This encouraged many other parishioners, who contributed with their increased contributions to the debt being paid off. The land was consecrated by the first bishop of the independent Diocese of Canada, G. Georgije, on November 17, 1984, and it was the first rite of consecration of the newly enthroned Bishop of Canada. It was a joyful day for the parishioners. The burning of the promissory note, as a symbol of the repayment of the debt on the property, took place on Saturday, March 15, 1986, at the Serbian Centre in Mississauga. In addition to Bishop Georgije, numerous church and national representatives, the guests of honor were the mayor of Oquillo and Mississauga, and the Minister of the Government of Ontario, Mr. Tony Ruprecht.

In mid-1987, Father Bogdan Zjalić left Oakville, and for a short time the parish was left without a priest. During that period, it was served by priests from neighboring parishes. On November 15, 1987, Father Miloš Milovanović was appointed to the Oakville parish. As part of his pastoral work, Father Miloš launched a newsletter called "Seeds of the Resurrection", which was full of beautiful and instructive religious readings. Father Miloš, due to the needs of the ministry, was transferred on May 29, 1990, to the Niagara parish, and Oakville was again left without a priest. During that time, the parish was occasionally served by: Father Milutin Knežević, a monk from the Kaona Monastery in Serbia, Father Neofit Avramović, a monk from Serbia, Father Stevo Stojsavljević, a parish priest from Hamilton, and many times, whenever he could, the Canadian Bishop G. George.

Formation of a church-school community and construction of a church

After almost a decade since the formation of the parish, on February 8, 1990, by decision of the EUO of the Diocese of Canada No. 34, the Church and School Community of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Oakville was established. Although the community is currently without a priest, the Bishop of Canada wishes in this way to motivate the faithful in Oakville to finally begin building a church.

The intention to build a church had existed among the parishioners of Oquila for a long time, but it encountered various obstacles, especially those of a legal nature. With great efforts and the personal commitment of the diligent parishioners, with their Board of Directors, and with the wholehearted help of the Serbian Sisters' Circle "Empress Jelena", the construction of a small church dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul began in 1991. That year, the foundations of the church were laid, but due to certain legal obstacles and the outbreak of civil war in the former Yugoslavia, it was stopped. The following year, in August 1992, work continued. The church was completed in 1993. The consecration of the church was performed by the Bishop of Canada, Mr. Georgije, on May 30, 1993, in the presence of numerous people and guests.

That year, Oakville finally got its own priest. On August 7, 1993, a young priest, Father Ljubomir Rajić, was appointed to the Oakville parish. In the newly built Church of the Holy Apostles, Father Ljubo regularly served and gathered children for religious education. Due to the needs of the ministry, he was transferred, on May 1, 1999, to the fourth Toronto parish, and the Oakville parish was once again left without a priest.

The role of clergyman as temporary administrator is taken on by Radiša Ninković, a priest from Detroit. With a lot of will, passion and love, Father Radiša comes from distant Detroit every Saturday and Sunday to worship, but also to encourage and organize the faithful. With the enterprising Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dragan Prostrano, he launches the action of building a new church-public hall in Oakville.

Construction of a church hall

On November 20, 1999, the land on which the new church-public hall in Oakville will be built was consecrated. The foundations were poured in early December, and before the middle of that month the ground with the blocks was already on the surface. Due to the winter, the work was briefly interrupted, but the idea and plans did not stop. At the meetings of the Board of Directors, held on January 25, February 2, and March 2, 2000, it was decided that the consecration of the cornerstone of the new hall would be held on Sunday, March 12, 2000. The consecration was performed by the Bishop of Canada, Mr. Georgije. No godfather was appointed for the consecration of the foundation, but all parishioners who wanted and could be godfathers were invited, each with a contribution of one thousand dollars. A large number of parishioners responded, so, as the chronicler writes, everything was beautiful, solemn and successful. By the end of 2000, the hall was built and covered. For the following year, 2001, only the final works remained. At the end of 2000, Father Radiša Ninković left Oakville and went to California, and the Oakville parish was again served by neighboring parishes, until February 1, 2001, when Archpriest-Staurophor Mirko Skrobonja, until then the parish priest of the South African parish in Johannesburg, was appointed to the Oakville parish. Father Mirko was the last Serbian Orthodox priest to leave Krajina with his people, before the hordes of Operation Storm.

