[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 30812-30813]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           CONGRATULATING ST. SAVA'S SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 1999

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, It is with great pleasure that I 
congratulate St. Sava's Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, 
Indiana, as it celebrates its 85th Anniversary as a parish this Sunday. 
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Reverend 
Jovan Todorovich on this glorious occasion.
  On November 20th, St. Sava's Serbian Orthodox Church will open its 
85th Anniversary celebration at 9:30 a.m. at the church. Reverend 
Todorovich will begin with a liturgy, followed by a blessing of a new 
icon painting, and a Parastos, or ceremony for the dead. Beginning at 
noon in the church's small banquet hall in Hobart, Indiana, the 
celebration will continue with a Pomen ceremony, a wreath laying, taps, 
and a service by the American Legion in honor of all veterans from St. 
Sava's congregation. A banquet will be served at 1:00 p.m. in the main 
hall in Hobart. Entertainment will be provided by Drina Tamburitza, and 
Nikola P. Kostich will be the guest speaker at this gala occasion. 
Nikola Kostich is an attorney from Milwaukee and is the lead counsel 
for the Serbian Republic and for the United Nations International 
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
  A church of humble beginnings, St. Sava's Serbian Orthodox Church was 
founded in 1914 in Gary, Indiana by about 200 immigrant families. 
Today, it is home to 625 families. During the past 85 years, the 
congregation at St. Sava's has worshiped in five different locations 
and weathered a major disaster when one church building was destroyed 
by a fire. The history of the parish, from both a joyous and sorrowful 
perspective, will be remembered Sunday when the church celebrates its 
85th Anniversary.
  The church's roots go back to a group of Serbian immigrants who first 
formed a choir. In 1914, the choir members began meeting for church 
services at a hall located near 13th Avenue and Washington Street in 
Gary. By 1915, they had built and consecrated a church in Gary at 20th 
Avenue and Connecticut Street. In 1938, a new church was built at

[[Page 30813]]

13th Avenue and Connecticut Street. The congregation remained there 
until 1978, when the church burned down. The congregation held services 
at a hall located on their picnic grounds in Hobart, while they raised 
money to build a new church in Merrillville. In 1983, the church broke 
ground at 9191 Mississippi Street in Merrillville, and in 1991, the 
church was completed and consecrated.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in congratulating the parish family of St. Sava's Serbian Orthodox 
Church, under the guidance of Reverend Jovan Todorovich, as they 
prepare to celebrate their 85th anniversary. All past and present 
parishioners and pastors should be proud of the numerous contributions 
they have made out of the love and devotion they have displayed for 
their church throughout the past 85 years.

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