Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Vasilije Tomić
Encyclopedia
Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Vasilije Tomić (Serbian Cyrillic: Протојереј-ставрофор Василије Томић); (born 14 January 1949 in Korenita
) is a Serbian Orthodox priest and theologian
.
In 1973, he obtained his university degree in theology
from the University of Belgrade
.
, to parents Stanko and Ivka, née Popović, both farmers.
On the day of St. Elijah he was taken to the Holy Trinity monastery at Tavna
where he was to spend the summer holidays with his aunt, Abbess Anastasija. He soon developed a lasting bond with his aunt and it was decided that he should remain at the monastery.
While residing at Tavna Monastery he finished the first four grades of elementary school. He completed his elementary school studies in Janja
, also near Bijeljina.
In 1964, when the renovation of the Seminary in Karlovci
was completed, he entered the Seminary.
He spent two years in Germany
working on his post-graduate studies. He completed one semester at the Roman Catholic School of Theology at the University of Regensburg
and three semesters at the University of Tübingen. His field of study was religious pedagogy.
In 1980, he obtained a B.A. at the School of Philology
, Department of the Serbo-Croatian language
and Yugoslav Literature at the University of Belgrade
.
He married Gordana (née Majstorović), a native of Čačak
in 1973. God blessed them with three daughters: Anastasija (1974), Dobrila (1976) and Jelena (1979), and gave them a wealth of eight grandchildren.
On November 29, 1975 His Grace Longin (Tomić), Bishop of Zvornik
and Tuzla
, ordained him into the rank of deacon and on December 1 of the same year, into the rank of presbyter.
He was assigned parish in the city of Tuzla where he served as parish priest until the feast of the Dormition in 1977. That same year he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci, to the church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade. In October 1978 he was assigned to one of the parishes of the St. Mark's Church in Belgrade where he served until leaving for the Diocese of Canada on July 1, 1986. His Grace Georgije, Bishop of Canada, placed him as parish priest in Niagara Falls
. In 1987, he was transferred to the church of St. Sava in Toronto where he served as one of the parish priests until 2010 where he transferred to the church of St. Archangel Gabriel in Richmond Hill
.
He has contributed to most of the well-known church periodicals and for a short period of time was editor of the Pravoslavlje (Orthodoxy) magazine, the official newspaper of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He was editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine of the Canadian Diocese called Istočnik (The Fountain) for nearly 20 years.
He is the author of A Heart Aflame with the Fire of God, a collection of homilies published in 2002 and The Unbound Word of God in 2009.
He is a member of the Association of Writers of Republika Srpska and of the Association of Writers of Serbia
.
Ugljevik
Ugljevik is a municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality located in the eastern foothills of Mount Majevica, in picturesque countryside, where wondrous and beautiful mountain starts descending towards the flatlands of Semberija, to which it is tied more than any other...
) is a Serbian Orthodox priest and theologian
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
.
In 1973, he obtained his university degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
.
Biography
Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Vasilije Tomić was born on the feast day of St. Basil (Vasilije) on January 14, 1949, in the village of Korenita, near BijeljinaBijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
, to parents Stanko and Ivka, née Popović, both farmers.
On the day of St. Elijah he was taken to the Holy Trinity monastery at Tavna
Tavna Monastery
Monastery Tavna is located in the southern part of the Bijeljina municipality. The date of foundation is hidden somewhere in the shadows of the far past. The cronichles of monasteries Tronosha and Pech say it was built by Dragutin's sons Vladislav i Urosic. Stefan Dragutin was the King of Serbia...
where he was to spend the summer holidays with his aunt, Abbess Anastasija. He soon developed a lasting bond with his aunt and it was decided that he should remain at the monastery.
While residing at Tavna Monastery he finished the first four grades of elementary school. He completed his elementary school studies in Janja
Janja
Janja is a town in the Bijeljina municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity. Janja is located in Podrinje region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Janja is famous for the rivers Janja and Drina. Many people from Janja who now live in different countries...
, also near Bijeljina.
In 1964, when the renovation of the Seminary in Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci is a town and municipality in Serbia, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, situated on the bank of the river Danube, 8 km from Novi Sad...
was completed, he entered the Seminary.
He spent two years in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
working on his post-graduate studies. He completed one semester at the Roman Catholic School of Theology at the University of Regensburg
University of Regensburg
The University of Regensburg is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on July 18, 1962 by the Landtag of Bavaria as the fourth full-fledged university in Bavaria...
and three semesters at the University of Tübingen. His field of study was religious pedagogy.
In 1980, he obtained a B.A. at the School of Philology
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology
The Faculty of Philology is one of the constituent schools of the University of Belgrade. The school's purpose is to train and educate its students in the academic study or practice in linguistics and philology.-History:...
, Department of the Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
and Yugoslav Literature at the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
.
He married Gordana (née Majstorović), a native of Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...
in 1973. God blessed them with three daughters: Anastasija (1974), Dobrila (1976) and Jelena (1979), and gave them a wealth of eight grandchildren.
On November 29, 1975 His Grace Longin (Tomić), Bishop of Zvornik
Zvornik
Zvornik is a city on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town Mali Zvornik lies directly across the river in Serbia, and not far north is Loznica.-History:Zvornik is first mentioned in 1410, although it was...
and Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, ordained him into the rank of deacon and on December 1 of the same year, into the rank of presbyter.
He was assigned parish in the city of Tuzla where he served as parish priest until the feast of the Dormition in 1977. That same year he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci, to the church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade. In October 1978 he was assigned to one of the parishes of the St. Mark's Church in Belgrade where he served until leaving for the Diocese of Canada on July 1, 1986. His Grace Georgije, Bishop of Canada, placed him as parish priest in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
. In 1987, he was transferred to the church of St. Sava in Toronto where he served as one of the parish priests until 2010 where he transferred to the church of St. Archangel Gabriel in Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
.
He has contributed to most of the well-known church periodicals and for a short period of time was editor of the Pravoslavlje (Orthodoxy) magazine, the official newspaper of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He was editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine of the Canadian Diocese called Istočnik (The Fountain) for nearly 20 years.
He is the author of A Heart Aflame with the Fire of God, a collection of homilies published in 2002 and The Unbound Word of God in 2009.
He is a member of the Association of Writers of Republika Srpska and of the Association of Writers of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Published books
- Oganj u srcu razgorio (A Heart Aflame with the Fire of God), 2002
- Riječ Božija nesputana (The Unbound Word of God), 2009