Two Churches, One Parish
Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church of San Gabriel sits on a busy stretch of South San Gabriel Boulevard in the San Gabriel Valley, just minutes from Interstates 10, 710, and 605. The parish belongs to the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church and gathers under the spiritual leadership of His Grace Bishop Maxim. Although the current sanctuary in San Gabriel was consecrated in 1984, the parish itself is more than a century old, with roots that reach back to the first wave of Serbian immigrants who settled in Southern California in the early 1900s.
St. Sava is, in fact, a single parish with two church buildings. The original St. Sava Church of Los Angeles still stands in East Los Angeles, while the newer and larger St. Sava Church of San Gabriel serves as the parish's main house of worship. Both belong to the same family of believers, the same governing board, and the same Sunday Liturgy, and a service is still held on the last Sunday of each month at the older Los Angeles church.
The Pioneer Years in East Los Angeles
The parish traces its beginnings to the Serbian Benevolent Society Jedinstvo, organized in May 1903 by early settlers from Boka, Hercegovina, Montenegro, and Vojvodina. The society acquired land at 2nd and Humphrey Street in East Los Angeles for a cemetery, and that land was consecrated in 1908 by Father Sebastian Dabovich of San Francisco during a day rich in Serbian tradition: roasted lamb, kolo dancing, gusle, and song. One of the men watching reportedly said that whoever was the first to be buried there would be blessed. He was buried there the following year, in 1909, and his gravestone, that of Petar Bakoc, can still be found in the cemetery.
The pioneers soon turned to building a church. A special committee of well-known parishioners - among them Gilgo Dabovich of Trebinje, Dusan Cerovina of Ljubinje, Milivoje Pekich of Drobnjak, and Lazar Simovich of Niksic - raised donations for the project. A piece of the cemetery land was donated for the church, and in 1910 Father Sebastian Dabovich, the first Serbian priest born in America, consecrated the new St. Sava Church. It was the first Orthodox church built in Southern California.
Far from the diocesan center in Libertyville, Illinois, the parish took several years to align with the Serbian American and Canadian Diocese, which was organized on November 1, 1921. St. Sava Church officially joined the Serbian Diocese in February 1927 at a meeting of the congregation at which Bishop Mardarie Uskokovich was personally present.
The Move to San Gabriel
The San Gabriel chapter of the parish opened in 1956, when long-time member Charles S. Barzut donated a house with a large adjoining lot. In 1962 the parish began to build a church hall at 1640 South San Gabriel Boulevard. The hall was completed and consecrated in May 1963 by Bishop Dionisije and the then parish priest, Father Marko Malovrazich; it was the last building blessed by Bishop Dionisije before the division that split the Serbian Orthodox Church. Four parishioners - Bozo Milinovic, Vlado Margetich, Nikola Ratkovich, and Mike Perko - signed collaterals to help the parish secure its construction loan.
For years the parish worshipped in a chapel on the second floor of the hall, with adjacent rooms for Sunday school. Long-time member Bozo Milinovic told the new priest that his challenge would be to build a new church next to the hall. The first step came on April 12, 1981, with the election of a construction committee chaired by Petar Kujundzich, with John Pecel, William Radulovich, Nick Kavic, Stanley Vukoje, George Gustovich, and Nick Pekovich. Construction began on May 20, 1981.
On October 28, 1984, the new St. Sava Church was consecrated by Bishop Gregory, with every bishop from the United States and Canada taking part, together with Metropolitan Jovan of the Zagreb Diocese, who represented Serbian Patriarch German. The parish priest personally brought the Holy Relics of the Great Martyr Prince Lazar for the dedication.
A Byzantine Sanctuary with a Renaissance Touch
St. Sava Church in San Gabriel carries an unmistakable Byzantine profile, with soaring rosettes and a height that recalls the Church of St. Lazarus (Lazarica) at Krusevac. The architect, Konstantin Zurdumlis, was of Greek descent and was raised in Krusevac, which explains the kinship. A year after the consecration, in March 1986, the parish hired Sirio Tonelli, an Italian artist from Florence, to create and install the mosaic iconography in the church interior. Mr. Tonelli had previously decorated Serbian and Greek Orthodox churches in the United States, and his mosaic was made in Florence in a Byzantine style touched with Renaissance spirit.
The iconostasis, specially hand-carved in oak, was imported from Greece. All the icons have been painted by the Serbian artist Dragan Jasovic of Belgrade. Through the years the church has been featured on Huell Howser's television program Visiting with Huell Howser, which brought visitors from across Southern California to see the work.
Divine Liturgy on Sundays
Divine Liturgy is celebrated every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at 1640 South San Gabriel Boulevard. The services are served in Serbian, English, and Church Slavonic, and the music is led by the parish choir. The standing posture is the traditional one for Orthodox prayer, and the faithful stand for the Gospel reading, the Little and Great Entrances, the Anaphora, the distribution of Holy Communion, every priestly blessing, and the Dismissal. Visitors who prefer to sit will find pews, and chairs or benches along the side walls are available for the elderly and infirm.
On major feast days and the eves of feasts, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served, a Lenten Vespers with Holy Communion reserved from the previous Sunday, an ancient Orthodox service that the parish has celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Great Lent.
The Choir
The St. Sava Church Choir was established in 1954 by the parish priest Iguman Dimitrie D.D. Balach, when the congregation was still worshipping in the small church in East Los Angeles at Second and Humphries. With the arrival of Father Petar Jovanovich in 1980, the choir reorganized and has been a continuous presence ever since. In 1988 the choir was inducted into the Serbian Singing Federation; in 1995 Bishop Jovan bestowed an Episcopal Gramata of Recognition; and in 1996 the choir performed at the 55th annual SSF festival in Los Angeles.
