Minister Stefanović attends celebration of St. Sava Day at Military Grammar School

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, attended today the celebration of St. Sava Day (the patron saint of Serbian schools) at the Military Grammar School in Belgrade. On that occasion, Minister Stefanović said that we owe it to Saint Sava, who is a symbol of our nation, to be better, to protect each other, to be united and achieve continued success for our country.



Extending the feast day wishes to students and the management of the Military Grammar School and the “1,300 Corporals” Secondary Vocational Military School and the priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Minister Stefanović noted that Saint Sava was the founder of Serbian schools, the Serbian state and the Serbian church.

- He was a warrior who had so much love in his heart and fought for virtue and justice, someone who reconciled fighting brothers, a humble traveller who lit the way for his country in some very difficult times. Saint Sava is a symbol of our nation and we must never forget that. We must remember him every year, and we must not give up other important historical figures who made Serbia the way it is today. We owe it to them to do something for our country, to be better and more modest, to protect each other and to be united and to achieve continued success and good results for our country - said Stefanović.

Minister told the military school students that he was proud of each of them.



- I would like to thank you for choosing the honourable military profession. Being our country’s soldier is a special thing. It is not a job, it is something you must feel in your heart.  That is why I want to thank you for being among the glorious, among those soldiers  who indebted our country and made sure we are free today – said the Minister, extending the feast day wishes to students.  

The rite of cutting the ritual bread, with the blessing of His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. Porfirije, was performed by Father Branislav Kedžić, a professor at the Belgrade Seminary, together with the military clergy.

In his sermon, Father Branislav Kedžić extended the feast day wishes to Minister Stefanović, the school management and the students on behalf of the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and his vicar, Bishop Jerotej of Toplica. He noted that during his life, Saint Sava strove to save not only his own soul, but the souls of his family, the entire Serbian nation and all the people in the world. Kedžić emphasized that what our armed forces are doing is taking care of our entire nation. 



- And we are all grateful to you for that. On this day, but also on every other day when you take care of our homeland, make sure to put Christ the Lord at the centre, as a standard, and glorify Saint Sava, who is the ancestor of our nation - Father Branislav pointed out.

According to Captain Miroslav Ćitić, Head of the Military Grammar School, St. Sava Day has been celebrated as a school feast day since the time of the Principality of Serbia, for more than 180 years. Emphasizing Saint Sava’s mission of enlightenment and the influence he had on the education of the people, Ćitić noted that the mottos that military education uses today "Knowledge is our weapon" and "Deeds, not words" are actually Saint Sava's words. 



– You chose the honourable officer's profession when you were 14 years old. I know that you will hold the flag of your homeland and the flag of “Svetosavlje” as firmly as the founder of the holy dynasty, the great prefect Stefan Nemanja, is holding a sword in his hand looking at the Church of Saint Sava in Vračar - said the head of the Military Grammar School.



Assistant Minister for Human Resources Katarina Tomašević, Deputy Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff Lieutenant General Petar Cvetković, Rector of the Defence University Lieutenant General Goran Radovanović, Commandant of the Military Academy Colonel Srđan Blagojević and the Chairman of the Savski Venac Municipal Assembly Strahinja Kukić also attended the celebration of St. Sava Day at the Military Grammar School.