ST. STEPHEN NEMANJA ORTHODOX CHURCH
216 Park Avenue, Bisbee, Arizona 85603
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5666, Bisbee, Arizona 85603
UPCOMING SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
A lot has been happening at St Stephen Nemanja in recent months. More lies ahead as we approach the Paschal season.
Scheduled Sunday services include an Obednitsa/Typika Service with Communion, led by Dn Joseph Johnson on March 22, the 4th Sunday of the Great Lenten Fast (St John Climacus), beginning at 10:00 AM. Singers – and those who would like to join our little choir – should gather as usual at 9:10 AM for some rehearsal time with Popadija Ronnie-Sue.
On April 5 we mark the beginning of Orthodox Holy Week with the Divine Liturgy of Palm Sunday, 10:00 AM, with Fr John Erickson and Dn Joseph.
On April 12: Pascha (Easter as celebrated in the Orthodox Church), the “Feast of feasts, Holy Day of holy days,” Divine Liturgy with Fr John and Dn Joseph, 10:00 AM, preceded as usual with choir rehearsal and followed by the blessing of baskets.
On April 26: 3rd Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-bearing Women), Obednitsa/Typika Service with Communion, led by Dn Joseph,10:00 AM, preceded as usual by choir rehearsal.
On May 10: 5th Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Woman), Divine Liturgy with Fr John and Dn Joseph, preceded by choir rehearsal. In the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this also is Mothers’ Day.
On May 24: 7th Sunday of Pascha (Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council), Obednitsa/Typika Service with Communion, led by Dn Joseph, 10:00 AM, preceded by choir rehearsal.
On May 31: Pentecost, the festal culmination of the Church’s 50-day Paschal cycle, Divine Liturgy with Fr John, preceded by choir rehearsal.
On June 14: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost (Saints of North America), Divine Liturgy with Fr John, preceded as usual by choir rehearsal.
On June 28: 4th Sunday after Pentecost, Obednitsa/Typika Service with Communion, led by Dn Joseph. On the Julian Calendar in use in our church, this is June 15, Vidovdan, a memorial to St Prince Lazar and his forces who fell during the Battle of Kosovo on that day in 1389.
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.