GENESIS

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . and God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

. . . "Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, . . .

Every living thing that moved on the earth perished – birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind.

The Table of Nations . . .

Genesis . . . (NIV)

to Macedonia . . ."

Now and then, obsessed and full of nothing, but overwhelmed by Borges and those similar to him, lucid, unrivalled and golden-eloquent people of the written word, almost a whole year of God - 1996, I was discovering, plucking and building in space and in myself the image, creation, preaching and the unfixed meeting with mine and his existence, memory and the unseen, physically or corporally to see, I ominously portended that, maybe I will survive the 38^th usual, bare existence, even the printing of this confession of mine, hagiology about Sir Methody, child of Anastasia and Ilya Poposki, deacon and priest, preacher and teacher of theology, bishop and metropolitan of a simple Macedonian service and pastorship.

Occupied and surrounded with nothing I was mercilessly thrown into my own spiritual cavity and professional contradiction, because, this same last year, forgotten, hollow and abstinent, I already had, excuse me, finished the manuscript (don't say with a demonic title) of the novel "M.M. or a tea with a hibiscus". Sometimes the impasse is the only exit, the only way to come out of one's own cocoon, the sedimentous seduction, filth and damnation of the written word. Don't excuse me, but I guess, with a godly deliberation I made a literal occupation with words on myself and on what is called meek, sacred, God's and repenting mine.

In the vice of my own eloquence and abstinence of a plot, culmination, disentanglement and an end, yet, it seems to me that I melt the iron chains of my own, appointed with the brain, story and the song, titled, called and tied with sheaves and unstrings of rows, lines, letters and punctuations, prepared as my self-written necklace - "Macedonian P.S. Prayer".

Absolutely freed from myself, and the bondages of some kind of classified, strict literary form or genre, I endeavored and sank into an entirely simple, warm human story with a gentle literary voltage, sometimes spicy and shouldered into historic data, events, dates, times, persons and eras from the Byzantine Empire through Christ to Christianity and Macedonia, Samoil, our present blindness, existence and endurance of the Macedonian lineage, breed and origin, through St Clement and Naum, Arseny, the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid as a foundation and basis of our being, spirit and existence, up until the shisms, negations, and ashes of time, until the light as a rebirth of the light dried up by irede, the renewed holy Church of the Macedonian people, embodied in the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the chief-priestly Macedonian worshipers, who did nationalize and sign the decision for the renewal of MOC as a canonic heir of the Patriarchate (Archiepiscopate) of Ohrid.

Iron-bequeathed to begin and to end, still, sometimes I was only floating during the elevation and falling, because I was thinking, even pretending that I won't reach the picture about the image and personality, sacredness, the way and the journeys of the meek dignitary, deeply put in the bottom of my soul, inspiration, conscience and subconsciousness.

The bodily nonexistence, ever more approached to me the spiritual hold out, presence and proximity of head-priest Giorgi Poposki, the archimandrite Methody, the bishop Velichki and the personality of my total obsession that gives me motive to praise my smallness and to confess my poor and accidental deaf existence. In the knots of usual life activities, historical sacred dates and acts, I tempt myself that I have husked the core of his personality, diligence and modest human dignity. In the era and no-time of anarchical pluralism, collapse, social poverty and degradation of all and everything, the written word and the book as an eye to the world, not only slaughtered light on a paper, but also extracted eyes of an originality, nationality, future, culture and existence of civilization.

Rambling, seemingly after the feet and living verbal origins and consciousness about his activity, way and God's preaching, lamely and materially empty, but spiritually and simply human, full of his thought and preachment, still, who knows, maybe, I created the plain word for "Macedonian P.S. Prayer" and my introduction or confession, or preface in the foreword when, waning like a paraphrase of Borges, I concluded for myself, "that people have invented the 'see you later', although they know they are short-aged and ephemeral. That's why they should separate with 'good bye'. . ."

In the spiritual life there's never good bye, because the eternity is as much eternal as is the lifework, the greatness and the spirit implanted in the space that makes dizzy – outlined in the infinity of the horizon which they have marked it with deed, pastorship, missions and holiness.

Instead of forgiveness for my pride and impudence in the singing of "Macedonian P.S. Prayer", I feel and I glow my thankfulness and smallness that this meek and short life-descriptive and historiographic story about Sir Methody is before and in the hands, maybe undeserving for blessing of His Sanctity, Archbishop Mihail and His High-priesthood Sir Cyril. My gratefulness will be shallow, but not the respect and honor that is given to me, holy and deep until the bare bottom of the soul that condemned itself to begin and finish this foreword or confession.

Milan R. Durlo

October 18, 1996

Frozen from humility, today, after 230 years of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid and 30 years of MOC, expecting finally a promotion of "Macedonian P.S. Prayer" about Sir Methody, I came in the fortress of Ohrid in front of the small sarcophagus of Sir Methody and the holy remainders of the body of St Clement Ohridski.

The light of the promotion that did not happen, made me stiff in the church "Sv. Kliment Ohridski", touching the holy remainders of Clement. I erased the centuries and now I am kneeling down with a touch in front of him, disappearing through the harmonious voice of the historian and museum worker Yana Poposka, who, it seems to me, transferred and planted the entire holiness, sacredness and everything inside of me.

In the apparition that was a reality, I experienced the most holy, and now, without words I promoted my soul and my "Macedonian P.S. Prayer" about Sir Methody.

Perhaps someone will forgive me???

July 18, 1997

Friday, 13:30 h

Cathedral church

The blessing and the deliberation of the journalist, made, to dedicate the name, the lineage, and the honor of the blessed priestly breed, Poposki, our written forgetfulness of the gentle, tame, reverend, and please pardon me, withdrawn from the cerebral, holy bishops with a meek spirit, enthroned forever deep in the soul of our orthodoxy, self-reliance, veined in the root of the Macedonian autocephality, in the row of apostles of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, a little bit on the left to God, and entirely on the right to our indifference and haughtiness, stands and good-wills the placid spirit of the child of Anastasia and Ilya Poposki, and our spiritual father of all, metropolitan Sir Methody. Instead of In Memoriam, this is mine and your forgotten prayer.

Unsung prayer, instead of remembrance: the banishment of our oblivion is sometimes to remind ourselves, with an inducement or without it, with a notion or stillness, without a prayer or a jot-two, about the spirit, the spiritual servant and our bribing, that, see, everyone exists while we exist: the world, the saints, the godly, the light, everything . . .

In the red-hot, 1914^th year of God, in the mornings when Prilep was tightened by coldness, and the night was catching at foot of numbness of the fingers, in the lap of the priestly home of Anastasia and Ilya Poposki, their son was born, who is a motive of our unsung prayer, instead of remembrance. Glory to them!

The tame course of the imposing pastoral mission of Sir Methody, first enthroned as bishop Dremvichko-Velichki, begun in Small Jerusalem, as people love to name the town Prilep. More exactly, the priestly work of father Giorgi Poposki is in the Bishopric of Prilep, in the fraternity of the pleasing to God sanctuary "Sv. Bogorodica", where later on he will be proclaimed and enthroned as a metropolitan, fourth in the row, of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. While metropolitan, forever he will enter the heavenly iconostasis of the five prelates who sign and declare the independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church as a successor of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid: His Sanctity, Archbishop Dositey, Sir Naum, Sir Clement, Sir Methody and Sir Cyril, which is, actually, the first Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The archpastorly kissing and love for the people who are in communion with God, to whom he humbly served, took away the untried professor of history, the meek spirit of Sir Methody to all four dazed sides of the world, everywhere where there are Macedonian children thriving, a simple small church, a chapel or a sign and mark, where the fertilizer of our spirit and obstinacy lives and works.

From Debar, Velgoshti, Ohrid, through Toronto, Chicago, all the way to the end of St.Clement's prayer, to Pert, Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong, Queenbien, New Castle, Wollongong, Port Cambla, Sydney, Richmond, and our most honorable oblivion that, today, seizes us entirely, with the anniversary: thirty years since the enthroning for prelate of the bishopric of Debar-Kichevo, twenty years since his peace and appeasement, and one blind eternity of our unconcern and oblivion for a reminding and piety toward the eternal pastor and God's servant, Sir Methody.

Pardon me, but the sort of relationship that we have with the Church, the sort of attitude we have toward the ecclesiastical, the ecclesiastics and the heavenly, is the sort of spirit, faith and serenity that we have in ourselves, they say. In the unsung prayer through the space, in the airless gates that adorn our double heaven under the ground and ashes of Clement and the row saints of all, whether we like it or not, someone has loved, no matter who, absolutely all the same, forever it will soar: the psalm, the image and the diligence of those who founded and consecrated our orthodox faith, godly prayer, and, human humility, to serve and remain servants of their people and of His omnificence. They say, Amen!

AD MAJOREM, DEI GLORIAM: For the greater glory of God! Again, amen, but it needs to be amen for something!?

In the mixer of ideological contradictions, consumer's detergent, mentality, multifold mind, half-wittedness and plural madness, all the way to rod democracy, where everyone is a human to everyone (as a paraphrase after Hobbes), we forgot entirely without esteem even those who bowed and prayed for our existence, our originality and our exaltation; those who are meek and true in spirit, similar to and friends of Sir Methody, who declared our autocephality in the temple "Sv. Kliment" in Ohrid in the historic year 1967, when the crown of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, after 200 years was now worn by a native prelate – head of an independent church. Today, as if they don't even have a shade, not even a remainder of the body in front of which we could kneel down and pray for redemption and peace of our souls. Glory to us! But, without any comment, not even one jot, not even one word, not even one absolutely ordinary little street that watches toward God, wears the holy name of the pastor – Sir Methody, as a gesture of our self-respect, dignity and most basic human upbringing. Pardon me, God forgives, guaranteed, but the time, the conscience and the future generations . . . who knows? Enough, without amen.

