We Are The Church: Cleveland Faithful Stand United for Fr. Dragoslav

Parishioners Deliver Clear Message: Our Priest, Our Church, Our Decision

CLEVELAND, OH - November 1, 2025

Today, the faithful of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland gathered not in protest, but in proclamation: We are the Church. And we will not be silent.

In response to Bishop Irinej's removal of Very Reverend Protopresbyter Dragoslav Kosić with less than 48 hours' notice, parishioners assembled to send an unambiguous message to their hierarch and to the Holy Synod in Belgrade:

This is our church. This is our priest. And we decide who serves at our altar.

The People Have Spoken

The scene outside St. Sava Cathedral was not one of chaos or anger—it was one of unity and unwavering resolve. Families who have worshipped together for generations stood shoulder to shoulder. Grandmothers who donated their savings to build this cathedral stood beside young parents raising the next generation of Serbian Orthodox faithful.

Their message was simple and clear:

"We stand with Fr. Dragoslav. We will not accept any other priest until he is restored to our cathedral."

This was not a request. This was not a negotiation. This was a statement of fact from the people who built this church, who maintain it, who fill it with prayer, and who have every canonical right to expect proper governance from their hierarchy.

We Are Not Subjects—We Are The Church

For too long, there has been a dangerous misconception in our diocese: that the bishop is the Church, and the faithful are merely subjects who must obey without question.

This is heresy.

The Church is the Body of Christ. The bishop is a servant of that Body—not its master, not its owner, not its dictator.

St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote that the faithful gathered around their bishop is an image of the Kingdom of Heaven. But that image requires a bishop who actually shepherds his flock—not one who scatters it, ignores it, and treats it with contempt.

When a bishop forgets he is a servant, the faithful have every right—and obligation—to remind him.

Our Eyes Are on Belgrade

The parishioners of St. Sava Cathedral Cleveland made one thing crystal clear today: We are looking to the Holy Synod in Belgrade for justice.

We have documented:

Canonical violations (48 hours notice instead of 30 days)

Financial mismanagement (approaching $235,000 in tax liability at Marcha Monastery)

Missing donor funds (over $25,000 unaccounted for)

Obstruction of communication (three certified letters to the Holy Synod blocked by Bishop Irinej)

Systematic abuse of clergy and faithful

We have sent our concerns to Belgrade. We know Bishop Irinej tried to block them. We sent them anyway.

The Holy Synod will hear the truth. They will know what is happening in the Eastern American Diocese. And they will be forced to decide:

Do they stand with a bishop who violates canons, ignores financial responsibility, and treats his flock with disdain?

Or do they stand with the faithful who have built and maintained the Serbian Orthodox Church in America for over a century?

We believe the Holy Synod will choose justice. We pray they will choose quickly.

No Other Priest Will Serve Here

The message from today's gathering was unequivocal:

We will not accept any priest other than Fr. Dragoslav Kosić at St. Sava Cathedral until this matter is resolved justly.

This is not disrespect to the priesthood. This is respect for canonical order.

This is not rebellion against the Church. This is defense of the Church against autocratic abuse.

This is not schism. This is standing for what is right when those in authority refuse to.

We will not normalize the abuse of our clergy.

We will not pretend that 48 hours equals 30 days.

We will not accept that our concerns can be ignored with impunity.

We will not allow our cathedral to be used as a pawn in Bishop Irinej's power games.

If Bishop Irinej attempts to send another priest to serve at our altar while Fr. Dragoslav's canonical rights are violated, that priest will find our doors closed—not out of hostility to him personally, but out of principle.

We will not participate in the normalization of canonical violations.

This Is Not About One Priest—This Is About All of Us

Make no mistake: What happened to Fr. Dragoslav can happen to any priest in our diocese who questions Bishop Irinej's decisions.

Three vacation requests ignored? Check.

Sudden removal with no warning? Check.

No explanation provided? Check.

Canonical requirements dismissed? Check.

This is how autocrats operate: Punish dissent. Silence questions. Rule by fear.

But here's what Bishop Irinej forgot: The Church does not belong to him. It belongs to Christ. And it is entrusted to all of us—clergy and laity together.

When we stand for Fr. Dragoslav, we stand for every priest who has been mistreated.

When we demand accountability, we demand it for all the faithful who have been ignored.

When we refuse to accept canonical violations, we refuse them for the entire Church.

This is not about one man. This is about the soul of our diocese.

What Happens Between These Walls Matters

Our ancestors built this cathedral stone by stone, donation by donation, prayer by prayer. They built it not just as a place of worship, but as a home for Serbian Orthodoxy in America—a place where language, culture, tradition, and faith could be preserved and passed down.

What happens between these walls matters.

When our children are baptized here, it matters.

When our young people are married here, it matters.

When we bury our dead from here, it matters.

When we gather for Divine Liturgy, it matters.

And who serves at our altar matters.

