With feelings of sincere spiritual joy, profound respect, and brotherly love, our Holy Bigorski Monastery joins in the congratulations and prayers of thanksgiving on the occasion of a truly rare and blessed jubilee – the sixty-fifth anniversary of the priestly ordination of the Very Reverend Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Father Spase Stefanovski, a longstanding and distinguished pastor of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric.
On this occasion, with particular love and esteem, our beloved Elder and Abbot, His Grace Bishop Partenij of Antania, together with our entire monastic brotherhood, extends his most heartfelt congratulations to the venerable Father Spase on this remarkable jubilee and the well-deserved ecclesiastical recognition bestowed upon him, accompanied by fervent prayers for good health, spiritual joy, and many more blessed years in the service of God and His Holy Church.
This exceptional jubilee, which in itself bears witness to an entire lifetime of faithfulness to God and His Holy Church, was also marked by a dignified expression of gratitude and recognition. The Australian-Sydney Diocese of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric, together with the Macedonian Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, paid a well-deserved tribute to Father Spase by presenting him with a commemorative plaque of appreciation, written messages of congratulations, and a holy cross, offered as a gift from the Diocesan Administrative Board and as a symbol of his many years of sacrificial service in bearing the Cross of Christ.
The profound spiritual significance of this jubilee lies not merely in the many years of priestly ministry, but above all in faithfulness to the priestly calling, selfless pastoral care, and love for the flock of Christ entrusted to his care. Throughout six and a half decades, Father Spase has devoted himself with zeal and humility to the spiritual life of our people in distant Australia, contributing to the preservation of the Orthodox faith, ecclesiastical unity, and the living bond with their spiritual roots. His longstanding ministry remains a shining example for younger generations of clergy and a testimony that the finest adornments of the priesthood are love, humility, and faithfulness to God and His people.
We prayerfully beseech our All-Merciful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to continue strengthening the venerable Father Spase with His divine grace, granting him peace of soul, bodily health, and an abundance of spiritual consolation, and may his many years of pastoral labours remain a blessed and fruitful offering before the Throne of God.
Many blessed years, Very Reverend Father Spase!