JOURNALISTIC HALLELUJAH: In the irreproachable account books of the time, in the eye of the 20^th century and its near consummation, it will be written: the free-minded child born of the breed bred with priests, from mother Anastasia and father Ilya, in communion with God like a little glow-worm with the name Giorgia, will bequeath and wed himself for the Spirit, the Christ's flock and all of us with a mouth full of forgotten prayer, as metropolitan Sir Methody, underwriter of the historic act for autocephality of MOC and a most honorable spiritual father with a meek course of his sanctified life.

Hallelujah to our oblivion, too, in front of the holy remainders of his body that is forever in communion with God, laying in the foundations of the church "Sv. Bogorodica – Kamensko" in Ohrid.

Instead of praise; the 1914, 1967, 1977 and the 1997^th year of God, let it be just a motive for our forgotten prayer and banishment, that by forgetting our great people we are wiping out ourselves, poor us. Enough, instead of amen!

After the fall of the ancient Macedonian kingdom and after the establishing of the Roman government in 167 BC, the territory of Macedonia has been divided into four regions. In the first region were the territories between the river Strymon (Struma) and the river Nest (Mesta), toward which some other regions east of the river Nest and west of the river Strymon were attached, Bysaltia and Heraclea Sintica. Capital of the first region was Amfipol. The second region comprised the territories between Strymon and Axios, and a part of Peonia, east of the river Axios (today Vardar), with capital Salonika (today Solun). The third region consisted of the lands between Axios and Peney, and toward them a part of Peonia was included west of Axios, with capital Pela (today Enidze Vardar). In the fourth region were the western parts, or Upper Macedonia, where Eordians, Linkesians and Pelagonians were living, and toward these lands the Illyrian regions Atintania, Timfaia, Paravea, a part of Peonia and Devriop, were joined. Capital was Pelagonia. This administrative division within the Roman Empire was kept until the end of the antique period, of course with certain expansions. Thus, during the forming of the province Macedonia there were parts of Illyria and Thessaly included toward it and within its composition Epirus found itself, too. However, most changes were made upon its northern border. Because of the frequent penetrating of the neighboring tribes (the Dardanians, the Scordiscians, Medians, etc.) Kras undertook raids against them, and after that, the northern border of Macedonia was shifted as far as the river Danube.

Toward the end of the 4^th century, Macedonia was divided into two provinces: Macedonia Prima and Macedonia Salutaris, and toward the end of the 5^th century it was divided into Macedonia Prima (with the capital Salonika) and Macedonia Seconda (with the capital Stobi).

Paralleling the change of the borders and territories of Macedonia, the ethnic composition of the population was changing, too. Thus, even in the time of the raid of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, the number of the old Macedonian population was lowered, and in the time of the Antagonidians a mass migration of the Greeks toward Macedonia came about. Then, with the fall of the Roman power, there was a settling of Italian colonists.

To sight the position of the church in Macedonia in the first several centuries, certainly, one needs to trace through the whole prefecture of East Illyria, or more exactly the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is known that in the 4^th century this part politically belonged to Rome. Then, in 395 ad, Illyria permanently passed under the power of Constantinople. Actually, the emperor Theodosius then divided the empire into two, East and West, placing his two sons, Arcadius on the East and Honorius on the West, to rule them. Solun became the seat of the prefecture. The ecclesiastical province of Solun enjoyed special reputation, because of its founder apostle Paul, the metropolitan of Solun became an archbishop, and at the same time an appellate instance for all the metropolitans and bishops in the prefecture Illyria. However, in the beginning of the 5^th century, when the patriarchs of Constantinople begun to declare themselves universal, the Roman pope opposed this, proclaiming the archbishop of Solun for his vicar in Illyria. On July 7, 415 ad, he appointed him as his deputy for the whole region that spreads from Sava and Danube to Akai and Crete. This brought a dispute where Theodosius II stood on the side of the patriarch of Constantinople. With an edict from 421 ad, he ordered the Illyrian bishops for the disputable questions to call upon the patriarch of Constantinople. However, most of the bishops remained loyal to the Roman pope. This unsettled condition remained after the first partition of the church into Eastern and Western in the time period from 484 and 519 ad. Then, the archbishop of Solun, in the clash between Rome and Constantinople, decided to belong to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and stopped to be a vicar of Illyria.

The treading of Justinian I (527–565 ad) on the Byzantine throne presented a change for the already disunited Roman Empire, because all of the wars that he led successfully had the purpose to unite and to bring back the old glory of the Empire. Relating the church, because the Eastern Church had fallen into Monophysitism, Justinian I abolished this heresy. On the other side, he made efforts to calm the patriarch of Constantinople and the Roman pope around the dispute about the borders of their dioceses. Because he was born in the village Tavrison, near the town Vederiana near Skupi (today Skopje), he built a new city called Justiniana Prima. Here, from Solun he moved the prefect of Illyria. With his Novel from April 14, 535 ad, he divided the Eastern Illyria into two church regions. He left the southern part to the archbishop of Solun, and he proclaimed the northern part an independent Archiepiscopate. He raised the metropolitan of Skupi to the level of autocephalous archbishop. The region of the Archiepiscopate of Justiniana Prima was spread over these five provinces of Eastern Illyria: Mesia First, today northern Serbia, with capital Valinacium (near Kostolac on Danube); Dacia Coastal, with capital Ricaria (near Vidin); Dacia Mediterranean, with capital Serdica (today Sofia); Dardania, with the capital Justiniana Prima; and Prevalis, with capital Skadar. Also, under the jurisdiction of Justiana Prima was the northern part of Macedonia Second, with the city Vilazor (today Veles) and a part of the province Panonia First, between Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica) and Taurunum (today Zemun). Its first archbishop Catelian accomplished the organization of the Archiepiscopate of Justiniana Prima.

Already in 545 ad Justinian I issued a second Novel, published like the first one, in volume II in the codex of "Corpus jur's civilis Romanorum" under No.121, by which for political reasons he subordinated Justiniana Prima to the Roman pope.

Out of the fragmented data about the life of Justiniana Prima we learn that from that time on, its archbishops were mainly people of Rome. One of them, the archbishop Benenat in 548 ad was accused by the Illyrian bishops because he followed the emperor's and the pope's policy and was condemned with a removal from the church. The dispute was solved on the 5^th universal assembly in Constantinople in 553 ad, when on his place, Paul was brought for an archbishop, who otherwise was his suffragan from Ulipiana (Lipljan). The new archbishop continued the share of the assembly and he is a underwriter of the assembly decision.

A little later, at the time of the pope Gregory I, the Great, (590–604 ad) the archbishop of Justiana Prima was John I, and after him Leon. The last archbishop was John IX, who in 680/1 ad participated on the Trool assembly in Constantinople. It is known that the archbishop John I, chosen in 592, was disputed by the Sredec metropolitan Felix, and then he was called by the pope for liability, where he could justify himself. After an order from the pope, the archbishop John traveled to Solun, too, in connection to the occurred dispute about the unresolved borders between the East and the West. It is also known that the archbishop John I was not always an obedient instrument of the pope. Because of crossing of his rights during the carrying out of his legation, he was punished by the pope with a 30-day excommunication. The same archbishop is mentioned also in 602 ad, in a letter of his underling bishop in the city of Duklja, sent to the pope, where he complains about some dispute that has occurred. However, soon, in 604 ad, the archbishop John died.

It is not known whether at the First Universal Assembly in Nicaea there were representatives of the church from Macedonia. However, at the assembly in Serlica, convened in the fall of 343 ad, when again the sons of Constantine – Constancy and Constance quarreled about the Arian heresy, the first metropolitan of Skopje participated together with his suffragan, the bishop of Ulipiana (today Lipljan) and represented the side of orthodoxy. The participation of church representatives from Macedonia bears witness that, already in the first half of the 4^th century, in Macedonia there were organized episcopates headed by metropolitans and bishops.

The religious problem brought about disunity among the Constantine' sons and deepened the gap between the east and the west side of the Empire. Constancy, who governed the eastern part, was an Arian, while the younger brother Constance who governed the western part, was a defender of the Nicene teaching.

It is remarkable that exactly at the time of the dominion of Arianism in the Byzantine Empire, the baptism of the Goths begun, who received the new faith in an Arian type. The translator of the Holy Scripture in gothic language, Ulfilas was laid hands on by the Arian, Eusebius of Caesarea (Pamphylia).

After the death of Constancy (361 ad), only two years (361–363 ad) at the time of Julian the Apostate, there was a renewal of the paganism. But, after his perishing, his work was buried with him.

Already in the 5^th century, the church in Macedonia was very well organized. It had many ecclesiastical provinces and episcopates. Still, among them, two were distinguished by honor – the Bishopric of Solun and the Bishopric of Skopje. Most of the Christian basilicas throughout Macedonia are dating from that time, and among them is the basilica in Skopje, unearthed at our time, on the west periphery of Skupi, near the village Bardovci.

Paralleling the good organization, the church in Macedonia had an eminent place in the Christian hierarchy, and Macedonian metropolitans were distinguished with special honor in front of the Byzantine throne. In this way, the metropolitan of Skopje, Ursuly, exchanged letters with emperor Leo the Great with reference to the assembly at Halkidon in 451 ad. At this 4^th Universal Assembly, Christian churches accepted the dogma about the two natures in Christ as "indivisible, but also not united", thus condemning the Nestorian and the Monophysite heresy. Here, the well known 28^th canon was brought, too, by which the assembly gives the pope in Rome a first honorable rank, but also equals the bishops of Old and New Rome (Constantinople) on the same level. With this, the rivalry between these two church seats was foretold, which through the time will become a bitter fight where each of the sides aimed to bind the church centers on the Balkan Peninsula to its own interest sphere. In this way, the Bishopric of Skopje at the time of the last metropolitan Yovan was joined to the Archiepiscopate of Solun, in means toward Constantinople, instead of being joined toward the Roman Pope, as it was so until then. This change, yet, caused a resistance in the metropolitan Yovan and in the Dardanian bishops, so in 494 ad they appealed to the Roman Pope Gelasy I, and returned under his direct rule.

