Twenty-five years ago, on February 2, 1999, His Eminence Metropolitan Iriney of New Gracanica fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 84. He had suffered from a debilitating stroke since Lazarus Saturday 1996. The late Metropolitan was buried in a place of honor at the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God – New Gracanica Monastery in Grayslake, Illinois, built at his hands, by his cherished friend of old, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle.

The Serbian Orthodox Church in specific and Orthodoxy in general remain truly indebted to this remarkable man of God. His primary legacy is seen in bringing the New Gracanica Metropolitanate back into the fold of the Serbian Orthodox Church in February 1992, thus ending a tragic schism which began in May 1963. His Eminence will long be remembered for the legacy of his remarkable and manifold building accomplishments: “Building Churches, Building Peace and Building Charity.”

Metropolitan Iriney was born on September 6, 1914, in Vrnchani, Serbia to Sreten and Kristina Kovacevich. At baptism, he was given the name Milan. As an excellent student, Milan himself became a teacher. During World War II, he was taken prisoner by the Germans and remained in a prisoner of war camp until the end of the War. Following the War, he completed graduate theological studies at the Theological Faculty in Dorchester, England, and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, New York. He also graduated from Columbia University in New York with a master’s degree in philosophy.

In 1953, Milan was received into the brotherhood of St. Sava Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois, where he was tonsured a monk, given the name Iriney, and subsequently ordained to the diaconate and priesthood. In 1963, he was elected vicar bishop for the then separated Serbian Orthodox Diocese in the USA and Canada. In 1984, Bishop Iriney was elevated to the dignity of Metropolitan. In 1992, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, at the hands of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle, Metropolitan Iriney was received into the communion of the Serbian Orthodox Church and installed as Metropolitan of New Gracanica.

The accomplishments of this tireless worker are indeed impressive, spanning a great variety of interests. He built two diocesan centers, four monastery churches, three children’s summer camps, a seminary and was instrumental in the founding, building and consecration of so many other churches throughout the United States of America, Canada, Western Europe and Australia, endowing the Serbian Orthodox Church with many new and thriving centers. His keen interest in education led to the establishment of a prolific diocesan press. The Metropolitan’s love of our summer camp programs can be attested to by numerous campers throughout the Serbian Diaspora. Under his guidance and spiritual leadership, the New Gracanica Metropolitanate prospered and flourished.

Metropolitan Iriney’s interests and activities were never parochial, in that they were never limited only to the benefit of the Serbian faithful. He was always mindful of the rightful place of his flock within the greater family of Orthodox Churches worldwide. With the 1990’s outbreak of civil wars in our Serbian lands, he turned his attention to the plight of thousands of refugees in dire need of humanitarian aid. His late Eminence devoted his time, effort, and resources in his compassion for the destitute and suffering refugees, soldiers, prisoners, and orphans. His talents and energies were channeled toward the establishment of funds and collecting resources, and shipping food, clothing, medicines, and hospital supplies. Making more than 20 trips to the former Yugoslavia, Metropolitan Iriney worked closely with Patriarch Pavle, the Philanthropic Fund of the Serbian Orthodox Church and, most notably, with International Orthodox Christian Charities – IOCC.

Metropolitan Iriney fully immersed himself in his involvement with IOCC, becoming its great benefactor and an avid humanitarian. With the establishment of IOCC in 1992, His late Eminence undertook an assessment trip to the war zones of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Then and many times thereafter, he comforted the sick, wounded and maimed in hospitals, offered spiritual consolation to the soldiers on the front lines and the villagers and monastics in the surrounding areas and encouragement to those who accompanied him, of which we write in deep personal testimony. As one of the Metropolitan’s greatest loves was children, his infectious smile radiated joy and his pockets were always filled with treats for the orphans and the poor. His was truly the visible face of human compassion radiating from our Church in the Diaspora.

For his tireless efforts on behalf of suffering humanity and generous gift of self, IOCC was honored to present His late Eminence with the Crystal Globe Award in Chicago, in May 1996. As he had already been stricken with his illness and was unable to be physically present, an emotionally overwhelmed audience listened attentively to the words of his speech, which he had prepared and left on his desk prior to his debilitation, together, yet again, with a check for $50,000. In his own unique manner, Metropolitan Iriney was always faithful to his cherished causes.

Gratefully, we remain profoundly indebted to His late Eminence for his abundant paternal love, and magnanimous ministry testified to in his genuine concern for and nurturing of Orthodoxy through the reconciliation of the Serbian Orthodox Church, education, publications, building, humanitarian endeavors, and constant giving of self for the good estate of his Church, its clergy, monastics and faithful who he devotedly served.

May his memory be eternal!

+IRINEJ

Bishop of Eastern America