BISHOP DIMITRIJE: MEMORY OF PREBILOVCI MARTYRS IS PLEDGE OF RENEWAL

PREBILOVCI, AUGUST 6 /SRNA/ – His Grace Bishop Dimitrije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and the Littoral said today that the faithful people, by coming to Prebilovci, preserve Serb dignity and know that the martyrs of the Lord are a source of hope and a pledge of the renewal of a nation.

"Thanks be to God that we have martyrs - God grant that we do not have persecutors among our own people, and then we will have a future and find our path before God," Bishop Dimitrije said in his sermon following the Divine Hierarchical Liturgy at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Prebilovci near Čapljina, where the Holy Martyrs of Prebilovci and Lower Herzegovina are commemorated today, along with the 85th anniversary of the crimes committed against the Serb people in this village and across Lower Herzegovina. Bishop Dimitrije stressed that people should know how to appreciate this sacrifice and the mystery of God’s love, which cannot be explained. "We come to this place and rejoice. Blessed are we that we have saints from our own people," Bishop Dimitrije said. In his sermon, the bishop spoke about God’s love, which, he emphasized, is so great that it desires eternal communion with His creation. "He showed that love on the Cross and, by rising from the dead, gave us hope for eternal life - hope that this love never ends and will never end," Bishop Dimitrije said. The bishop said that all churches and monasteries, all places where liturgy is served, could be called Ljubostinja - a dwelling place of heavenly and divine love, like the monastery built by Princess Milica in memory of heavenly love. "All the saints among our people lived by eternal love, as did the Holy Martyrs of Prebilovci. May God grant that the flame of that love touches our hearts as well," Bishop Dimitrije said, thanking Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, as well as Bishops Kiril and Pajsije, for attending. Bishop Dimitrije blessed the faithful and wished that their hearts become pure mirrors of God’s love. He also expressed special gratitude to Serbian Government Minister Nenad Popović, who, he said, helped build the monastery guesthouse together with other believers. "The residents of Prebilovci come and preserve their village; some live there. May God grant them every blessing, and may children begin to be born there again," Bishop Dimitrije said. The annual commemoration in Prebilovci brings together descendants of victims, believers and numerous officials with the aim of preserving historical memory and paying tribute to the innocent victims. Among those attending today’s commemoration were Serbian Government Minister without Portfolio responsible for international economic cooperation and the social position of the church in Serbia and abroad Nenad Popović, Serbia’s Consul General in Mostar Vaso Gujić, Republika Srpska National Assembly deputies, representatives of municipalities in eastern Herzegovina, and numerous faithful from Herzegovina. The massacre in Prebilovci took place between Aug. 6 and 11, 1941. Under the command of Ustasha commander Ivan Jovanović Crni, 830 residents of the village, mostly women, children and elderly people, were killed. Most were thrown alive into the Golubinka pit near Šurmanci, not far from Međugorje, while others were killed at different locations. The persecution completely wiped out 57 Prebilovci families, leaving no surviving members.