With the prosperity of Samoil's kingdom, the jurisdiction of the Ohrid Patriarchate (Archiepiscopate) was increasing, too. In the row of the many dioceses under its jurisdiction, the following ones are kept in mind as written monuments: the diocese of Bitola, Kostur, Sredec (Sofia), Strumica, Drama, Skopje, Voden, Prizren, Meglen, Belgrade, Lipljan, Morozdvia . . . With the conquering of Larissa, toward the holy Church of Ohrid this bishopric was included, too. In 990 ad, the following bishoprics were under its authority: the bishopric of Orey, Chernish, Himor, Drinopol, Botrop, Yanina, Kozil, Peter; and in 995 ad under the diocese of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid were 23 bishoprics: Bishopric of Prespa with the region of Ohrid, Bishopric of Devol, of Glaveni, Pelagonia, Rashka, Srem, Preslav . . . All of these dioceses were annexed under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Although there are too scarce data, still, few heads of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid in the era of king Samoil are being mentioned, such as: metropolitan German, named Gavril; the metropolitan of Prespa, Nicolay, about whom there is a written hagiology, who stands on the 14^th place among the disciples of St Cyril and Methody.

When the capital of king Samoil was moved from Prespa to Ohrid, it is mentioned that metropolitan Philip was the first patriarch of Ohrid in history, enthroned in the year 1000 who governed the throne of the Patriarchate for 15 years.

The well-known chronicle-writer Cadryne mentions that, since 1016, the seat of the Patriarchate was entrusted to David. With this data, according to Cadryne, David at the same time was the last head of the Archiepiscopate (Patriarchate) of Ohrid. Soon, the Serbian estate-owners openly stood against Samoil and the Patriarchate of Ohrid, making a treaty with the Byzantine Emperor Vasily II. In 993 ad a similar treaty they made with the Croatian governor Stepan Drzislav. The power of the Samoil' state considerably weakened, the territories were narrowing, and the diocesan prelates began to separate and diverge from the Patriarchate of Ohrid. With the termination of Samoil's kingdom, the Church also had its end and fall, and so the patriarch of Ohrid had its canonic rule only in the bishoprics that belonged to the natural geographic borders of the kingdom in Macedonia, because the clerics and the believers were ethnically one and pure Macedonian.

Finally, with the collapse of Samoil's kingdom (1018), the king's breed and the aristocracy were far away from Macedonia, and so, the Macedonian people did not have his head anymore. Entirely devised and calculated, in Macedonia were appointed Byzantine aristocrats and clerics, and with the division of Samoil's kingdom, the proud Macedonian people forever lost the creators and carriers of that time's statehood and distinction. With this, the last sparkle of hope for a powerful Macedonian State and Church was extinguished.

Yet, with Samoil's kingship, Macedonian culture had its great elevation. Many cathedral churches were built and many residences for the patriarch and the metropolitans, which are indeed the inseparable part of an empire's capital as was Ohrid. For example, such are the imperial chapel, the imperial castle and other similar church buildings. Among these church buildings, the following are distinguished: the imperial residences in Prespa and Ohrid, the church "Sv. Arhangel" in Varosh near Prilep, that was his residence, resting place and eternal appeasement; where in 996 ad the bishop Andrew was buried, too.

(MACEDONIA, THE MACEDONIAN, THE SAINTS, THE HOLY ARE WRITTEN AND DESTROYED INTO NOTHING . . .)

The pious brothers, St Cyril and Methody are mentioned in the "Panonian Legends", for accomplishing God's commandments, their purity, their cordiality and holiness. In the primeval literary monument "Hagiology of our most reverend father Cyril the Philosopher", known also under the name "Kirilovo uspenie" or "A short hagiology of Constantine", in chapter V he writes to us about the missionary work of Cyril among the Macedonians along the river Bregalnica, where his brother Methody was appointed as director before he agreed with the journey stories of the missionary travels of famous court and church missions. According to this writing, Cyril preached in the lands along the flow of river Bregalnica and he succeeded to include into the Christian faith and baptize 54,000 people, while he wrote them books with alphabet in their language. For that kind of apostle work of Cyril among the Macedonians who lived along the river Bregalnica, witness is the church poem "Legend of Solun", and this for us is an historic monument with a great significance. For their missionary work, when they also created the alphabet of the Macedonian Slavs, witness bears the "Three-sided hagiology of St Methody" (written and noted down by St Clement Ohridski), too, when at that time, later on, St Methody became the first bishop of the Slavs.

The new Bulgarian ruler Simeon, blindly going after his great-bulgarian aspirations to create some kind of a Bulgarian empire upon Slavic basis, demanded from St Clement to come to Preslav, offering him the highest church position. St Clement simply did not accept this and came back to Macedonia together with St Naum. St Clement was appointed for bishop Dremvichko-Velichki in 893 ad, with a seat in Ohrid, and in this way, by God's deliberation and historic coincidence, after 1074 years, on that throne is appointed Sir Methody for bishop Velichki, former deacon and teacher of religion out of the priestly breed Poposki, from Prilep.

In 976 ad, four brothers rebels raised a rebellion in Macedonia, and definitely liberated it from the newest Byzantine dominion. They divided the state into four regions, and they governed as a tetrarchic government. Their power was short and tragic. The Vlachs killed David, Moses lost his life in Serez, and the youngest brother Samoil killed Aaron and his family. With this, a new era begun for Macedonia, with new monarchy led by Samoil, who has widened the borders of Macedonia in the wars with the Byzantine Empire. Samoil proved to be a great warrior, and so until 985 ad he conquered: Thrace, Thessaly, Greece and Peloponnesus, he reached the city of Larissa, taking the holy remainders of the enlightener Achill and with great honor he transferred them to his throne on the island Ail on Lake Prespa.

Until the creation of the Patriarchate (Archiepiscopate) of Ohrid, the religion of Samoil and his empire, the Church in Macedonia was under the jurisdiction of a non-canonic and anathematized church – the Bulgarian church, ransomed and created by the Bulgarian czar Simeon, hence it did not have the permission of the patriarch of Constantinople.

After the breaking of the First Bulgarian Empire, the diplomatic Bulgarian Patriarchate and its bishoprics were simply included into the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In the time period from 963, until 985 ad, Macedonia with Samoil little by little was liberating itself along with the Macedonian bishoprics, and Prespa was assigned as a center of the metropolitan. In those years the Church in Macedonia became a bishopric. And today, on the island Ail on Lake Prespa, there is a church named "Sv. Ahil", more known as Bishopric or Great Church among the people. In the apse of the church, the chairs of the bishops who led the Macedonian church are being kept. Not much later, the archbishop of Ohrid, Theophylacht, in one of his writings left data that an Episcopal Church assembly was held here, too.

After Samoil conquered the Serbian and Bulgarian territories and annexed them to Macedonia, in 990 ad he moved his capital and his throne from Prespa to Ohrid. He did this also with the seat of the Macedonian metropolitan, Sir Gavril.

After he proclaimed himself a czar, with an emperor's decree Samoil raised the Macedonian bishopric to the level of a patriarchate. According to Schlunberger, this act happened in the year 1000. According to one letter of the pope Icocenty III from 1002, it is said that Rome inaugurated Samoil with an emperor's crown and merit of a patriarch.

Finally, without regard to the rank, Macedonia has got its Ohrid Patriarchate or Archiepiscopate, that does not depend neither on Rome, nor on Constantinople.

Although the construction of all the churches and other church buildings can not be related exclusively with the time of Samoil, it can be assumed that Samoil and his dynasty forced not only the civilian, but also the church civilization in Macedonia. The historical sources bear witness that Samoil had imperial residences not only in Prespa and Ohrid, but also in other Macedonian cities. At the same time, he built churches and monasteries in those places, because they represented in a way, a mirror of the strength and power of the state.

On January 9, 1018, under the walls of Drach (Durrës) the last representative of Samoil's empire lost his life, king Ivan Vladislav. After this all of the Macedonian dukes one by one surrendered to the Byzantine emperor, Vasily II, who came up immediately with reorganization of Samoil' state. Out of Macedonia he created a simple vassal province with Byzantine military-administrative order in society. Yet, he didn't lay hands on abolition of the Patriarchate of Ohrid and took care to leave everything as he came upon, except that he let down the Patriarchate to the rank of Archiepiscopate, which preserved its independence and all the bishops on the territory of ex-Samoil's empire were its subjects.

With the privileges that he gave to the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, Vasily II encompassed his policy to tie up the Macedonian people toward the Byzantine Empire. After he changed patriarch David, he endorsed the Macedonian, Yovan, born near Debar, who was chosen by the Holy Synod of Ohrid, giving him the title Archbishop, with a permanent seat in Ohrid. At request of the new archbishop, the emperor Vasily II issued three chrysovooles guaranteeing the independence of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid. With the first chrysovoola 17 bishoprics were given to the Archbishop Yovan, with the second chrysovoola 13 more bishoprics, and with the third chrysovoola 2 bishoprics. At the same time, with the chrysovooles, emperor Vasily II was striving to keep the independence of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid from the grasping of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, on one side, and from the influence of the civil administration, on the other.

With the three chrysovooles, the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Ohrid was legalized, with certain exceptions, almost over the whole territory of Samoil's empire. Beside the land-ownership rights, the Archbishop of Ohrid had the right to collect a canonic tax from all subjected bishoprics.

After the death of Archbishop Yovan in 1037, the Byzantine government appointed the Greek, Leon (Lion) for an archbishop, with the purpose to make the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid and its believers – Greek. With this, the era of the Greek high hierarchy begun in the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid.

Despite that the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid remained still autocephalous, the Patriarchate of Constantinople illegally began to put its fingers in and push its own candidates not only for an archbishop, but also for all diocesan prelates, in the first row the more important and more rich Macedonian and other bishoprics. So, the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid and all its bishoprics were becoming a prey of the ambitious clerics of the capital (Constantinople), and especially a prey of the clerics of the cathedral church in Constantinople, "Sv. Sofija".

