Golden Cross Collection 2026-2027
Libertyville, IL
October 27, 2026
Dear fathers, presidents of church boards, friends, benefactors, and supporters of our School - Pomaže Bog!
By the grace of God, the 2026/27 academic year brings tremendous joy and sincere thanksgiving as our St. Sava School of Theology in Libertyville, Illinois, celebrates its 40th anniversary. Over these four decades, our School has fulfilled its founding mission, as witnessed by the young men and women who have completed our four-year program. The vast majority of our male graduates now serve the Serbian Orthodox Church in dioceses throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, France, Austria, Serbia, Republika Srpska, and Montenegro. We especially wish to emphasize that the majority of our active parish clergy in North America are graduates of our School.
Throughout these 40 years, our School has enjoyed the steadfast support of all Serbian Patriarchs since its founding, as well as the ruling hierarchs of the Diocese of New Gracanica and Midwestern America. In this jubilee year, we joyfully note that nearly half of our faculty are graduates of our School. Their energy and commitment complement the experience of our senior professors, creating a strong and balanced faculty.
These achievements would not have been possible without the generous moral and financial support of our Serbian Orthodox parishes, their priests and boards, throughout the United States and Canada, and the many faithful members of our Church who recognize the School’s importance and continue to support its mission.
As reported in last year’s letter, our School was officially recognized as a Candidate for Accreditation, which means that our degrees are now conditionally recognized. Following the final visit by representatives of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), expected in spring 2027, we hope to achieve full accreditation as an Orthodox theological institution in North America. We sincerely thank our hierarchs, faculty, students, MSCHE staff, and accreditation committee for their dedicated work toward this goal.
Your generosity, dearly beloved in Christ, continues to make a great difference. Through the Golden Cross Program, blessed by His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije, our parishes across the United States, Canada, Central and South America collect donations twice a year, following the feasts of St. Petka in October and on the Sunday following the First Week of Great and Holy Lent.
Donations may be made through your local parish, by mail (checks payable to St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology, memo: “Golden Cross,” P.O. Box 519, Libertyville, IL 60048), or securely online at https://givebutter.com/zlatnikrst. Your gifts support exclusively student scholarships, classroom upgrades, library resources, and essential equipment, preparing our seminarians for ministry in the Vineyard of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In this 40th anniversary year, we remain steadfast in pursuing our goals:
Achieving full MSCHE accreditation;
Upgrading facilities and programs;
Expanding scholarships for seminarians; and
Strengthening ties with parishes, donors, and the wider Serbian Orthodox community.
Your prayers and financial support make these shared goals possible. Every contribution, large or small, benefits our students, you, and your children by helping prepare the next generation of clergy and Church leaders.
May the Almighty Lord bless you and all those you love!
With immense gratitude and best wishes,
Faculty, Staff, and Students of St. Sava's
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