On Wednesday, July 16, His Eminence Nicholas, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, arrived at Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" in Nanuet, NY, to officiate the funeral and burial of Scoutmaster-Subdeacon Lazar Djurdjinovic, who reposed on Saturday, July 12. The funeral was held in the convent’s St. Seraphim Cathedral.

Serving alongside His Eminence were: Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, Archpriests Alexander Fedorowski (cathedral dean), Serge Lukianov (dean of New Jersey), Serafim Gan (chancellor of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops), George Zelenin (rector of St. Michael Church in Wayne, NJ), and Alexander Botschagow (rector of Holy Fathers Church in New York City), Priest Artem Siss, and Protodeacons Serge Arlievsky (convent clerics) and Sergei Shoomiloff (cleric of St. Michael Church).

Lazar was born to Velimir and Nina (née Spouff) Djurdjinovic on December 28, 1953 in a displaced persons (DP) camp near Munich, Germany. Together with his parents and older sisters Luba and Nada, he emigrated to the United States in December 1955 and settled in New York City. Lazar grew up attending school in Washington Heights, and would later graduate from Stony Brook University. He took particular pride in receiving his American citizenship in 1976, the year of the Bicentennial. Lazar married Anna Schatiloff on June 3, 1979; the couple had two children, and eventually settled in Oradell, NJ. He pursued a lifelong career as a mental health worker at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he helped countless numbers of patients to seek a better life, and received a hospital-wide award for his dedication to the profession.

At age 10, he first attended St. George Pathfinders of America scout camp in upstate New York. Years later, as a mentor to hundreds of young people himself, he spoke about how the Orthodox Christian Faith and scouting ideology, especially the mentorship of senior scouts like Scoutmaster Andrew Ilyinsky, transformed him from a wayward youth into a serious young man dedicated to the Church and his community. In SGPA, Lazar would rise to the rank of Scoutmaster, holding several senior posts, including director of "Tsarskoe Selo" Chapter in New York, director of the Eastern American Division, president of the Court of Honor, and director of the organization’s leadership courses. He was highly decorated, and received the Order of the Polar Bear, the organization’s highest award.

Almost 200 people were in attendance, most of whom were members (including multigenerational families) of SGPA, the organization to which Lazar had dedicated much of his life. Among these were Head Scoutmaster Natalia Konon and former Head Scoutmaster Tatiana Zacharin-Geringer, and Ilyinsky’s descendants: Elder Scout Andrew Ilyinsky and Staff Instructor Michael Kazmierczak. An honor guard stood watch at the coffin, with scouts taking turns standing in pairs alongside the organization’s banner. Though vested as a subdeacon, Lazar was buried alongside his green scout kerchief.

A combined choir of Synodal and local singers, joined by SGPA members, sang prayerfully at the funeral under the direction of Vadim S. Gan.

Lazar was a dedicated servant of the Church. He had served in the altar throughout his youth, and not long after being married was ordained a subdeacon by Bishop Laurus (Škurla) of Syracuse & Holy Trinity. As a cleric, he was assigned to Holy Fathers Church in Harlem, but frequently served with the First Hierarchs of ROCOR at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign on 93rd Street and Park Avenue. He received several gramotas (commendations), but by far the most significant honor bestowed upon him was the obedience to twice yearly clean the riza (case) of the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of Our Lady of the Sign – the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora.

Lazar was very proud of his Serbian heritage, and the Djurdjinovic family "Slava" in honor of St. George was celebrated every November, greatly anticipated by all who were honored with an invitation.

Fr. Serge Lukianov delivered the eulogy, saying, in part, "He was our troop leader, he was our counselor, he was our mentor. Right away, we felt his heart. Lazar showed us great comfort, great love. We always felt it coming from him. He was a devoted man. His love for Orthodoxy, Russia, and our organization were everything. He always looked after our chapel and made sure that it was up and running for the first day of camp. He was a good subdeacon, he did it diligently, be it at Synod or at 153rd Street, or even at the glorification of St. John (Maximovitch) in 1994. This was his life: he wanted to always serve the Lord. We have our scout motto, ‘Be prepared.’ Lazar was prepared. He was always prepared to be with the Lord. He was always prepared to love Russia. He was always prepared to serve St. George Pathfinders Camp. That was his second home."

Lazar’s passing was sudden and unexpected. He is survived by his wife Anna, son Reader Alexander, daughter Katherine (Countess Cheremeteff – husband Nicholas), grandson Ioann, and sisters Luba and Nada (Isler). He leaves behind countless friends and scouts of all ages, whom he mentored and taught the beauty of Russian Orthodox scouting, and in whom he instilled the values of dedication, responsibility, perseverance, and selfless service.

Following the final kiss, the mourners went in procession out to the cemetery, where their dear friend and mentor was laid to rest.

Memory Eternal to the newly reposed Subdeacon Lazar!