The first ceremonial Vidovdan Academy organized by the Eparchy of Western Europe was held on Vidovdan in the Church of Saint Sava in Paris.

On this great holiday, the St Sava church hall gathered the French capital’s Serbian community for the first time including representatives of the church, state, school, unions and Serb associations.

‘The main message from this Vidovdan was strong and clear! The Serbian nation is small (nation) in the family of European nations, but proud and defiant, and cherishes its history, heritage and culture, and thus its identity and right to exist,’ said the Western Europe Eparchy.

At the end, Bishop Justin thanked all the distinguished guests, and especially the participants of the Academy: the concept designer and organizer of the program, Marko Matić, the St Simeon the Myroblyte Eparchy Choir and the conductor Marija Rakićević, the Orchestra of the cultural and artistic society Izvor and the reciters.

The evening was graced by the presence of Serbia’s first lady, Tamara Vučić, Serbian ambassador to Paris, Ana Hrustanović, ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bojana Kondić-Panić, director of the Serbian Cultural Center, Natali Beljanski, coordinator of Serbian supplementary schools in France, Italy, Slovenia and Malta, Marija Praizović, president of the Union of Serbs of France, David Jakovljević, president of the Serbian Folklore Union of France, Bojan Stefanović, and representatives of the cultural and artistic societies: Biseri, Mladost, Oro and Izvor.

The humanitarian organization Serbs for Serbs, Malta branch, held the fifth Vidovdan Assembly of Serbs in Malta.

The program included address by the chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, Boško Šukić.

This event raised 16,850 euros of aid for socially vulnerable families throughout the Balkans with the help of contestants, sponsors and donors. Great gratitude was expressed to all the event’s sponsors, participants and visitors. The organizer also thanked other institutions for their help, Serbian Orthodox Church in Malta, members of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, cultural and artistic society Dukat, Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, Serbian-Maltese community, and Serbian supplementary school St Helen of Anjou.

The program ended with the performance of Dukat cultural and artistic society.

Students of two Prosvjeta schools of the Serbian language – Fügen and Kufstein shared the end of the 2023/2024 school year together. On 30 June 2024, the Kufstein parish organized a Vidovdan event on the theme My Grandfatherland.

A teacher prepared a group recitation by 32 students from Fügen.

There were 62 students with a teacher from Kufstein School.

Source: Radio Television of Serbia – Rasejanje.info – Alliance of Serbs in Austria

Photo: Eparchy of Western Europe