Most Reverend Metropolitans of Montenegro and the Littoral, Mr. Ioannikije, Mileševski g. Atanasije, Budimljansko-Nikšići g. Metodije, Mr. Zahumsko-Herzegovina Dimitrije and the reverend bishops of Buenos Aires and South-Central America and the administrator of the Metropolitanate of Zagreb-Ljubljana Mr. Kirilo, Dremvitski Mr. David, Pakrac-Slavonian Mr. Jovan and Diocletian Mr. Today, Paisius served the Holy Service of God, which was presided over by Metropolitan Ioannikije.

During the service, at the small entrance, the canonization of the Holy Martyr Mihailo (Barbić) took place. The act of canonization was read by archpriest Igor Balaban.

After the reading of the gospel, Metropolitan Ioannikije spoke with an archpastoral sermon, while after cutting the celebration cake, Bishop Kirilo spoke.

Metropolitan Joanikije pointed out at the beginning that the newly canonized priest-martyr Mihailo (Barbić) lived his short earthly life in great effort for the glory of God and led a life filled with meaning and good deeds, and that he followed Christ on a thorny path.

"Thus, from his youth, or rather from his childhood, he wanted to be a priest, following the example of his great uncle - archpriest Sava Barbić of Dubrovnik, who was also a martyr of Christ from the First World War. Young Mihailo was educated as much as possible at that time in Krtoli, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Sarajevo, knowing languages, wanting to accept the gentle yoke of Christ, i.e. priestly service, as soon as possible. And he wanted to serve in his Boka and that exactly in his hometown of Krtoli, although he knew the biblical word: There is no prophet's salary in his place.

The priest-martyr at that time, the Metropolitan of Dabrobosna, a great personality, one of the first victims of the Ustasha-nationalist occupation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, when he saw young Mihailo, in his early twenties - energetic, intelligent, full of faith and zeal, a talented, good singer, ready to receive priestly service, he wanted to leave him with him in Sarajevo, to be his fellow servant, but he wanted to go to his homeland. He was the parish priest of Morinj, and then of Krtolj, a religious teacher, and then a military priest. What do we see? That he was honing his character all the time. He was also engaged in writing. He published both shorter and longer articles in the church press. A great patriot. Founded patriotic associations, the car of Serbian sisters, motivated the youth, was a magnet for the young world. When he asked the Bishop of Bokokotor, Kirill, a man whom a priest said had an angelic soul, and when he asked him to transfer to the Krtol parish, he said wait, there will be time for that too. He saw his great success in the Morinjska parish and wanted him to continue there. Later he, during the time of the Metropolitan, and later the Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo Dožić, came to Krtole. Finally, he returns to his place, his homeland, his friends, his relatives and starts a great work.

One of his of great works is the beginning of the Prevlaka Monastery restoration. Celebration of the jubilee of the Church of the Holy Trinity, in memory of Katarina Vlastelinović. The then Metropolitan Gavrilo Dožić came to visit him and was so pleased with his work that when they greeted each other, he hugged him and kissed and blessed him like a father to his son. The big, stoic and somewhat rude, but great authority Gavrilo Dožić, to show such feelings towards his priest, it rarely happened. When God reveals his saints, then every little thing from their life is seen from a new angle, from a heavenly perspective. Did the great and spirit-bearing Metropolitan, later priest-martyr Petar Zimonjić, have a premonition that, at that time, the young theologian would be his co-servant in the kingdom of heaven as a priest-martyr? Did Bishop Kirilo of Bokokotorki, who had the soul of an angel as one priest said, see in the young priest Mihail a man of angelic zeal and angelic service? I guess that there was also that, but how does it all happen?

God's people, especially those who are great movers like Mihailo, cannot go through their life's path without envy, without encountering mischief, pranks. If the Lord Jesus Christ was slandered and disgraced and crucified by people from His people, then what should those who follow in His footsteps to the end expect, and Mihailo suffered that fate unfortunately, from his relatives, we can say blood brothers, but from very close acquaintances, some parishioners. However, those were times of great trials, wartime, bad times, the people were divided and the priest-martyr Mihailo, as much as he could, pacified the people, saved people's lives, protected his flock, did his best to help his people as much as possible, but such distinguished priests who can drag the people down with a sword got in the way, you know who. To those who took over power at that time. Defamed in the most shameful way possible. However, all those slanders turned out to be lies very quickly. First of all, if Mihailo was really guilty of something, they would prove it, they would judge him and they would announce that he did it.

However, there was no trial, no verdict, but torture in the infamous Kotor prison. We do not know exactly, there is a tradition that he was strangled there and that he was thrown into a septic tank, after that pit was emptied... So, he is like Christ the Lord who suffered on the cross, through his suffering he became like Christ's cross and His suffering and His death, but just as the Lord Jesus Christ glorified himself through his suffering and through his resurrection he appeared as the conqueror of death and through his resurrection he ushered us into the glory of his victory and new eternal life, that is how the priest-martyr Mihailo, following Christ, earned the eternal crown of God's glory and justice. As the Holy Scripture says: The righteous are remembered with praise and their souls are in the hand of God. Even after his martyrdom, everything was done to erase his memory. That his name should not be mentioned. We can only imagine how his family fared after the war. But, God's providence was like this - they lost their father, but they got a saint, a priest-martyr as the protector of their home and as a prayer leader before the throne of God, so from this moment today we can look back and say that this family was chosen by God and rewarded and honored by God.

