Wellwishers came out in force at their parish priest’s retirement.
God’s House in Corby was full of parishioners who came to worship at Father Radmilo’s last Divine Liturgy in Corby on 12th June. Many of them had prepared to partake in Eucharist on the day of Pentecost.
The community in Corby perhaps represents the largest in the parish and worshipers of all ages came to observe the service. They stayed on to show their appreciation for their parish priest and his wife Protonica Seka at a retirement party which followed.
The farewell party was held in the adjoining hall with Serbian music and refreshments flowing.
Father Radmilo told parishioners that the site of perhaps their greatest joint successes was evidenced in the very place they stood - the renovation of St Elijah the Prophet’s Church. From almost the moment Proto had joined the parish back in November 2024, he became aware of the serious deterioration of Britain’s second purpose-built Serbian Orthodox temple. The roof had been unable to defend the interior from rainwater causing wet rot and damaged iconography. Other structural problems had also been identified.
It was thanks to the hard work of specific individuals in the community and the generosity of those in Corby and across the parish that Proto’s project to save St Elijah’s was completed and the whole property is now better than ever.
During the service, Father Radmilo presented local parish board members with gifts of a handsome certificate of service in Serbian and English and a prayer book each.
As well as Corby, all members of the parish board (in all towns where a final Liturgy was served) received a gift of a handsome certificate of service in Serbian and English and a prayer book, which was a personal gift, for their dedicated work and enduring cooperation with Proto during his 7-8 years work in the parish.
Apart from Bedford and Corby, farewell services were also held in Letchworth on May 29, Peterborough on June 18 (together with Russian priest Fr. Evgeny and his parishioners) and Northampton on June 19.
Corby parishioners gave their sincere thanks to Proto and Protonica for their dedication to the town and community, expressing their ‘appreciation and thanks from the bottom of our hearts’.