Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich as the Comforter of Grieving Parents

Bishop Nicholai (Velimirovich) of Ohrid and Žiča addressed two priests on the occasion of the death of their children in 1937 and 1940. These statements of condolence are found in the personal archives of the priests and now are being published for the first time. From these letters, we see expressions of Velimirovich’s pastoral care, as well as how he tried to provide Christian consolation to the grieving parents. The theological expression of Bishop Nicholai in these statements is also important. He wrote as a bishop, with the desire to remind parents of eternal life and unquenchable trust in God, which they should not neglect, but should completely surrender to him and even give praise to God — with gratitude for the life of the remaining children.