ST. STEPHEN NEMANJA ORTHODOX CHURCH
216 Park Avenue, Bisbee, Arizona 85603
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5666, Bisbee, Arizona 85603
ENTERING A NEW YEAR
Recently at St Stephen Nemanja we celebrated Christ’s Nativity - on January 7 according to the calendar in general use but December 25 according to the Julian Calendar followed by our Serbian Orthodox Church. Now we are in a new year, and soon we will enter a new liturgical cycle: the preparatory weeks that lead to Lent, Holy Week and Pascha, the celebration of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. Here is a tentative schedule for Sundays from January into March. Additional services and activities can be expected, especially as we near Pascha.
February 8 (= January 26), Sunday of the Prodigal Son: Divine Liturgy with Fr John Erickson and Dn Joseph Josephson, 10:00 AM, followed by refreshments in the hall. Singers, please join Helen and Ronnie-Sue in the hall at 9:10 AM for rehearsal before the service.
February 15 (= February 2), Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meatfare) together with feast of the Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple and celebration of our parish patronal feast. The Divine Liturgy will be served by Fr Paul Germain (San Diego) and Dn Joseph. A festive luncheon will follow in the hall – no charge, but please RSVP to Kay (Nancytechau@msn.com or 602-339-4576) so that we can make food plans accordingly.
February 22 (= February 9), Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare): Typika/Obednitsa Service with Communion led by Dn Joseph,10:00 AM, followed by dairy-style refreshments in the hall. Again, singers please join Ronnie-Sue for rehearsal before the service.
March 8 (= February 24), 2nd Sunday of Lent (St Gregory Palamas): Divine Liturgy with Fr John and Dn Joseph,10:00 AM, followed by Lenten-style refreshments in the hall. Singers, please join Helen and Ronnie-Sue for rehearsal before the service.
March 22 (= March 9), 4th Sunday of Lent (St John Climacus), Typika/Obednitsa Service with Communion led by Dn Joseph, 10:00 AM, followed by Lenten-style refreshments in the hall. Singers, please join Ronnie-Sue for rehearsal before the service.
HISTORY OF ST STEPHEN NEMANJA
The Serbian Orthodox presence in Bisbee goes back to the late 1880s. While some of these early immigrants went into business, most went to work in the mines. Their importance for the local economy can be seen in Bisbee’s “copper man” statue, for which a Serbian miner served as model. Many of these early immigrants became American citizens, but they retained a love for the Orthodox Christian faith of their homeland. Newspaper articles document visits by early priests for baptisms and special occasions – most notably Fr. Sebastian Dabovich, American-born son of Serbian immigrants who was canonized in 2015 as St. Sebastian of Jackson and San Francisco.