However, although those Greek prelates were wealthy rewarded, they were dissatisfied with the "barbarians", as they called the Slavic Christians.

At the time of Emperor Manuel Comnenus (1143–1180), the legal position of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid became better. Its authority was raised, and so the archbishops of Ohrid were invited to different assemblies in Constantinople. In this way, at the assembly in Constantinople in 1170, held against the heretic Constantine, the metropolitan of Kerkyra, the archbishop of Ohrid among the assembly members was on the same level with the eastern patriarchs and with the archbishop of Cyprus, and this is a confirmation for the independence of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid.

After the death of St Clement and St Naum, the Literary School in Ohrid continued to exist with the work of their disciples, who were about 3500 in number, according to the hagiology of Prostran. They dispersed throughout the, then wide, hybrid-Bulgarian state as priests, deacons and preachers. However, they were mainly engaged in transcribing the works of their teachers. Among the direct disciples of St Clement and St Naum is Constantine Presbyter, who was later bishop of Preslav. The activity of Constantine Preslavski, among the Bulgarians, who were captured by the feudal crisis, was very fruitful. He was a good expert in the Christian teaching and patrology (philosophy about church saints) ever since he lived in his hometown. In the first place, he knew the literature of St Yovan Zlatoust, he was even familiar with the Platonic style, because in his 39^th discourse, as well as in the 47^th, he states that with the works of St Yovan Zlatoust, not only the Greeks were enriched but the other peoples too.

(INSTEAD OF LITURGY IN REPOSE, FROM ARSENY TO MY SPIRIT-BEGOTTEN, METHODY)

In this way, in 1767, it was the turn on the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid. The Archbishop of Ohrid, Arsenya, allegedly, willingly gave a written nullification of the Archiepiscopate. He returned to the bishopric of Pelagonia. That there was pressure made upon the archbishop of Ohrid for his resignation from the throne in Ohrid, there is evidence in the fact that only five months later the patriarch deprived him of the bishopric of Pelagonia and appointed the bishop of Meglen, Natanail, as its diocesan prelate.

It's a fact that the archbishop Arsenya was coercively removed. The natives of Ohrid kept remembrances about the happenings around the abolition of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid through the extorted resignation, but they threw the blame for the pressure exclusively on the Turkish authorities and few of the leaders in Ohrid, enemies of Arsenya.

In that way, Ohrid after eight centuries, was abolished by the "universal" Patriarchate, not only as a center of an autocephalous church, but also as an Episcopal seat that has existed since the first centuries of Christianity. For the disgrace to be greater, the Patriarchate raised to a higher rank the following bishoprics: Kostur, Sisania, Strumica and Bitola giving their metropolitans the title exarch. On October 29, 1776, Ohrid was annexed to the bishopric of Prespa, whose bishop sometimes titled himself as bishop of Prespa and Ohrid, but already the name of Ohrid was changed into the old one "Lihnidos". All of that had the purpose to erase forever the memory about the independence of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid.

After the abolition of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, the Patriarchate of Constantinople began introducing systematic reforms in the Macedonian bishoprics with the purpose to derail the entire church and spiritual life in Macedonia from the organization and customs of the Archiepiscopate that were at force until then, and conform it with their order, as well as with the customs of the Greek Patriarchate of Constantinople. To achieve that, at first it came up to change the diocesan prelates from the autochthonous party and replace them with phanaryots who didn't know the language of their believers. They took with them some of the helpers from the hierarchy who knew a little bit Macedonian language, to be a connection between the bishop and the people. As soon as they arrived in the dioceses, the Greek metropolitans interdicted the Slavic public worship in the cities, and the diocesan prelates and their helpers – the managers, in Macedonia they were coming with a clear purpose to become rich as soon as they can, before they return to some Greek diocese. The native low clergy in Macedonia, by tradition were recruited from the order of the priestly families. Most often, the son inherited the father. It seems that only in that way the native priesthood could sustain, that without any education could accustom from the father so that it can serve.

Yet, no matter how much they knew the priestly service, they succeeded in the time of the darkest phanaryotic spiritual slavery to keep the traditions of St Clement's church and the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid.

After the abolition of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, the persistence of the Macedonian people to keep on the development of its cultural thought was opposed by the Greek phanaryotic Patriarchate of Constantinople. The high clergy in the Macedonian dioceses began to systematically exterminate the sacred faith and the Macedonian spiritual literacy.

The Archbishop of Ohrid

Arsenya

January 16, 1767

Remembered year of God

"For my pacification with this "willing" resignation, I declare that I cannot manage the depths that lay on my bishopric, neither can I go there, in the bishopric of Pelagonia, because of the hypocritical agitations of the high clergy, and because of that, I resign "willingly" and "unextortedly" from my bishopric of Pelagonia, for the highly regarded metropolitan of Meglen, my beloved brother Sir Natanail as worthy and capable to govern that bishopric. For this reason, I cordially ask my holy and respected Lord and the holy prelates of the Holy Synod to agree with that personal decision of mine . . . This "willing" resignation of mine is supported by my own signature and a seal."

June 24, 1767^th year of God

Sir Arsenya

Former metropolitan of Pelagonia

The legend in Ohrid is a witness for the nonexistence of such request for retirement from the throne of Archiepiscopate of Ohrid and the bishopric of Pelagonia, and according to this legend Arsenya was coercively removed. A request to the High Gate was submitted not only by the prelates who wanted to secede from Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, as they themselves admit in one letter forwarded to the metropolitan of Berat at that time, Yoasaf.

Instead of the head-priests serving until then, managers were appointed, mainly Greek or sympathizers of Greece who used the holy government for personal enrichment and enrichment of the foreign anti-national bishop.

. . . Immediately after the abolition of the Most holy Archiepiscopate of Ohrid in 1767, Macedonia found itself in the focus of the nasty military, political and economic fire-places. The people of Macedonia were at the center of the ravaging, massacring and plundering from all sides. The discontent was coming not only from the tyrannized Macedonians, but from the Greeks themselves, too. There emerged the "heretic" Teofil Kairi, who was unmasking the weaknesses of the phanaryotic clergy and was opposing the existing order and regulation of the Patriarchate. Among the disciples of Teofil were also these Macedonians: Ivan Dobrovski, Zaharya Strumski, Giorgi Pop-Giorgiev, Stoyan Chomakov, Petar Mishaykov, Nikola Mihaylovski . . .

The Greeks requested a distinct Hellenic church, while the Macedonians – national freedom and renewal of the illegally abolished, canonic Archiepiscopate of Ohrid . . .

200 years later, the Macedonian crucifixion of the spirit is taken down from the cross, on July 17, 1967 in ancient and eternal Ohrid by the high dignitaries, among whom is my godly reflection for "Macedonian P.S. Prayer" – the child of Anastasia and Ilya Poposki, seemingly my confession about Sir Methody.

Later on, all the regional independent churches were acknowledged by the first universal assemblies and admitted extra rights, customs and autonomy. Their independence consisted of: the independence in the hierarchy of one church from the other churches; the hierarchy rights and privileges of one church from the other; the rights of own legislation and the independence of the court; and the peculiarities of the local customs and church rites.

When proclaiming its own independence, the Macedonian Orthodox Church kept account for esteeming the spiritual unity of the churches, and it respected the canons where the basic duties are envisaged. It does not allow new teachings about the faith. It does not retreat from the common teaching of the Christ's church. It does not retreat in the governing from the basic laws of the Universal church. It does not introduce novelties in what's been left by the holy apostle traditions and in what was kept by the church throughout centuries. It does not allow breaking of the spiritual unity with the other churches, and it does not allow harming of the rights and customs of the other independent churches.

The Macedonian Orthodox Church founds its independence on the 34^th rule of the apostles, where it is said, "the bishops of every people should know the first one among them", as well as the rule No.17 from the IV. Universal assembly at Halkidon, which says, "if by king's authority a new city is founded (it means political and territorial entity) or in future such will be founded, in that case the distribution of the church districts will follow the state and civil division."

Starting from the canons, the Macedonian Orthodox Church severely kept account for its jurisdiction, or the rights and competencies of the Holy Prelatic Assembly, the Holy Prelatic Synod, for the appropriate church courts and so on. Yet, with the Constitution of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, brought in December 1960, the basic constitutive elements that bear witness to its independence were regulated, regardless of its canonic unity with the Serbian Orthodox Church through the common patriarch. According to article 1 of that Constitution, the Macedonian Orthodox Church confesses its faith publicly, carries out its service to God publicly, manages independently and regulates the religious church activities. Article 2 stated that the Macedonian Orthodox Church has its own emblem, and article 3 stated that the official language of the Macedonian Orthodox Church is Macedonian. The next ordinances of that Constitution were related to the bodies of the Macedonian Orthodox Church: the Church-Public Assembly, the Holy Prelatic Synod; to the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – the Macedonian Metropolitan, the diocesan prelates and bodies, prelatic substitutions, parishes, monasteries and so on. There was a regulation about the independent judiciary (diocesan and metropolitan court), too, and the Holy Prelatic Synod of the MOC was authorized for the offences of the prelates and of the head of the church. Therefore, as yet with that Constitution (recognized by the Serbian Orthodox Church), the organizational structure of the Macedonian Orthodox Church was in accordance with the organization of the other autocephalous churches.

