December 29th
On December 4/17, the Holy Church marks the commemoration of two great favorites of Christ: Great Martyr Barbara and the Venerable John of Damascus. This day too marked the 40th day since the repose of Archbishop Peter of Chicago & Mid-America.
On this day, the clergy from throughout the diocese (and from other Local Churches) gathered at the Diocesan Cathedral for the Divine Services. In addition to twenty one priests and eight deacons, four hierarchs led the Divine Services for the feast:
- Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, ROCOR – Representative of Metropolitan Nicholas and the Synod of Bishops
- Metropolitan Longin, Archbishop of New Gracanica-Midwestern America (Serbian Orthodox Church)
- Archbishop Daniel of Chicago and Mid-West (OCA) Bishop Seraphim of Kostajnica (Serbian Orthodox Church)
In addition to the clergymen, many faithful came from near and far to mark this important day for Archbishop Peter’s soul, and most partook of Holy Communion from two chalices. After the pannykhida and the kissing of the cross, all transferred to the cathedral hall, where more than 100 people enjoyed a memorial meal prepared by the cathedral sisterhood with much love.
After the meal, a film was premiered on the life of Archbishop Peter. The film can be seen here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Kl4fC4lV6bs
The diocese intends to produce a longer film on Archbishop Peter’s life, but we need help. We are calling for those who knew and loved Archbishop Peter to create a 3-5 minute remembrance of him using a cell phone and to send videos to dcma.rocor@gmail.com. These remembrances will be compiled and prepared for release as a feature-length film on October 26/November 8, 2025: the first anniversary of Archbishop Peter’s repose.
It is worth pointing out the enormous growth in our Mid-American diocese during Archbishop Peter’s time here. The number of parishes grew by 112%, the number of priests by 305%, and the number of deacons by 520% In addition to quantity, quality also increased during Archbishop Peter’s tenure. His Eminence established Diocesan Assemblies with clergy and laity participating, which unquestionably raised the level of lay leadership in the diocese parishes. In addition, when Archbishop Peter arrived in 2003 there were only a handful of clergymen who had any theological education in the diocese. Now, there is only a small handful who do not. In these ways, and many others, especially through Archbishop Peter’s extreme pastoral love for the flock, which he exhibited again and again (often not in public, but privately, quietly, but consistently), may his memory truly be eternal!
The next day, December 18, the Synod of Bishops issued a decree entrusting the temporary administration of the Diocese of Mid-America to Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada.
Sources: https://chicagodiocese.org/news_241218_1, https://www.synod.com/synod/eng2024/20241220_enchicago.html