THE FIGHT FOR FAITH AT ST. SAVA CATHEDRAL

How St. Nikolaj Velimirović's Words Guide Our Struggle

Over 80 years ago, the great Serbian saint and theologian St. Nikolaj  Velimirović wrote his powerful sermon "Борба за веру" (The Fight for Faith). Today, his words resonate with prophetic clarity as the parishioners of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma, Ohio wage their own struggle to preserve the faith handed down through generations.

THE QUESTION THAT ECHOES THROUGH TIME

St. Nikolaj begins with a simple yet profound question to every Serb: "Serbian brother, I address you to ask you something... Does the lamp of  faith still burn inside your soul? Do you have enough oil in your lamp, and is there light inside your soul? Serbian brother, does the lamp of faith burn within you?"

This question was not asked in St. Nikolaj's name alone, but in the name of all Serbian ancestors who preserved the Orthodox faith through five hundred years of Turkish oppression, through martyrdom and persecution, through Tzar’s Lazar's sacrifice at Kosovo, and through the holy work of St. Sava himself.

Today, this same question confronts the parishioners of St. Sava Cathedral.  Does the lamp of faith still burn? When church security cameras are destroyed to hide unauthorized removal of sacred items? When a quarter million dollars in diocesan funds cannot be accounted for? When parishioners exercising their canonical rights are met with police rather than pastoral care? When a beloved priest is removed with 48 hours notice instead of the canonical 30 days?

THE THREE EVIL WINDS

St. Nikolaj warned of three evil winds that threaten to extinguish the lamp of faith:

"Three are the worst winds: unbelief, false belief, and weak faith. The unbelievers want to cut the root of your soul... The false believers want to impose their crooked faith on you, which has twisted their heart and soul and character... The weak believers want to be called Christians, only to be called so, but not to be so."

At St. Sava Cathedral, we have witnessed all three winds: “Unbelief” - when church governance becomes purely about power and money rather than the salvation of souls.

“False belief” - when canonical law is selectively applied or ignored to serve administrative convenience rather than spiritual truth.

“Weak faith” - when those in leadership positions claim Orthodox identity while violating the very canons and traditions that define Orthodoxy.

THE FAITH THAT DEFENDS

St. Nikolaj reminds us why we must preserve the faith:

"Your faith defends you from every evil, Serbian brother. Whenever trouble finds you, your faith helps you... Your faith defends you in illness and from illness, in suffering and from suffering, in darkness and from darkness, in despair and from despair, in loneliness and from loneliness, in death and from death."

For two years, the parishioners of St. Sava Cathedral have stood firm in their faith despite:

- The sudden removal of their spiritual father, Fr. Dragoslav Kosić, who served them faithfully for years

 - Documented financial irregularities including missing donor funds exceeding $25,000 and undocumented timber revenue from church property

 - A diocesan tax crisis totaling $254,887 that was hidden from parishioners

- The destruction of church security cameras on November 16, 2025

- The unauthorized removal of the antimins and other church property on November 18, 2025

  - Being told their canonical appeals to the Holy Synod "don't matter"

Through all of this, 100+ families have stood firm, sent canonical appeals to Belgrade, and maintained their witness to the truth. They have done so not out of disobedience, but out of faithfulness to the very canons and traditions St. Nikolaj defended.

DEFEND YOUR FAITH

St. Nikolaj's call to action rings clear:

"Defend your faith, Serbian brother. When your faith defends you from all evils of this age, defend it too, your faith. Defend what defends you...

As the plowman defends the plow from rust so the plow will defend him from hunger; and as the blacksmith defends the fire from moisture so the fire will defend him from hunger, so too must you defend your faith from evil winds, so that your faith will defend your life and strength and joy."

The parishioners of St. Sava Cathedral are not fighting against the Church. They are fighting FOR the Church, FOR the faith, FOR the canons, FOR transparency, FOR accountability, FOR the lamp of Orthodox Christianity that has burned in Serbian hearts for over a thousand years.

FIGHT TOGETHER

Perhaps most powerfully, St. Nikolaj emphasizes that this is not an individual struggle:

"Fight together for the faith of the Gospel, commands the apostle of faith (Philippians 1:27). When one brother of yours fights for the faith of the Gospel, whether inside himself or around himself, whether with his passions or with demons or with unbelieving, false-believing, and weak-believing people, you must not remain at peace, but must rush to his aid."

This is why 100+ families signed canonical appeals. This is why the parish organized a peaceful witness on November 1, 2025, declaring they would not accept any priest other than Fr. Dragoslav until violations were corrected. This is why criminal complaints have been filed for the destruction of property and theft of sacred items.

