ST. STEPHEN NEMANJA ORTHODOX CHURCH
216 Park Avenue, Bisbee, Arizona 85603
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5666, Bisbee, Arizona 85603
UPCOMING AT ST STEPHEN NEMANJA
A lot has been happening in recent months, and much more lies ahead as we move into fall. Here is a schedule of upcoming services through November.
= Sunday October 12, Divine Liturgy with Fr. John Erickson, 18th Sunday after Pentecost, 10:00 AM, followed by refreshments in the hall. If you sing, please plan to gather in the hall at 9:10 AM for some rehearsal time with Popadija Helen.
= Sunday October 26, Typika/Obednitsa Service with Communion, led by Dn. Joseph Josephson, 20th Sunday after Pentecost, 10:00 AM, followed by refreshments in the hall. Singers, please gather in the hall at 9:10 AM for some rehearsal time with Popadija Ronnie-Sue.
= Sunday November 9, Divine Liturgy with Fr. John Erickson and Dn. Joseph Josephson, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, 10:00 AM, followed by refreshments in the hall. Singers, and those interested in joining our little group of singers, please gather in the hall at 9:10 AM for some rehearsal time with Popadijas Helen and Ronnie-Sue.
= Sunday November 23, Typika/Obednitsa Service with Communion, led by Dn. Joseph Josephson, 24th Sunday after Pentecost, followed by refreshments in the hall. Singers, please gather in the hall at 9:10 AM for some rehearsal time with Popadija Ronnie-Sue.
Please note that this year, on the Old Julian Calendar followed in the Serbian Orthodox Church and several others, the feast day of the Holy Apostle Philip falls on our American Thanksgiving Day, November 27. The pre-Christmas fasting season, or “Philip Fast,” begins the next day, November 28, and concludes with our celebration of Old Calendar Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, January 6-7, 2026. Special foods, songs, and customs set this season apart as a time of watchful anticipation, as we prepare for the Nativity of our Lord.
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.