Serbian Memorial

On Saturday, we were asked by our Serbian friends here in Thessaloniki to come to a Memorial Service in honor of all those who perished at the hands of the Croatian Nazis during World War II -- this included 25,000 Jews, 10,000 Roma ("gypsies"), and 600,000 Serbs.

The service took place in the church inside the memorial dedicated to the Serbian soldiers who fell in Greece during World War I. The chapel sits in the middle of a graveyard for those soldiers.

You can see the monument in the photos above and below.

While I was serving with two Serbian hieromonks and a deacon, our friends helped Pelagia watch the babies. Above, Michel, an Orthodox convert from Africa who is studying here, is holding Paul. Below, our Bosnian Serb friend Milenko is holding Phoebe.

Here are the babies at the entrance to the chapel.

Here we are during the service.

Pelagia and Phoebe are standing at the door of the small chapel during the service.

Afterwards, a professor from the Theology School who specializes in Slavic Church history, gave a short talk about the history and meaning of the sacrifices made by the Serbs during World War II.