A solemn Divine Liturgy marking the Feast of All Macedonian Saints was celebrated on Sunday at the Cathedral Church of St. Clement of Ohrid in Skopje. The service was led by Archbishop Stefan of Ohrid and Macedonia, who also marked the 40th anniversary of his episcopal consecration.

The liturgy was attended by numerous faithful and concelebrated by metropolitans and bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric. The anniversary of Archbishop Stefan’s episcopal ministry formed part of the celebrations honoring the spiritual heritage of Christian saints and ascetics associated with Macedonia.

The Feast of All Macedonian Saints is observed on the first Sunday of October. Rather than commemorating a single saint or a small group, the feast honors a broad group of Christian ascetics who lived and carried out their spiritual missions in the lands of Macedonia. Church lists include several dozen saints, while also recognizing numerous other known and unknown ascetics.

Among the best-known figures commemorated are Saints Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the Slavic literary tradition and missionaries to the Slavs, as well as Saints Clement and Naum of Ohrid, disciples of Cyril and Methodius who continued their educational mission and played a major role in the development of Christian culture in the Ohrid region.

The feast also commemorates Gabriel of Lesnovo, Prochor of Pčinja and Joachim of Osogovo, monks and hermits associated with some of the major monasteries of the Balkans.

The list of saints includes martyrs such as George of Kratovo, who was killed for his Christian faith in the 16th century, Agathangel of Bitola, and the 15 Martyrs of Tiberiopolis, also known as the Martyrs of Strumica. Women martyrs are also commemorated, including Zlata of Meglen and Kyrana of Thessalonica.

This year’s celebration coincided with the 40th anniversary of Archbishop Stefan’s episcopal consecration. He was tonsured as a monk on July 3, 1986, at the Monastery of St. Naum of Ohrid. On July 12 of the same year, he was consecrated bishop in Skopje and appointed Metropolitan of Zletovo-Strumica. He later headed the Bregalnica Diocese.

In 1999, Stefan was elected head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and, on October 10 of that year, enthroned as Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia.

Addressing the faithful after the liturgy, Archbishop Stefan spoke about the significance of the Macedonian saints, emphasizing that their legacy should not be viewed solely as a matter of historical memory. He also pointed to the personal responsibility of believers, speaking of the “church” that, in his words, every person must build within themselves.

The bishops congratulated Archbishop Stefan on his anniversary and wished him many further years of service.