Slava of Saint Petka Church Solemnly Celebrated in Lakeshore

Article by: Fr. Marko Dimic

Translation by: Djuradj Vujcic

In the spirit of prayer, love and brotherly unity, the Saint Petka Parish in Lakeshore solemnly celebrated the feast of the Venerable Mother Paraskeva of the Balkans – Saint Petka, the heavenly patroness of our church and parish community. The festive celebration lasted several days, gathering the faithful around our holy sanctuary and reminding us of the importance of joint prayer, harmony and love for the Church.

The festive celebration began on Friday, October 23, 2026, with the service of the Akathist to Saint Petka in front of her holy robe. The service was attended by Orthodox priests from Windsor and a large number of faithful, who gathered to jointly offer prayers to this great saint of God. After the Akathist, the faithful had the opportunity to venerate the holy robe of Saint Petka and to anoint themselves with consecrated oil, praying for the health, spiritual strength and intercession of the saint.

On Sunday, October 25, 2026, the church Slava was solemnly celebrated. The Holy Liturgy was served by the Diocesan Deputy Fr. Miroljub Todorovic, with the concelebration of Fr. Milorad Delic, Fr. Georgije Tubonjic, Dn. Srdjan Miskovic and the parish priest Fr. Marko Dimic. After Holy Communion, Dn. Srdjan Miskovic addressed the faithful with a fitting homily. This was followed by a procession around the church, the cutting of the Slava kolach and the blessing of the Slava gifts.

This year's godparents for the church Slava were the Spanovic family, while Nikola and Dragana Malic applied to be godparents next year.

The festive joy continued with a Slava luncheon in the church hall, during which the children of the church school and members of the folklore group performed a suitable program. The president of the Church and School Congregation, Mr. Nikola Malic, addressed those present, expressing his gratitude to all who, with their effort, love and sacrifice, support the life and work of this parish.

The parish priest, Fr. Marko Dimic, thanked everyone who selflessly contributed to the life of the church community throughout the year, especially highlighting the work of the folklore group, teachers, professors, children and volunteers. On this occasion, letters of appreciation were presented to deserving individuals for their long-term contribution, while an Episcopal Certificate of Recognition was awarded to Mr. Mihailo Petrovic, in recognition of his long-term effort and significant contribution to the life and work of this church community.

On the day of the feast itself, Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the ceremony continued with the Holy Liturgy, presided over by Archimandrite Corneliu Andrasco (Romanian Orthodox Church). The concelebrants were Diocesan Deputy Fr. Miroljub Todorovic, Fr. John Ayoub (Orthodox Church in America), Fr. Georgije Tubonjic, Fr. Marko Dimic and Dn. Srdjan Miskovic, while Fr. Milorad Delic was present in prayer.

At the end of the Holy Liturgy, Fr. Marko expressed his gratitude to all the priests and faithful who had graced the festive gathering with their presence. The joint celebration continued with lunch and fraternal fellowship in the church hall.

We sincerely thank all the priests, godparents, donors, volunteers, children and all the parishioners who, with their presence, prayer and effort, contributed to making this year's celebration of Saint Petka filled with spiritual joy and love.

May the prayers and intercession of Saint Petka continue to gather us in our holy church, strengthen us in faith, and keep us in unity and mutual love.