On September 1, 2019, invited by the West American Diocese of the SPC, headed by Bishop Maxim, representatives of the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Chicago visited the St. Sava SOC in San Gabriel (Los Angeles) and joined the magnificent celebration of the 800 years of the SPC's autocefality. The celebration was attended by a large number of archbishops and bishops of the SOC, as well as guests from Greece, Russia and the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Archbishop Elpidofor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate held the service together with Metropolitan Joseph of the Patriarchate of Antioch and Metropolitan Sava of the Greek American Archdiocese, as well as the archbishops of the Serbian Orthodox Churches: Midwestern Longin, Canadian Mitrofan, Dusseldorf Maximus, East-American Irinej, Bihać-Petrovac Sergius, Buenosares-South-Central Cyril, Zahum-Herzegovina Dimitri, Bishop Stobis David of the Archdiocese of Ohrid and Abbot of the Monastery of Hilandar Archimandrite Methodius. The liturgy was also attended by Archbishop Petar of the Russian Orthodox Border Church. Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Irinej could not come due to his medical condition. Special guests and singers during the liturgy were students of Prizren Theology.

Archbishop Elpidofor on this occasion announced the decision of the Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to mark the 800th anniversary of the Autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church with a celebration in Nicaea, to which the Patriarch of Serbia Irinej will be invited, as well as all the archbishops of the SOC. In his speech, he conveyed the greetings of the Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, emphasized the brotherly ties of the Serbian and Greek Orthodox people, and expressed his satisfaction that the celebration of autocephaaly was held in a temple bearing the name of the first Serbian Archbishop and Monk, St. Sava, consecrated in 1219 at the Cathedral of Nicaea by the Ecumenical Patriarch. The archbishop also referred to the strong historical and diplomatic ties between the two peoples, through wars but also in peace, especially the support of the 1990s and with the current problem of the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence.

During the festive lunch that followed, the host of the celebration, Archpriest Predrag Bojovic, was honored and decorated for his work on painting the temple of Sv. Sava in LA. The temple was painted by the same masters who painted the temple of St. Sava in Belgrade, in the same style and with the same motifs, among which stands out the fresco of the new martyrs of Jasenovac and Pribilovo. The owner of the California winery, of Serbian origin, who produced a special wine called "Autocephaly 1219-2019", served during the celebration, was also honored.

This was the first opportunity to introduce to our citizens and the Serbian Orthodox Church leadership a new Acting Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Chicago Mr. Milan Varadinovic, who had arrived only a week earlier assuming the office from his esteemed predecessor Mr. Dejan Radulovic.