Fr. Dragoslav has served this community faithfully. He has baptized our children, counseled our families, visited our sick, buried our dead, and stood with us through joy and sorrow.

He is OUR priest. And we are HIS people.

Bishop Irinej thinks he can sever that bond with 48 hours' notice and a piece of paper?

He is wrong.

A Message to Bishop Irinej

Your Grace,

Today you saw what happens when you forget that the Church is not your personal fiefdom.

You saw families who will not be intimidated.

You saw faithful who will not be silenced.

You saw a community that will not accept abuse.

You can issue all the episcopal acts you want. You cannot issue away our canonical rights. You cannot command our consent to injustice.

We have been patient. We have followed proper channels. We have written letters. We have documented violations. We have tried to resolve this privately.

You have ignored us at every turn.

So now we make our stand publicly:

Restore Fr. Dragoslav to St. Sava Cathedral Cleveland immediately.

Apologize for violating canonical procedure.

Address the financial crises you have created.

Stop blocking communications to the Holy Synod.

Start acting like a shepherd instead of a tyrant.

You have until the Holy Synod makes its decision. We suggest you use that time wisely.

A Message to the Holy Synod

Your Holiness, Your Graces,

We write to you not as rebels, but as faithful Orthodox Christians who are desperate for proper hierarchical governance.

We did not choose this fight. We tried for over a year to work within the system. We sent letters. We documented problems. We sought guidance.

Bishop Irinej blocked our communications to you. He did not want you to know what is happening here.

Now you know.

We are not asking you to take our word alone. We have documentation:

Episcopal acts showing 48-hour removal (E. No. 425, 426, 427)

Tax records showing $233,656 in liability at Marcha Monastery

Correspondence showing blocked communications (three certified letters)

Financial reports showing missing donor funds and undocumented revenue

The evidence is overwhelming. The violations are clear. The harm is real.

We beg you: Act swiftly. Act justly. Act for the sake of the Church.

Suspend Bishop Irinej pending investigation.

Restore Fr. Dragoslav immediately.

Order a forensic audit of diocesan finances.

Restore canonical order to the Eastern American Diocese.

We are looking to you. We are praying for you. We are trusting that you will do what is right.

Please do not let us down.

This Is Just the Beginning

Today's gathering was not an ending—it was a beginning.

The faithful of St. Sava Cathedral Cleveland have drawn a line: No more. Not one more canonical violation. Not one more ignored letter. Not one more financial irregularity swept under the rug.

We are the Church. We are awake. And we will not be silent.

If Bishop Irinej thought he could remove our priest and we would simply accept the next one he sends, he profoundly misunderstood who we are.

If he thought we would continue to fund a diocese that operates without transparency or accountability, he was mistaken.

If he thought we would stop fighting for what is right, he does not know the Serbian people.

We are descendants of saints and martyrs who died rather than compromise their faith.

We are children of immigrants who built churches in a new land with their own hands.

We are heirs to a tradition that has survived empires, invasions, and persecutions.

And we will not be broken by one corrupt bishop.

To Our Fellow Parishioners Across the Diocese

If you are reading this and thinking, "This could happen to my parish," you are right.

If you are reading this and thinking, "This is wrong and someone should do something," you are that someone.

If you are reading this and thinking, "I'm afraid to speak up," we understand. But consider: What are we more afraid of—the consequences of speaking truth, or the consequences of remaining silent while our Church is destroyed?

Stand with us.

Document violations at your parish.

Demand financial transparency.

Insist on canonical order.

Support your priests when they are abused.

Contact the Holy Synod directly (don't rely on Bishop Irinej to forward your concerns—he won't).

Together, we are strong. Together, we cannot be ignored. Together, we are the Church.

The Way Forward

We did not want it to come to this. We wanted our bishop to be a shepherd. We wanted to trust our hierarchy. We wanted to worship in peace.

But we will not have peace without justice.

We will not have unity without truth.

We will not have a functional church without accountability.

So we stand. We speak. We act.

Not in rebellion, but in faithfulness.

Not in anger, but in love for our Church.

Not in schism, but in defense of canonical order.

We are the Church. We will not be moved. We will not be silenced. We will not give up.

Fr. Dragoslav is our priest. St. Sava Cathedral is our church. And we will fight for both until justice is done.

Final Word

To Bishop Irinej: You have been weighed and found wanting.

To the Holy Synod: We await your justice with hope and prayer.

To our fellow faithful: Stand with us. This is your fight too.

To Fr. Dragoslav: We are with you. Today, tomorrow, and until you are restored to our altar where you belong.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

We are the Church.

And the gates of hell shall not prevail against us.

This article reflects the sentiments expressed by parishioners of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio, on November 1, 2025.

For documentation of canonical violations, financial irregularities, and blocked communications, see previous posts.

We will not be silent. We will not give up. We will not surrender our Church to autocratic abuse.

Христос посред нас! И јесте и увек ће бити!

(Christ is in our midst! He is and ever shall be!)