From 2008 to 2018, the choir was directed by Natasha Milatovich, with Sonja Popovac filling in whenever needed. At the beginning of 2019, Dr. Ekaterina Timofeeva stepped in as choir director and has continued the work of musical refinement that the parish treasures.
Sunday School and the Kalemegdan Folklore Group
Sunday School classes are held every Sunday immediately after Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion, with a curriculum that includes Orthodox Christian Education, the Serbian language, Serbian history and culture, church music, and Serbian folk dance (kolo). Children prepare special presentations for parish celebrations such as Badnje Vece and the Feast of Saint Sava. The school year opens with the Service of the Invocation of the Holy Spirit, and a suggested registration donation of $100 per child helps support educational materials, classroom resources, and cultural activities.
The Kalemegdan Folklore Group adopted its name in 2002 and became an official church organization in 2009. The group has performed at church events across Southern California, on Serbian national television, in Republika Srpska and Montenegro, and at the American Film Institute. A particular honor came when the group was invited to perform at a Beverly Hills fundraiser alongside Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked tennis player at the time. The parish also holds an annual Folkfest, begun in February 2010.
The Circle of Serbian Sisters
The women's organization at St. Sava was originally known as the St. Sava Women's Auxiliary. In 1996, under Bishop Jovan Mladenovic, it was renamed the Circle of Serbian Sisters and adopted the Cover of the Holy Theotokos as its patron saint day, or krsna slava. The sisters prepare the food for Sunday luncheons, organize church celebrations, run bingo operations, and cater weddings, christenings, and funerals. Each year the sisters travel to St. Sava Camp in Jackson, California, for a spiritual retreat two weeks before Easter, with a special akathist to the Holy Theotokos and a guest lecture on the spiritual life.
Seniors, Soccer, and the Bookstore
The St. Sava Seniors Club has been active in the parish for decades. Every second Thursday of each month, the seniors meet around noon at the church for a lunch and fellowship, and their example of steady love and support for the parish is a model for the rest of the congregation.
The Ravna Gora Soccer Club was founded in 2000 alongside the parish and is the only Serbian soccer club in the country that carries the name of a church. The club celebrates Saint Demetrious as its patron saint every year. About thirty members make up an open division and an over-40 division, and they play tournaments organized by Serbian communities across the Western United States, gathering every Saturday from across the greater Los Angeles area on the church soccer field.
The St. Sava Bookstore was established in 2005 by the former pastor, Father Petar Jovanovich, and Mrs. Vida Chenich. It carries Orthodox writings in Serbian and English, icons, prayer books, akathists, censers, candles, baptismal and wedding items, prayer beads, CDs, and greeting cards, and every year on the Feast of St. Sava the staff presents 100% of its profits to the church. The bookstore is open every Sunday immediately after Divine Liturgy and during most feast days and parish celebrations.
The Hall and the Grounds
Saint Sava Hall, the 7,000-square-foot hall completed in 1963, is available for weddings, corporate events, and community gatherings, with soaring ceilings, warm maple-wood accents, dazzling chandeliers, a fully equipped stage, and space for up to 500 guests. A smaller bar area is ideal for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The grounds include a beautiful playground for young guests, a large soccer field, and over 100 parking spaces, with easy access from Interstates 10, 710, and 605.
Visiting Saint Sava
Visitors are warmly welcomed at Saint Sava. The traditional posture for prayer is standing, especially during the Gospel reading, the Little and Great Entrances, the Anaphora, the distribution of Holy Communion, every priestly blessing, and the Dismissal. Candles may be lit on entering the church, but not during the Epistle or Gospel readings, the Entrances, or the sermon. When venerating icons, the faithful kiss the Gospel, the scroll, the hand cross held by the figure in the icon, or the hand or foot of the person depicted, never the face. Lipstick is blotted before venerating an icon, kissing the cross, or receiving Holy Communion. The priest's or bishop's hand is greeted by asking the blessing with the right hand over the left, saying Father (or Master, for a bishop), bless.
Modest dress is the norm. Women wear dresses with backs and modest necklines, or dress pants. Men wear collared shirts, buttoned to the collar. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts with writing, athletic shorts, and revealing clothing are not considered appropriate for the sanctuary.
The parish holds more than a hundred parking spaces on its lot. The parish hall and grounds include a playground for the youngest visitors, and the St. Sava Bookstore is open every Sunday right after the Liturgy, with icons, prayer books, candles, and other Orthodox items for the home.
Beliefs and Spiritual Life
Saint Sava is an Orthodox Christian parish in full communion with the Serbian Orthodox Church and the broader Orthodox tradition. The parish teaches that the Divine Liturgy is the heart of Orthodox life, that the saints are living members of the Church, and that the Church is not the memory of something that has passed but a living presence. The parish proclaims that Holy Father Sava, the first archbishop and enlightener of the Serbian people, is the spiritual father of the Serbian Orthodox faithful and the guide who leads to eternal life.
The spiritual life of the parish extends well beyond the Sunday Liturgy. The Sunday sermon archive goes back many years, with sermons from Father Predrag and His Grace Bishop Maxim, in both English and Serbian. Pilgrimages have been part of parish life, including a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Athos, led by Bishop Maxim and Father Predrag, that included visits to nine monasteries on Mount Athos and to Hilandar, founded by Saint Sava and his father, Saint Simeon the Myrrh-streaming. The pastoral message at the heart of the parish is to stay committed to the Orthodox faith, to stay committed to the Kingdom of God, which begins with the Divine Liturgy.