But, of course, that honor came through great suffering. So, all those lies, which were thrown at the priest-martyr Mihailo, were quickly debunked and you see, one moment. It is one thing when a man suffers clearly and honorably in front of everyone and everyone immediately sees that his suffering was honorable, but it is a much greater suffering when a man suffers for Christ honorably, but is slandered, and I am fully convinced that the glory of those who both suffered and were slandered is much greater, so it turns out that those slanders were false and here, God has revealed his glory. Who was the first to debunk the lies about the priest-martyr Mihail? A man from Krtolan, from whom this could hardly be expected at that time. Ideologically, he was once on the other side, but according to his conscience, he very bravely and honorably testified and debunked the lies that were thrown at the priest-martyr Mihail Barbić. That is the venerable Vasko Kostić - we must mention his name, and in recent times, he made a little more effort about it and his beautiful life was written by Professor Nenad Milošević, and when we got to know Father Mihail's biography, we decided to propose him to the Holy Synod of Bishops, for our Church to count him among the saints, which was done in the most solemn way, at the session of the Holy Synod of Bishops in May of last year, without any objection.

Simply, his glory shone from the other world and today we all have the opportunity to pray to the new priest-martyr, to celebrate a faithful servant of the Lord's altar, to emphasize his merits as an example to all of us of how to be firm even in the most difficult times, how to serve the Lord with your words and good deeds and if you need to suffer as a martyr for your faith, which obviously the priest-martyr Mihailo, when that moment came, did not have without hesitation and died honorably. You know what: When a man starts to serve the Lord from a young age and constantly improves and sharpens his character, we can also see by the fact that he was chosen as a military priest. Back then, they didn't choose weaklings and uncharacteristic people, weaklings to be military priests, but heroes, and of course, to such a man, it was clear to every reasonable person that no misdeeds, especially not treason, could be attributed. You see how God arranges everything so that the memory of the priest-martyr Mihailo shines in its full glory here today, in the very place where he suffered, and those who slandered him should be ashamed and repent. There are some still alive who remember those times. Those who participated in the crucifixion and slander of the priest Mihail are long before the face of God. He forgave everyone and they reconciled before God, so that we also reconcile here, following the example of those who reconciled in heaven, to embrace each other, because celebrating the memory of the saints is at the same time spreading brotherly love and harmony. To open our hearts. This is the message of the priest-martyr Mihailo for God and for his fellow men, that divine love may enter our hearts and then love and harmony will certainly multiply between us.

God grant that the holy martyr Mihailo, newly begged, pray to God for us" - concluded His Eminence the Archbishop of Cetinje, the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Mr. Joanikije.

At the beginning of the sermon, Bishop Kirilo reminded of the words of Saint Abba Justin Popović, that the life of the saints is the extended life of Christ through time, adding the words of the Apostle Paul who said that he completes the suffering of Christ in his body, which is the Church.

"So, the martyrs also perfect what Christ has already done for us, that all-redemptive sacrifice, but in the mystery of the Holy Trinity from the Father, the Son in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit through the Church perfects in time what Christ has already finished. That is the secret of our salvation. Thus the martyrs cooperate most closely with Christ, because until death they bear witness to the truthfulness of His teaching and His plan of salvation.

Through that martyrdom, all matter is sanctified. All matter cries out to be sons of God appear. This is also the case with this wonderful place - Boka Kotorska, which can be compared to the heavenly settlements, it seeks and asks and cries out for sanctification and its sons are not too late to appear before Christ. Thus, here Mihailo joins that image of the saints, all the saints, but also the image of the saints from Boka Kotorska - the martyrs of Prevlač, then the priest-martyr Joaniki Lipovac who is from these parts, then Kiril Cvetković - the archimandrite who also worked here and went to preach and suffer martyrdom from here. Sevastijan Dabović spread the fame of Boca to the farthest reaches of the world, to Los Angeles, he even went to Japan in his speech. Venerables of our day and here are many others, both known and unknown, because the Church of God enrolls those who should be role models and examples, but God knows who all are counted among the saints and saved. Thus, Protopresbyter Mihailo joins them who today stands before the throne of God and prays for us and for Boka.

Boka Kotorska rejoices because all matter is sanctified through the feat of the sons of God. The Church of God is rejoicing in that good news, which was first of all addressed to us by Metropolitan Joanikije, and confirmed by our Council of Bishops, because every canonization is a new good news, a new good news. The Church here rejoices, which is strengthened by the prayers and exploits of the holy martyrs.

His ancestors and descendants rejoice, because through the feat of one of the people who fattened God, they become justification for both their ancestors and their descendants before God. We are all looking forward today and we thank our host for the invitation to participate in this great celebration.

May Boka Kotorska, beautiful Boka, be even more beautiful, and may it be decorated not only with natural beauty, but also with those angelic souls that Metropolitan Ioannikije spoke about - may there be more of them and so that we all enter together into the mosaic of the Church of God, into that edifice of the Church of God which is being built for the kingdom of heaven, completing in time, in the Holy Spirit, what Christ has already prepared for us - dwellings with his Father in heaven. Amen, God grant - concluded His Eminence, the Bishop of Buenos Aires and South-Central America and administrator of the Metropolitanate of Zagreb-Ljubljana, Mr. Cyril.

Prepared by Lana Ostojić

Photos: Željko Drašković

Metropolis of Montenegrin and Littoral