They fight together, as St. Nikolaj commanded.

THE LAND AS BULWARK

St. Nikolaj reminds Serbs of their sacred duty:

"'This land is the bulwark of Christianity.' So wrote your great-grandfathers from Miloš's Uprising to the Orthodox Russian Tsar when they sought his help.

For over a thousand years this land has been the bulwark of Christianity. For over a thousand years the Cross of Christ has been raised and lowered on it. But even when it was lowered by false believers, the Cross of Christ was hidden in the people's heart and there it shone and gleamed."

St. Sava Cathedral in Parma, Ohio may be far from Kosovo, but it too is part of that bulwark. When Serbian immigrants came to America, they brought the faith of their ancestors. They built churches, educated their children, preserved the liturgy, and passed down the traditions.

Now, in 2025, their descendants face a test: Will they defend what was entrusted to them? Will they allow the lamp to be extinguished through financial manipulation, canonical violations, and administrative tyranny? Or will they stand firm, as their ancestors did under Turkish oppression, as Tzar Lazar did at Kosovo, as St. Sava did when he brought the faith

to Serbia?

WHAT TO HATE, WHAT TO LOVE

St. Nikolaj's wisdom guides even how we conduct this struggle:

"Pay attention to what you hate and what you love. When you fight for your faith, love your faith with all your heart, for it was given to you by the One who loves you...

When you fight with unbelievers, hate unbelief with all your soul, but do not hate the person on whom the plague of unbelief has fallen... When you fight with false believers, hate false belief... but do not hate the person with twisted and mutilated faith... When you fight with weak believers, hate weak faith with all your soul, but do not hate the person, your brother."

This is the spirit of the struggle at St. Sava Cathedral. The parishioners do not hate Bishop Irinej Dobrijević as a person. They pray for him. But they cannot remain silent when his administration:

- Violates canonical procedures

- Hides financial problems

- Removes beloved priests without proper notice

- Ignores the voice of the faithful

- Destroys security systems to hide unauthorized actions

- Takes sacred items without board authorization

They hate the abuse of power. They hate the violation of canons. They hate the damage being done to Christ's Church. But they do not hate the man.

THE HOLY SYNOD DECISION

St. Nikolaj's words offer guidance:

"God will help you, and you will prevail. God will bless you, and you will preserve your faith, your greatest treasure, my Serbian brother!

When you preserve your faith, you have preserved your soul. When you preserve your soul, you will easily part with this world, and easily enter into eternal life, which the Creator promised to His blessed Serbs."

Whatever the Holy Synod decides, the parishioners of St. Sava Cathedral have already won the most important victory: they have kept the lamp burning.

Through two years of struggle, they have:

- Maintained their witness to the truth

- Followed proper canonical procedures

- Documented every violation

- Stood together as a community

- Refused to compromise their principles

- Kept faith with their ancestors

They have shown that in 21st century America, Serbian Orthodox Christians can still defend the faith as courageously as their ancestors defended it under Ottoman rule.

THE LAMP STILL BURNS

St. Nikolaj's question echoes: "Does the lamp of faith still burn within you?"

At St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma, Ohio, the answer is clear: YES.

The lamp burns in the hearts of 100+ families who refused to be silent. The lamp burns in the peaceful witness of parishioners who declared their

faithfulness to proper canonical procedure. The lamp burns in the criminal complaints to hold accountable those who destroyed church property and stole sacred items. The lamp burns in the hope that the Holy Synod will hear their plea and act justly. The lamp burns in their determination to preserve what their ancestors handed down through suffering and sacrifice. The lamp burns, just as St. Sava lit it 800 years ago, just as it burned  through 500 years of Turkish occupation, just as it burned when Serbian  immigrants came to America and built St. Sava Cathedral with their own hands.

And God willing, with the Holy Synod's blessing, the lamp will burn even  brighter, as truth prevails, as justice is served, as the faithful are vindicated, and as the Orthodox faith continues to shine in the hearts of Serbian Americans who refuse to let it be extinguished.

EPILOGUE: St. Nikolaj's Final Words

"When you preserve your faith, you have preserved your soul. When you preserve your soul, you will easily part with this world, and easily enter into eternal life, which the Creator promised to His blessed Serbs."

This is the true victory. Not power, not property, not positions - but the preservation of faith. The parishioners of St. Sava Cathedral understand this. They fight not for themselves, but for the generations to come, so that their children and grandchildren will inherit the same pure Orthodox faith their ancestors handed down.

May God grant wisdom to the Holy Synod.

May God strengthen the faithful who defend His Church.

May God preserve the Serbian Orthodox faith in America.

Slava Bogu! Glory to God!