Traditionally, the orthodox Macedonians, as a people, excel with deep piety and at the same time with devotedness to the church. In their history and the eight century long spiritual independence of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, they preserved their orthodox faith even in the most difficult times of slavery under the Turks. In defense of its orthodox faith, the Macedonian people gave countless of martyrs (men and women) of whom some are proclaimed canonic enlighteners. Precisely these martyrs contributed for the closely linking of the believers with their church – their spiritual mother. The Macedonian Orthodox Church, in its historic calendar, notes and celebrates numerous enlighteners and martyrs for the faith. Among them are: the saints-brothers Cyril and Methody, creators of the first Slavic alphabet; St Clement Ohridski, the organizer of the Church in Macedonia; St Naum Ohridski; the saints-martyrs of Tiveriopol; the hermits St Prochor Pchinjski; St Yoakim Osogovski; St Gavril Lesnovski; the martyrs St Giorgi Kratovski; the woman saint St Zlata Meglenska and many others. Macedonian people has expressed their respect toward them, as well as toward the other Christian enlighteners, by building numerous churches and monasteries, dedicated to them.

The church life in the Macedonian Orthodox Church, in the past and today is on a very high level, because after the creation of MOC, it has enough clerics on its disposal. Every parish has its own parson, who contents the spiritual and religious needs of his parishioners.

Taking into consideration that MOC under its jurisdiction has two dioceses among the Macedonian immigrants overseas in USA, Canada and Australia with New Zealand, the spiritual life of the Macedonian emigration is conformed to the laws and civil rights in those countries.

Slavery – national and spiritual – was the cause for many Macedonians to leave their native hearths and to seek conditions for a free life in the far world. There, many perspectives for versatile affirmation were opening in front of them, but even so, there were great endeavors from their side to preserve their own Macedonian manner, their language, and their customs and, above all, their great-grandfather's Christian orthodox faith.

It is well known that, all nationalities settled in those countries, immediately with their coming formed their religious communities and an organized church life. They were building their national churches, where clerics from their native countries were serving and contenting their religious needs in their mother tongue. Only the Macedonians were deprived of that privilege, because in their fatherland, owing to the religious and national slavery, they didn't have an independent Orthodox Church, without which in the new fatherland, too, they could not create church parishes, their priests and their organism of the church life. That is why they were forced to join the other national churches in order to content their spiritual and religious needs. However, there they were welcomed without love and unlike brothers, which is not a Christian manner. They were liable to a reckless denationalizing and assimilating propaganda from the side of those from whom they were running away and leaving their fatherland, seeking for free expressing of their antiquity and their belonging to the holy church.

Thus much, as much as a jot-two, instead of history of the root, having veins underground, from Chumovo to Canberra, from Leshok to Mississauga, and closer to here in the root that blossoms deep in the time of the twenty-first era.

Enough, instead of Amen, but with a glory!

In May, the 1958^th year of God, the Holy Prelatic Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church hypocritically tramples on its own decision and the statement of its own patriarch Vycenty and without and repentance they put anathema, before all, to their own agreement from 1957 with the Initiative Body for renewal and organizing of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Without any dignity and repentance, the Serbian Orthodox Church only encouraged and stimulated the Initiative Body to look for another solution and a final bolder solution for the future of our Church. After such a reckless act from the side of the Prelatic Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church, besides all the good intentions and ecumenical love, only from one side, the Initiative Body decides about what it should have done maybe in 1945, because it is generally well known that the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid is abolished against the canons in 1767. Because there were no canonic obstacles, this two-centuries-long injustice, will finally be righted.

After centuries and centuries of the Holy Throne, by God's deliberation for the first time the holy Gospel was put in Macedonian mother tongue and prayer.

Finally, it was like opening of the heaven – so head-priest Nestor Popovski read the Decision for renewal of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, in the name of its heir – Macedonian Orthodox Church, after the orthodox mission and existence of whole 800 years, from St Clement Ohridski, to the last archbishop of Ohrid, Arseny. In the hours of elation, universal love and joy, the Macedonian Orthodox Church will enthrone a native prelate for its head, and will put Macedonian native bishops to the Macedonian bishoprics. October 4 is engraved in the rock of the past, the present and the existence in the late night hours when even the air was a prayer, and in the church "Sv. Sofija" it was said, "for an Archbishop of Ohrid and Skopje and for a first Macedonian metropolitan, unanimously is chosen Dositey." That godly night when the 4^th and the 5^th of October were kissing in 1958, became an exaltation for the Church and Ohrid as a throne of the orthodoxy, and the ceased two centuries long sadness for the last patriarch of Ohrid, Arseny.

The archiepiscopal rod and crown, even after 200 years of interdictions, banishment and denials, were at last put on a native archbishop.

The political and anti-orthodox deeds of the Serbian Orthodox Church from May 1966 and 1967, contributed for a final proclamation of the independence of MOC. The Holy Synod and His Sanctity Archbishop Dositey went as pastors after the will of their orthodox people and the native clergy. In the account book of history, July 17^th 1967 forever will shine like a star, when the Third Macedonian Church-Civil Assembly was convened in Ohrid, as a continuation of the assembly deeds from 1958.

An open spiritual wound and the main concern of the Head of church were the native bishops, because the Serbian Orthodox Church, despite all its Pharisaism, exerted itself on appointing Serbian prelates in the Macedonian Orthodox Church. With the election and enthronement of the two prelates and the creation of the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church in 1958 and 1959 with the bishops: Sir Clement of Prespa-Bitola and Sir Naum of Zletovo-Strumica, the pain was only partly healed, and the "wound" under-cured. The key moment, as Sir Cyril, metropolitan of Polog-Kumanovo, would emphasize, is the designation of Giorgi Poposki for a future bishop Velichki, after being a monk and previously a head-priest and who would later become a metropolitan of Debar-Kichevo – Sir Methody.

With God's deliberation, but also a historic need, the Holy Synod of MOC in 1966 and 1967 finds itself in front of the holy act of an inevitable need for carrying out an election of the fifth prelate of the Holy Synod, in the name of the spirited man Nikola Poposki – a student of the Spiritual Academy of the Russian Patriarchate in Moscow, our today's history in movement and the only alive underwriter of the most holy act of the five highly sacred - Sir Cyril, today's metropolitan of Polog-Kumanovo, then appointed for a bishop of America-Canada-Australia. At that time, full of elan, ambitions, theological thrilling and a brilliant success, he was near the end of graduating at the Spiritual Academy, being put in temptation during the blooming years of his youth, from a honorable priestly lineage, yet, by fate he decides to serve to Jesus Christ, St Clement's church and his people.

On July 12, 1967, on the Holy Prelatic Liturgy in that time's Assembly Church "Sv. Velikomachenik Dimitrija", the act of enthronement of God's beloved Nikola Poposki was accomplished, now a bishop called Tiveriopolski Cyril.

All of this was only an act for the eternal moment, when the autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church was proclaimed, on July 17, 1967 at the church "Sv. Bogorodica Perivleptos", today "Sv. Kliment" in ancient Ohrid, and through the memory and appeal of the Holy Spirit, it seems that even today one can hear the prayer of St Clement and the five highly sacred in the time that was, is, is coming, will come and will go.

Instead of glorious respect and remembrance – an eternal Macedonian prayer. Enough, instead of Amen! ...

. . . "Because the longing sprouts in the bottom of my soul and that's it . . . I only want to save my helpless existence, and to clap the honored men deeply on the root and in the stomach of the time, so that the past can have a future, and the today's invalidity - future, ancientness and Macedonian unity, at least in the spirit". . .

The Initiative Body for renewal of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) shortly after that convened the Third Church-Public Assembly on July 17, 1967 in Ohrid. In the forest of believers and guests, the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, Dositey, bequeathed and united with the church tradition, in the fresh morning hours, when the mornings are kissing with the blue colors of Ohrid, crying and sad from the Samoil's pain and tragedy, on the holy July 17, a day of God, in the cathedral church of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, "Sv. Sofija", stiffly and silently called up the Holy Spirit and with this started the majestic Assembly, engraved in the rock of history. Before all, the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church supplemented and put the Constitution of the Macedonian Orthodox Church into final shape when it assigned two new church bishoprics of the Macedonian Orthodox Church: the Bishopric of Debar-Kichevo with a seat in Ohrid whose spiritual pastor was Sir Methody, and the Bishopric of America-Canada-Australia, with the youngest prelate Sir Cyril.

Later on, the Synod reported fully to the Assembly on everything related to the history and scenarios of the relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church and about the hypocrisy of the Pharisaism from the side of the Prelatic Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Macedonian Assembly of upright believers unanimously approved the acting of the Synod and with one's own Resolution, in the name of everything holy, civic and cleric, that will say, of the whole orthodox, Macedonian people, demanded from the Synod all that was glowing throughout centuries and was waiting to sparkle: to proclaim the Macedonian Orthodox Church to be autocephalous. Without golden mouth, the Holy Prelatic Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, whose members were: the metropolitan of Macedonia, Dositey (president of the Assembly); the bishop of Prespa-Bitola, Clement; the bishop of Zletovo-Strumica, Naum; the bishop of Debar-Kichevo, Methody; and the bishop of America-Canada-Australia, Cyril; on July 18, 1967^th year of God at the gala session, under the shelter of the pleasing of God church "Sv. Kliment" in Ohrid, declared the Macedonian Orthodox Church autocephalous.

1. The Macedonian Orthodox Church – heir of the renewed Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, is declared autocephalous.
2. At the head of the autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church stands an Archbishop with majesty "Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia".
3. The diocese of the autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church covers the borders of the Macedonian national state – the Socialist Republic of Macedonia.
4. The autocephalous MOC, as part of the one, holy, assembly and apostle church, receives and keeps its Holy Scripture, the regulations of all universal and local assemblies, as they are kept by all independent orthodox churches, and rejects any other religious teaching.
5. The independent Macedonian Orthodox Church is governed according to the Holy Scripture, the Holy tradition, and the principles of the Apostles, the Canons of the holy universal and local assemblies, and the Constitution of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
6. A copy of this Decision to be delivered to all autocephalous orthodox churches as well as to all dioceses and church parishes of the independent Macedonian Orthodox Church.
7. The announcing of this Decision to be performed in front of the Church-Public Assembly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the clergy and the honorable Christians on the Holy prelatic liturgy in the church "Sv. Kliment Ohridski" in Ohrid.
8. This Decision is fully applicable immediately after its proclamation.