The work continued successfully and on September 16, 2001, numerous believers from Oquillo and the surrounding parishes gathered for the consecration of the church-people's hall. The Holy Hierarchical Liturgy was served by bishops: Canadian Georgije and American-Canadian Metropolitan of Novo Gračanica Longin. Just before the consecration ceremony began, all those present were invited to be godparents of the new hall: it was proposed that all those who could contribute a thousand dollars or more would have this honor. A total of forty-three Serbs responded. After three years of service, Archpriest Mirko suddenly passed away on the very day of St. Petka, after he had decorated the church for the holiday, while preparing for the service. Over 300 people interrupted their workday and gathered on November 1, 2004, at the Milton Monastery Church, to see off the remains of Archpriest Mirko Skrobonja, pastor of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Oakville.

After the death of Fr. Skrobonja, the parish was assigned a permanent priest, Archpriest Zlatibor Đurašević, in 2004. Father Zlatibor served our people at the parish of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Oakville for 13 years, until, due to the needs of the ministry, on January 1, 2018, he was appointed parish priest in Richmond Hill. With the blessing of His Eminence, Bishop of Canada Dr. Mitrofan, Archpriest-Staurophor Milojko Dimitrić was appointed as the new parish priest, and soon after, on October 1, 2019, Archpriest-Staurophor Dragomir Ninković was appointed to the Oakville parish.

Church school

The church school began operating before the parish was founded, on September 23, 1973, as a branch of the Church of the Holy Father Nicholas on Nash Street in Hamilton. The first teachers were: Deacon Stevo Stojsavljević, his wife Mira, and Desa Dragičević. Deacon Stevo taught religious education to the children, his wife Mira taught the children folklore, and Desa Dragičević taught Serbian. Classes were held at Pinegrove Elementary School.

After the first school year, classes were held in the hall of the Anglican Church of St. Hilda on Rebecca Street. This hall was used for several years, under less than ideal conditions. The hall and classrooms were not suitable for teaching, but work and effort were not lacking. With the arrival of Sava Đurđević as a teacher of the Serbian language in 1977, financial assistance was received from the Ministry of Education of Canada, and with this, classrooms in regular schools. With the appointment of Father Stevo Stojsavljević as parish priest in Hamilton, Miodrag Živić, a graduate theologian, came to Oakville as a religious teacher. The church school from Oakville participated in many religious and national ceremonies with great success in those years. It can be safely said that the idea of ​​establishing a parish in Oakville was born through the work of the church school.

With the arrival of Father Bogdan Zjalić as administrator of the mission parish in Oakville, theologian Miodrag Živić ceased to teach religious education. Since 1980, the school in Oakville has been under the supervision of the Mission Parish for Oakville-Mississauga. Savo Đurđević left the role of teacher of the parish school in 1984, and this role was taken over by Jelena Novakov. After her came Dragica Lukajić, then Jelena Marić, and then, in 1994 and 1995, the teacher was Željko Rodić. After that, the teacher became Ilija Štetić, and since 2001, Sanja Prostran has also worked with him. Ljubica Stojadinović is currently the teacher of the parish school.

Youth section and folklore group "Kosovski Božuri"

Father Bogdan Zjalić, in agreement with the school board and the Commission, formed a youth section under the name "Kosovo Božuri". This name was also adopted by the school folklore group. The current folklore group at the C.Š.O. in Okuvil also bears this name and successfully works and performs at many cultural and artistic events.

KCC "Empress Jelena"

Several women, mothers of children who attended church school, were preparing banquets even before the formation of the parish for Oakville-Mississauga. On February 27, 1982, the Board of Directors of the Serbian Sisters was elected with President Radmila Đurđević. At the annual assembly, December 11, 1983, the sisters chose Saint Empress Helena, who is celebrated on June 3, as their patron saint, and with this they officially came under the auspices of the parish of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles for Oakville-Mississauga.

Throughout the many years of its existence, the Circle of Serbian Sisters "Empress Jelena" in Oakville has made an invaluable contribution to the moral and material upliftment of the parish and, later, the Church and School Community. They generously assisted in all cultural and spiritual, national and religious events. With their work and financial donations, they helped build the church and church hall.