On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, a group of students from the Jackson Academy Global Studies program traveled to New York City to participate in a Model United Nations conference, starting their experience with a lecture at Fordham University by His Grace Bishop Irinej. The group included a diverse collection of students from Stark County, Ohio, looking to sharpen their understanding of global diplomacy, negotiation, and international relations prior to the international conference in Manhattan.

While the conference itself offered valuable opportunities for growth, one of the most impactful moments of the trip came during a special lecture at Fordham University by Bishop Irinej of Washington-New York and Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church, hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.

His Grace spoke with clarity and depth, drawing from his own firsthand experiences in diplomacy during the late 1990s and early 2000s. During that tumultuous period, particularly surrounding the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, formal diplomatic relations between the Serbian government and the United States were strained or nonexistent. In that vacuum, the Serbian Orthodox Church often became an unexpected but vital bridge for communication and advocacy.

Bishop Irinej shared compelling personal accounts of his efforts, including a critical moment when he appealed through Senator George Voinovich and his connections to the U.S. Military to help protect Gračanica Monastery and subsequently Visoki Dečani Monastery, both treasured medieval monasteries and UNESCO World Heritage sites. At the time, Gračanica faced credible threats from extremist groups seeking to destroy it, and if successful, moving on to Dečani. Through diplomatic persistence, efforts were made to safeguard this sacred and historic place.

Despite their long bus journey, the students remained fully engaged throughout the lecture. They listened attentively and posed thoughtful, probing questions that reflected both curiosity and maturity. One student asked, “How do you engage in diplomacy with people who are openly hostile towards you?” Bishop Irinej’s response was both simple and profound: “Stand firm in your truth.”

Another student followed up by asking how he managed fear or intimidation when placed in such high-stakes situations. With characteristic humility, Bishop Irinej replied, inspired of a homily of the late Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: “Stand confidently, and be assured, but with trembling knees.” His words captured the balance between courage and humility, a lesson as spiritual as it is practical.

His Grace also pointed out how much difference one can make in diplomacy in speaking of how he had arranged for a delegation of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church to meet  with Kofi Annan at the United Nations. Given proper preparation, they were able to secure protectorate zones around most of the key monasteries of Kosovo. The same have proven to be a vital source of stability for safeguarding these sacred edifices from destruction and their inhabitants from harm.

For the students of Jackson Academy, the lecture was more than an academic exercise. This lecture was a living encounter with the realities of diplomacy, faith, and moral conviction. In a world often marked by division and tension, they were reminded that true diplomacy begins not only with strategy, but with integrity, courage, and a steadfast commitment to truth.

Protopresbyter Aleksa Pavichevich

Canton, OH