Exposition: In making the Decision to declare the Macedonian Orthodox Church independent, as a heir of the renewed Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, the Holy Prelatic Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, directed itself by the following:

The Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, as an independent church on the territory of today's state of the Macedonian people, existed and was spreading the Christ's teaching for salvation, more than 800 years. In the fruitful activity for many centuries, in the vineyard of God, the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid was a support in the difficult times to the neighboring orthodox peoples, too.

The fruitful and pious activity of the autocephalous Archiepiscopate of Ohrid was stopped on June 18, 1767; when with an irede (decision) of the Turkish sultan Mustafa the 3^rd it was abolished; after this its bishoprics joined the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Instead of digression, in the historical confusion of events, the following will be written . . .

GENEALOGY

The vine-sprout of priests – Poposki, has born its fruit starting from priest Ilya, somewhere at the end of the 17^th century, through priest Alexa where the vine-trunk releases its branches and revives into 12 priestly families. Tracing for the vein of the genealogical root of the dignitary Sir Methody, the gene and biblical flux are put in order like this: priest Kostadin, presbyter Kata Adji-Kochoska, priest Gregory, Savka Palashoska (first teacher at the Virginal School in Prilep, who was later on teaching in Kukush), the God-loving Ilya Poposki and Anastasia Noshpaloska, Rada and Nikola, Stevan, Gioko, Ramona, Boginya, Kate and Andro Kuzmanoski, Marika and Angielko Kovachevi, Kostadin and Magda . . . up to the core of my motive and your worshiper and teacher of theology, metropolitan Methody or cleric Giorgi Poposki (1914–1976) and his presbyter, may God forgive her, if there is forgiveness, because He has forgiven her in no-time at all, Vasilka Spaseska (1918–1963).

So, there were born and multiplied in the "vineyard of God", the children and descendants of the Macedonian worshiper, like this, orthodoxly and worshipingly, in order: Glygor and Stevka Poposki (Koleska); Evgenia Poposka – after Risto, Nikoloska; Vasilka Poposka – after Martin, Treneska; and so there follow the children and heavenly glow-worms: Galena, Maria . . .

Straining the juice of the squeezed out talk of one of the oldest vine-sprouts from the breed and lineage of priest Ilya, grand-father Mile Brashnar will say, "I've heard about the forefathers and grandfathers, but I have also read about them from written title deeds and documents. Our breed is priestly from times immemorial, and it will stay written forever.

With my Giorgi, the beloved and appreciated priest from Prilep, afterwards Macedonian bishop, I was growing and playing since I was a child, because he was my contemporary, person of same age. Both of us were born in the same year of God – 1914. Both the hunger and the bread, we were dividing them brotherly and in half. If you want me to tell you much – I don't remember, but I know that he was like a handful of water in the palm, with little blue eyes like two pieces rent from the blue sky.

In winter we were molding tobacco, in autumn we were studying letters and writings, and in summer we were helping at the shops in the Old Market, but Giorgi, my Goga, was a different child, proud by nature, strong by look and character, clever for studying and science. Our ways were divided into two.

I, together with grandmother Mare, made a home and a place to seat, I created a household and a family. Father Giorgi married Vasilka . . . A heavenly small beetle that had no age and no cure, so she went away young, silently, meekly and straight into paradise.

Priest Giorgi, as he was named by everyone, lonely and honorably was living his days. He was helping and giving, but never asking. He was like that since he was a deacon, and he remained so as bishop. Even after his corporal death, he did not earn and he did not take anything, except the honor, the censer and the prayer that is remembered by everyone.

If you forgive me and if you come again, I will talk to you until tomorrow and tell you everything, because I cannot do anymore, my mouth became dry, and my thought runs far away, because, my son, I remember a lot, but I forget at once, and I think it was yesterday, not long ago, now . . ."

At the core of the eminent craftsmen Ilya Poposki had a notable place, and so he was a prominent citizen even in the eyes of that time's government, at first Turkish, and with the new slavery, Serbian occupational boot. His trade, and at the same time a lively political activity were appreciated in Solun and in Vienna, where he sojourned, and in Prilep he was known as Ilya the Machinister, assigned by the Austrian company "Singer" for Whole Macedonia. Ilya had his own clients, shops, and for this reason within the time period from 1890 to 1920, he often sojourned and lived in Solun and in Vienna.

The apprehensive respect or self-respect toward the parents, their word, decision and the opinion of the elders were and meant a law, without complain and word.

The future vocations and professions were cut out beforehand for all children, so after finishing the elementary school, the agreement was opened, and the word-law said, "You, Giorgia, will study theology, for priest, you this, you that, and so on . . ."

The news about the bequeathing of the new student of theology was brought to him and told by his uncle Tode Noshpal, then a minister in the Government of the People's Republic of Macedonia. The loving and tame spirit of little Giorgia was breaking in himself, wanting to say, to tell, that he wants, thinks and needs to study some other science and practice, but the word was a law, the bequest bequeathed and that's it, enough, finish, end . . .

After successfully graduating at the School of Theology in Bitola, the deacon Giorgi Poposki returned in native Prilep, where he was teaching theology, but with an intention to continue his education or priestly work. His first service of God was as parson in the village Lagovo. However, in those imperial–hungry times when even the maize-bread was a luxury, and the trade and crafts meant everything, his uncle Tode Noshpal came and said to him, "Nephew Giorgi, I know that you are not gonna accept this, but that's life; we need a literate man, that's why we need you as a secretary in the County . . . and so we decided that you leave the black cloak and come as a secretary and officer . . ."

The gentleness in a moment became volcano. From the blue, calm, sleepy little wells – fire sparkled, and the tame boy in black long cloak, stood erect and risen in front of his uncle, in front of the word that was a law, the decision that was everything and sacredness, and God-lovingly he said to him, "That – no! This holy cloak I will not change for anything! I pledged myself to God, I pledged myself to you, I pledged myself to me, myself. That's it! You can do whatever you want, but the priest cloak is stronger and more sacred than anything else. I decided, you judge."

Everyone remained stiff. Only the muteness was left over to stitch the space and the tame walk of the deacon which remained so all until his physical end, and today with his spiritual existence. The priest cloak, the censer, the cross, the icon of Jesus and Mother Mary and the rod, denoted his life and poured off my "Macedonian P.S. Prayer."

The priest's wife everyday would pour him water in the pan, would make the sign of the cross in front of the table, and would ask him gently, "I say to myself, to tell you or not, to ask you or to die down, fade away, but Goga, I must – our life is difficult. It's poverty I know, but you have children, it's not fun . . . so, let me ask you: about the rent, the shops, tell them to pay you, to give you, it's so little, but anyway – it's enough . . . so . . ." Father Giorgi would look at her mutely, lovingly would spark her with his sight, he would sit at the table with a wordless prayer, and before sunset when he would go on "Evening prayer", he would tell her by the teeth, as if he is singing something in his mind, "They pay me, Vasilka, they pay me . . . People give, they pay their debt; they don't have, they don't earn, but they give. They take out from their morsel, they lessen to their children . . . they are fair, they are people, but . . . they give . . ."

Prilep at that time was just a crusty end, a little bowl, a handful of space, a handful of people, and so every day or on holiday you would see each other, you would find everyone, you would break a couple of words, a talk, in front of the church, in shop, in front of the gates, on the fountain, at Old Walkway . . . Vasilka Spaseska–Poposka was a moving silence, a bug that doesn't step on a bug, but once, God wanted so, when returning from church, here, in front of the houses of Minoski, she met the wives of their renters. I tell you, I ask you, I told you, who died, who was born and that's all . . . finish, and so one of the women thanked her, "May God give you health, Vasilka, to you, and to your husband and to your children! The craft-shop doesn't run well, the craft is weak, no money; but, thanks to God, priest Giorgi is a man of the age, he carries a soul, has a heart, he knows what means poverty, penury, destitution . . ."

Vasilka cooled, chilled standing, something chopped her as if into two pieces, and so poured all over by the talk, she went home and said nothing to her master, money-hater and rich man of his soul and all other souls. Priest Giorgi Poposki was doing this until the end; at the end of the month he would take out from his pocket that much money as he should have taken from his renters, and he would bring them home, as if, see, everything was paid, reimbursed and clean, although the father used part of the money for the needs of the church "Sv. Blagoveshtenie". And the cleanest of all remained his spirit, conscience and money-hating character. The rest is just a prayer!

of Atanas Badev.

The echo, of the artillery deafness, after a century and a quarter, still rips the spaces of Prilep, the holy surrounding around the church "Sv. Blagoveshtenie", echoing the psalm and song through the infatuated silence, from the ringing voices of the first Church choir, founded in 1870, by the churchman, conductor and "bishop" of church singing, the pride and the oblivion of Prilep, Macedonia and wider, in the chiming that I listen today, mutely and deafly, with the middle ear of my remembering, oblivion and respect toward Atanas Badev, a student at the Viennese Music Academy, and father of the choir singing which today is only a slaughtered stillness and an echo that hums, lasts and warns about our "deafness", toward the proud, the great and the plain messengers of what was, lasts and will remain forever as a remembrance and oblivion.

Digging after the rainbows of the past, today God's psalms are still spilling, forever remembered and bound through the garden-beds, the altar, the iconostasis, and the holy courts of the Old Church of "Sv. Blagoveshtenie", sung and spilled through the ages on the upper terrace of the church and from the terrace of Badev's life.

In the arson of the charred Macedonia, the first Church choir turns to ashes, along with the activity of the completely forgotten Viennese professor of music, our spiritual psalm-singer, and the echo of our church bells of the consciousness, mixed up with our disrespect, mischief, and lovelessness.

