On Friday, 9 October, Savremena International School celebrated the day of St. John the Theologian, its patron saint.

Both students and employees welcomed the priest early in the morning so that he could perform the sanctification act and the ritual of carving the cake.

This was a special day for all of us, since this has been the first time Savremena marked its School Day. In a festive spirit, students and teachers listened to the priest’s sermon about St. John the Theologian.

The school’s host was a student Aleksa Cvetković who greeted the guests and helped in the ritual of cutting the ceremonial cake. When the time came, all students gathered around and partook in the ritual.

The previous week was characterised by marking the School Day. Even though the students heard and learnt a lot about St. John the Theologian from their teachers, they showed interest in the priest’s preaching about one of the most famous Christ’s disciples.

Who was St. John the Theologian?

The Apostles were Christ’s disciples. There were twelve of them in total. One of them was St. John the Theologian. His brother Jacob and he were fishermen. Those who were chosen by God to follow Jesus left their fishing nets and went after him. They were his faithful apprentices and loyal disciples. However, of all the apostles, St. John the Theologian was Christ’s dearest. Jesus’ love towards him was so grant that the Gospel says he was the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. The reason for this was his benevolence and great wisdom.

This “son of thunder”, as Christ addressed him because he knew that his preaching would reverberate like a thunder and fill the land, was the first one to define divine power as love. St. John the Theologian, the writer of Gospel and the Book of Revelation, assured the world with his faith, love and good deeds that on a road to truth and discovery, good teachers are equally important as faithful pupils.

Why have we chosen St. John the Theologian to be our patron saint?

The symbol of St. John the Theologian is an eagle, a bird that flies high conquering heavenly expanses. All Savremena’s students are little eagles to whom we wish to give wings so that they could conquer future horizons with their knowledge and potential.

As the Christian thought was spread with the help of St. John the Theologian, so we hope our students to become noble young men who will enlighten the world with their knowledge.

More photos in gallery.