On Tuesday, 1 September 2026, the Serbian Gymnasium in Szeged was ceremonially opened, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Serbian education and the life of the Serbian community in this part of Hungary.

On the occasion of the start of the new school year and the commencement of operation of the Gymnasium, His Eminence Metropolitan Lukijan of Buda served a moleben and invocation of the Holy Spirit for the students and teachers, and then consecrated the premises of the new Serbian Gymnasium.

The ceremony was attended by Her Excellency Aleksandra Đurović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Hungary, Vladimir Kokanović, Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Dr Jovanka Lastić, President of the Self-Government of Serbs in Hungary, József Binszki, Deputy Mayor of Szeged, Náda Málbáski, President of the Self-Government of Serbs in Szeged, as well as representatives of Serbian institutions, educational institutions, clergy, teachers, parents and students.

Addressing those present, Metropolitan Lukijan said that the opening of a new school represented an investment in the future, but that for a small community, such as the Serbian community in Hungary, the school had a much deeper meaning than the educational institution itself.

The Metropolitan had a special message for the students, saying that the school existed primarily for them. He invited them to study, develop their talents and preserve the Serbian language and their origins, but also to respect the country in which they live, its language and culture, telling them: ‘Be the people who connect, not divide.’ At the end of his address, His Eminence expressed his wish for the beginning of the Serbian Gymnasium to also be the beginning of good cooperation and new strength for the Serbian community in Szeged.

Source and photo: Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Buda