In the spiritual library of the mind, the talks and the recollections, only the data caught in trap tear me asunder, for the knowledge, that exactly bishop Methody, restored the Church choir of Badev, and irrevocably returned to us the dead echo of the Church choir or my personal In Memoriam, instead of liturgy in repose of Atanas Badev. I will finish, but I don't put neither an end, nor a dot, because the echo wrapped up the centuries-old stillness, rips, cracks and roars more than a cannon does . . .

The deacon who became a priest, known and called by the people as priest Giorgia, began his priestly mission of God at the center of all Macedonia, absolutely and exactly in the nerve of Pelagonia, in the village of Lagovo, in the beginning of the '40s of this century that is gone.

Village Lagovo for him was a spiritual call of that time, and today it is a crossroad that divides Macedonia, a hitch that connects it and unites it into one. On the south toward Aegean Macedonia, back to Skopje, on the west towards the seat of St Clement and Arsenya, and on the northeast with the saints icon-written in the monastery "Sv. Nikola" in Prilepec and the antique ruined church of the Middle Ages, "Sv. Spas" under the village Volkovo.

The year of God – 1963, God will take to Himself and by Himself in no-time and forever the proto-presbyter – the wife of priest, Vasilka Spaseska–Poposka.

With pain deeply planted in the bottom of soul and in the center of heart, father Giorgia will continue his priestly mission from Lagovo through Prilep, Varosh, all until the eternal heavens.

The most sublime rank of the deacon from the School of Theology in Bitola will take place through the enthronement on March 13, 1966 on the Holy Prelatic Liturgy at the church "Sv. Blagoveshtenie" in Prilep under the heralding of Archbishop Dositey, Sir Clement, Sir Naum and the whole sung or unsung space that remembers, knows, eavesdrops on the walls of time, and remembers within the existence that props on prayer and preachment . . .

Their holy mission, will unite the Macedonian originality, division, forgetfulness and nostalgia.

At that time, somewhere in the '60s and '70s when the Macedonian man was left alone, deserted and capable for nowhere, without a prayer, forgiveness, cross, singing and baptism, he will melt and unite into one religious community through the prayer of the worshippers who will sanctify the first temples of God from the Macedonian Orthodox Church within the whole Macedonian immigration community. Our man, the Macedonian, or the chosen Macedonian flock of Christ, will not carry anymore clod of soil so that he can kiss his holy fatherland, but now, behind the altar, in front of the courts and through the prayer of the holy missionaries, all over the world he will be like at home, in front of God, St Clement, everyone, in some broken off geographical borders, in one iron-geometry of the spirit, he will be sung, baptized, wedded, forgiven and exalted, no matter where he is: in Toronto, Mississauga, Sydney, Chicago or Rochester.

Not counting all the missions of Archbishop Dositey, Sir Methody, Sir Cyril, Sir Clement, Sir Naum, today's present Archbishop Mihail and the entire clergy, who at that time laid the foundations for our churches and monasteries, and with this they praised highly the honor of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the renewal of the Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, that today is only given a final touch by our prelates and the entire priesthood with the Most Reverend monkhood in collaboration with all the believers, scattered and sown all over the world, we will leave the history, the geography of our spirit, the built temples of God, the sung liturgies, the prayers, the sanctifying, the stillness of the past and the photographs shifted and placed in this monograph, to talk about it, and dumbly, with few words, to provide evidence and express the most holy Macedonian prayer, this time titled as P.S. Prayer for Sir Methody.

Counting the history, time and missions of the dignitaries, it will be mentioned, as a crystal reflection of the countless reflections, about the visit of the metropolitans Methody and Cyril and their service in the church "Sv. Giorgi" in Melbourne, and their 30-day sojourn in Australia, as well as the service in the Macedonian parishes in: Perth, Adelaide, Geelong, Queenbien, New Castle, Wollongong, Port Cambla, Sydney, Richmond . . . , along with the live history of our clergy Methody Gogov (Archbishop Mihail). Throughout the space or the no-space of Australia, the servants of God will pass-by 45,000 km, and during this time two new-built churches in Perth and Queenbien were consecrated, as well as the House of Culture of the Macedonian parish in Adelaide and two church places in New Castle and Wollongong where later on two more God's temples of the Macedonian Orthodox Church will be built.

The communion and the rejoicing exclamation, and the dignity that was done to them by the metropolitans Sir Methody – of Debar-Kichevo and Sir Cyril – of America-Australia-Canada still today shines with all of the warmth and kissing unceasingly for decades. On their services, the churches, the rooms and the picnics were "full" and "dense" as an eye. Out of the memory and recollections of proto-yerey Giorgi Kacarski, a priest of that time in Adelaide, he will say: "On the services of God there were about 3–4,000 believers, and the delight and joy could be touched by hand. A delegation of six members went over the Ocean, and in Macedonia only two of them came back, because the people were retaining us, the priests, for their needs, love and life."

Metropolitans Methody and Cyril were received with special piety, and about the respect and their High priestly dignity there is evidence in the welcomes by the Australian government and the dignitaries of the Anglican Church, as well as by the city-mayors of all the cities they were visiting, then the media: television, radios and press.

The communion and the rejoicing exclamation will repeat in New Castle, too, on April 23, 197...–something, where lots of Macedonians are living, during the sanctification of the church place for the future temple of God by the Metropolitan of Debar-Kichevo – Sir Methody.

Fluttered and with great eagerness our people welcomed Sir Methody and Sir Cyril accompanied by the priest of Melbourne – Methody Gogov, when with hunger and thirst they listened to the service in their mother tongue – Macedonian, and the preaching of Sir Methody and Sir Cyril, and at that time rejoicing tears were flowing upon their soul and their cheeks. After the sanctification, the service of God and the kissing of the holy right hand, our church dignitaries were welcomed by a representative of the Anglican Church, who, among other things, said: "I appreciate very much your nation, the Macedonians as people; and I'm especially happy that you as bishops are here, and we are ready to help you anytime you need."

The evening, on April 24, New Castle was Macedonia minor. "Teshkoto" (The difficult dance) was spilled, "Majko Makedonijo" (Mother Macedonia) was heard, "Bapchorskoto" (The dance of Bapchor) was danced. All Macedonians were united into one, and among them were the Australian minister for labor questions Galy Johns and some eminent people from the government of Australia – Samy Johns, Yenks, Pourue, Ferson, Vellier, Michael, a representative of the Greek Church – Sir Giorgias and many other representatives of the public and cultural life of Australia.

Pulled out of the oblivion or remembrance, only an event or two rent from the eternity, are sufficient to discover, to see and to follow the entire mission of the High dignitaries, this time of Sir Methody and Sir Cyril, sometimes of the rest, like a prolonged and united mission of Apostle Paul throughout Macedonia. Say Amen, 'cause it's Amen!

to the end!

M.R.D.

June 7–18, 199...

all the same which year of God

I will not say that God wanted so, because everyone says so. But, here, in the winter, on February 25, 1976, the little son of Popovci, the great-grandson of clergymen and my inspirer, your Sir Methody – Metropolitan of Debar-Kichevo, was deceased. Glory to him!

Physically severed by pain, temptation, and before his end, the dignitary was brought for treating in Sofia, Republic of Bulgaria. With all the honors and all the care, the well-known writer Venko Markovski visited him in the hospital, and pursued him, for material reasons, to assign and write up himself as Bulgarian only at the reception list of the hospital, so that he does not pay anything as foreigner and undertake all the surgery operations.

In spite of the fact that he respected very much Venko Markovski as his friend, notwithstanding the pursuit by the Bulgarian physicians, Sir Methody rejected these suggestions.

Cut deeply in the most sacred, birth-giving vein of the Macedonian root, Sir Methody gently just asked to be immediately returned back to Macedonia. In corporal weakness and in physical end, but with an iron-spirit, crucified between the life and the appeasement, he decides to do the same as he did half a century ago when it was asked from him to take off the priestly cloak. A comparison or a coincidence – I don't know; but, same as St Clement of 1000 years ago when he rejected all the given church-Bulgarian honors, also the spiritual greatness of my smallness – Metropolitan Methody does the same, he returns to Macedonia.

With an amputated leg and at the physical end, Sir Methody departs mutely, with spirit full of prayer, faith and sermon.

Today, now, after 20 years of his appeasement, instead of eloquence for respect and conclusion, I will only add several years of God written and engraved deeply in the cerebrum or the cerebellum of the Universe: 1767, 1967, 1976, 1997, the rest, to me is only a prayer toward the holy remainders of the body, appeased in the most holy cornerstones of the church "Sv. Bogorodica - Kamensko" in ancient Ohrid, and in God knows which time disputatious Macedonia. Holy, apostolic and only ours. Thanks God!

(I SAY A WHOLE DAMNATION OF THE WRITERS' PERPLEXITY)

nothing . . .

The uncaught preachment, and the unsung prayer of the dignitary, Sir Methody, physically and mentally dried up on February 25, 1976^th year of God. The pain all combined into one, made the space of Macedonia to cry, and so did the hearts of all people who knew him, have seen him and respected him. In the physical consummation, they say, and it is that, the most reverend bishop, tired out and exhausted, stood up at once and it was as if he departed forever, so to say, at the time when one could see with his eyes how the spirit separates from the flesh. Prilep remained noiseless, the space became still, and the body was exposed in the church "Sv. Blagoveshtenie" on February 26, when file of people came for the last time to see the Macedonian worshipper, who was buried in Ohrid with highest church honors and interments by Archbishop Dositey, Sir Naum and Sir Cyril.

His immortality, preachment, holiness and appeasement only commenced the fable for this monograph, connecting by itself the missions of Apostle Paul, St Clement Ohridski, Theodosius and his meekness, Sir Methody, into a simply holy story about his dignity, humbleness and love of mankind.

Instead of my damnation, or writer's perplexity, I say to myself: "To live and to be just a part of what he was, is sometimes, maybe even always, a holiday of the dying itself. The end and the prayer of Sir Methody, forever will remain only a beginning, of the end that nobody will sing, because the song itself is again a most holy prayer, and his existence is a story in history and vice versa; full stop, enough, and glory to Him!"

