On Sunday, September 27, 2026, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross, His Eminence Longin, Archbishop of New Gracanica and Chicago and Metropolitan of Midwestern America, served the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago. The cathedral was filled with faithful who gathered to celebrate the feast together with their Archpastor.
Concelebrating with His Eminence were V. Rev. Dr. Darko Spasojević, Cathedral Dean; V. Rev. Stavrophor Dobrivoje Milunović; Rev. Bojan Banović, parish priest of St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church in Nashville, Tennessee; and Deacon Miroslav Sretenović. The responses were sung by the Cathedral Choir, Serbian Singing Society “Branko Radičević.”
In his homily following the Gospel, Metropolitan Longin spoke on the meaning of the Precious Cross and connected the feast to the suffering of the Serbian people, reminding the faithful that the history of Serbian suffering is inseparable from the Cross that the Church exalts and glorifies on this day.
Attending the Liturgy were the Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Chicago, Dr. Marko Nikolić; the Consul General of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tatjana Telić; and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
Following the Liturgy, the multimedia exhibition “Learn About Serbian Suffering,” prepared by the Memorial Center of the Republic of Srpska, was opened in the cathedral. The Center’s director, Mr. Denis Bojić, gave a brief but precise and poignant presentation on the importance of remembering the suffering of the Serbian people during the wars of the 1990s and of documenting that history for the world. Many of those present lingered at the exhibition, studying the displays and speaking with Mr. Bojić and his staff.
The exhibition resonated deeply with those gathered. A large number of the cathedral’s parishioners lived through the war and suffering of the 1990s firsthand before emigrating to the United States and settling in Chicago. For them, the day carried particular weight — as a testimony that their experiences, their history, and their losses are being remembered and told to the world.
The exhibition was open to the public until 1:00 p.m.