(SUPPOSE IT'S AN AFTERWORD)

kingdom of heaven!"

Asunder to pieces in the thoughts through the corridors of time, past tense, perfect tense, damn present simple and future simple tense, and spiritually stiff in my own trap of my deliberation, in the silence rung from the unsung prayer of my motive, heavenly built in the subconsciousness and conscience of the orthodoxy as Sir Methody, or a glow-worm and child of the empire of priests, of his bread Poposki, now already definitely perplexed by his squeeze of words, historiographies, geographies, events, ceasings, saints and saints of all, I think, or only faint, that with no golden mouth I only dazed the sacred words and the sermon of the great honorable man, his deeds, meekness, appeasement and service, united and bound in an abstinent literary-historiographic story, endeavoring with repentance only to touch in the iris of the past, his mission, sustainment and eternal spiritual existence as a fresh scar through the space and time that some people, maybe, in some entirely regular afternoon, with a look and a horizon through the blind window of the world, they will call it or deny it, like this, like that or not at all, which is right now perfectly all the same to me, if not even absolutely.

Tearing apart my "grammar", more like a repentance, I was running away from my stereotype like a dog, in order to cast barely on arranging of rows and rows of words, historical data and facts, theses, phrases and paraphrases, bare historical numbers and letters, with an endeavor and silently to tear asunder the little soul of the simple, the sincere and the philanthropic. Maybe it's amen!?

In the sand of our genesis, only mentally I was washing the brilliant little stones which were drawing and creating the mosaic about the lifelong journey of the servant of God, the child and the fruit of Anastasia and Ilya Poposki, like open gates for my challenge, more like hagiology, or a repentance about my weakness, at least mentally to reach his preachment, the look that follows me, the prayer that I, somehow, warm myself, unite and merge with, in its infinity.

In the most sacred, opened a bit gates of the big time, shortly and lamely I measure my grammar of the spirit, about the weakness or power to paint with words, pronouns, adjectives and other outlined words and letters, the image and the work of the little child of Varosh-town, the student of theology, the deacon and the teacher of theology, and before all the meek pastor and historical underwriter of the act of all times on July 17/18, 1967^th year of God and ours, for renewal of the most holy Archiepiscopate of Ohrid, the bishop Velichki, metropolitan of Debar-Kichevo, my shivered obsession, Sir Methody, who, together with the most reverend chief-priests, heirs of St Clement: Archbishop Dositey, Sir Clement, Sir Naum and Sir Cyril, enthroned and restored the honor of our orthodoxy, with the meekness of the spirit, with the love toward God, in the ancientness of Ohrid, in the face of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

In the whirlpool of insignificances, annihilations and nothing, sentimentally burdened with events, destinies and happenings, in my oblivion, anyway I walled in the picture of the lineage arranged in order and rows in rows; from cleric Ilya, devoted to God and a hermit of 300 years ago, through 12 generations of clerics and priests, until my greatest inspiration in the humbleness, divinity and imposing meekness of Stevka Poposka, as a most sincere reviewer, from whom I obtained the whole loquacity, oral and pulled out of the bottom of the soul, and so through Mile Brashnar and a whole gallery of dead writings and living people, perhaps I only scratched, or just I deafly sang the Macedonian (forgotten) prayer for Sir Methody, now empty from insignificances and nothing, but full, without repentance and love toward the whole grammar of this unfinished sermon of my soul. Instead of infinity, not being able, not knowing how to put and end, now, anyway, I finish. Forgive me . . . !

June 22, 1997th year of God

the Author

Literary-critical review

. . . AFTER COUNTLESS OF MACEDONIAN PRAYERS

Never in my life I have felt such a weakness and challenge. Never until now in my modest critical-essayist thought, I have felt such a barrenness and emptiness, such an ignorance and misfortune, tremor and fear. Never in my life, my experience was smaller and poorer than a grain of sand, than a foam that will blow up and disappear. Well, is this the end when the dumb word hangs somewhere far away, somewhere deep and it seems to you that you will never tell it, nor you will arrange word by word what rolls to you, what shades to you in a thought, but the thought doesn't exist. Ignorance. Emptiness. Out of reach. From what?

Not from the author, as I could not hurt him in my judgement, neither from the book delivered to my hands couple of days ago. That anxiety, I think, in a moment overwhelmed me entirely, from the theme, too big, out of reach and most sacred that I sow. That's why, may God protect me from sinning about the Most Holy Macedonian Orthodox Church.

"Macedonian P.S. Prayer" all-present inside of me and around me, in space, in this or some other time, past or future, does exist. Created, re-created, and now even written in a non-classical form, it digs, it rolls inside of me, it exalts, opens wide my eyes and I hear like from a little known space through an all-present voice, along the secret ways, along the strange ways how it comes to me.

This is how Milan R. Durlo, after a countless of Macedonian prayers, uttered, not uttered, pulled out but not plucked, tries for who knows which time, with a loud voice to tell his and our "Macedonian P.S. Prayer".

Sometimes poetical, metaphorical, through plenty of archaic notions, sometimes dry, historiographic, one in another time, united, bound between each other, they continuously last. They last outside of the regular stereotypes for communicating certain matter, which, for Milan R. Durlo seem to be unknown. This is because of his exuberant nature and because of the self-reliance as one of the most important attributes of his spirit.

Maybe this is why Mr. Durlo permanently wanders and burning up through such a multiplied searching through, he strives to melt down, to communicate himself in what he has made.

So, such will be the approach even in his newest literary work "Macedonian P.S. Prayer", where the author will build up his Godly thought and prayer through the forgotten recollection about the blessed image of the servant of God, Sir Methody, but also through the excavation and of the very deep and ancient roots of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and will present them to the contemporary public.

That's why, conscious about the too heavy burden that he will load on his back, conscious about the responsibility that he will taste and be fond of, with anchoritic patience, prayer and repentance, overwhelmed by holy thoughts, with eloquence and with respect he will tell and write the many-year story about the God-loving, "our father of all, teacher of theology and metropolitan Sir Methody". This is at the same time a tame and warm, life-descriptive, with hand untouched and only with spirit embraced story about the genealogy, about the three-century long priestly service "bred within one breed" and rooted from one root. Could they, stubborn in love, be pulled out by anyone? The three centuries, through which they will pass and will plough a holy furrow, do not remember neither retreat nor hesitation. From here, such a story worthy of respect and remembrance, the author cannot observe clearly without decanting it into what really is, because without this story, the mosaic would stay empty for a little stone, for a grain of truth, for a breath of past.

And exactly because of this, he insists and tracks for unearthing by layers, for the dusty recollections through which the truth and the foggy past discovers for us, but also for the breed of anchorits and teachers of theology from whom Sir Methody tasted the first communion and holiness.

Here it is, as a fresco that is uncovering to us holy, it glitters behind the layers of mortar, out of this time that seems to us difficult and trailed. In this way "Macedonian P.S. Prayer" finishes weaving tamely, far away but so close, so melodious. And not only for the metropolitan of Debar-Kichevo, Sir Methody, not only for his breed of forefathers – servants of God, not only for the sacredness and the light of one cutting from the time, but also for the birth and the walk of many centuries that was done by the Macedonian Orthodox Church, for the Golgothas through which it will pass and will endure them, for the self re-creation and renewal from the bottom, from the inside of the soul itself, as if it was teared, not as a crumb, but as light, as hope, this pretty tightened and dense story about our orthodoxy.

That's why, may God give us countless of "Macedonian Prayers" as such to be made into books, to reach us, and that what seems to us so far away, so out of reach, suppressed in our madness, to sparkle and enlighten it, so that it can remain for ages and forever, and our faith and religion to last in the most holy, heavenly root itself.

GRANDFATHER BISHOP

In the hollow of my thought about You, and in the sinews of the history, entirely unintentionally I ran away from the stereo-type – as a copy about You and Your preachment, so endeavoring not to sink into documentation and chronology, absolutely "accidentally" (through a pictorial monograph and scenic acts) many-centuries-long holy menaces were bounding, since Apostle Paul and his mission in Macedonia, through St Clement and Naum, Theodosia, up until You, the sanctified bishop, even today, July 19, 1997, around 13 hours, when for the second time I stand in front of Your holy remainders and I organize my mono-dialogue. In the missions and centuries assembled in a second, I went in front of the holy remainders of St Clement, and with repentance again I was touching and caressing the holy bones, and finishing, but also starting (in a mental manuscript) the hagiology about Sir Methody. In the nerve of my remembrance, I recollect on the words of the appeased, grandfather Gavril, who told me in one occasion: "Son, there is no more such a tameness, purity and preachment . . . The bishop Methody, was a hermit, so noble and pious, who truly was united and wedded with the Church and the Word of God . . ."

I am now finishing, overwhelmed by the echo of the ceremonial heavenly liturgy for You and Your deed, blessedly appeased!

July 19, 1997

VOCABULARY OF NAMES AND CHURCH EXPRESSIONS

Sv. Blagoveshtenie = St Annunciation

Sv. Spas = St Redemption

Sv. Kiril i Metodij = St Cyril & Methody

Sv. Bogorodica = St Mother Mary

Sv. Arhangel Mihail = St Archangel Michael

Sv. Ahil = St Achill

Sv. Prechista = St Most Pure

Sv. Sofija = St Sophia

Sv. Velikomachenik Dimitrija = St Great Martyr Demeter

Konstantin = Constantine

Yovan = John

Ilya = Elijah

Giorgi = George

Yosif = Joseph

Samoil = Samuel

Dzinot = The Giant

Solun (Salonika) = the most important city in Macedonia

bishop Dremvichko-Velichki = bishop of Dremvica and Velica

proto-yerey stavrofor = one rank higher than priest

stavropigial monastery = not for visit, only for high priests

archimandrite = the head of a monastery or a group of monasteries in an Eastern church

chrysovoola = an excerpt of a church document or decree

phanaryot = a hypocrite like the Pharisees