Methodius (Muzhdeka)

After graduating from elementary school and gymnasium in Clay, he entered the six-year theological seminary in the city of Bitol .

In 1939 he graduated from the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade, and at the Rakovitsa Monastery near Belgrade he accepted monasticism with the name Methodius . In the same year he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon , then - to the rank of hieromonk .

Since 1939, he was a teacher at the Prizren Theological Seminary . In 1941, after the termination of classes at the Prizrensky Seminary, he was appointed to the post of law teacher of the gymnasium in Belgrade. Then he became a professor.

In 1947, he was elevated to the rank of protosingel and was appointed professor at the revived seminary in the city of Prizren .

Since 1951, he taught at the Theological Seminary of St. Sava in Belgrade.

In 1955, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite , appointed rector of the Theological Seminary in Prizren, and was in this post for 16 years, until being elected Bishop of Timoksky in 1971.

In early July 1969, Archimandrite Methodius visited the Russian Orthodox Church and bowed to its shrines.

July 4, 1971 in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Belgrade was consecrated bishop of Timok. The consecration was performed by the Patriarch of Serbia German, in conjunction with the Bishop of Zychy, Vasily (Kostić) and the Bishop of Rasko-Prizrensky, Pavel (Stoichevich) . That day he delivered a brilliant sermon for the first time as the bishop of the Serbian Church. On July 18 of the same year, Bishop Methodius was intronized by the Timoki Chair in the city of Zayecar by Bishop Valery Shtomadi (Stefanovich) .

In early 1973, Vladyka Methodius fell ill and for a long time did not rule the Timok diocese. During his illness, he was replaced for several months by Patriarch German , then Bishop Pavel Rasko-Prizrensky (Stoichevich) and Patriarch Vicar Bishop Marchansky Daniil (Krstic) . In Belgrade, the ill bishop Methodius was often visited by Patriarch German and other archpastors of the Serbian Church, members of the Holy Synod , many Serbian priests, and disciples of Vladyka Methodius in seminaries. In April 1975, Bishop Methodius sent the Holy Synod a notice of recovery, and the Holy Bishops' Council in May of the same year again sent him to the Timoki diocese.

In the Serbian Church, Bishop Methodius was considered a great expert on the Holy Scriptures , who he knew almost by heart, especially the New Testament .

He died on February 20, 1977 in Belgrade. The funeral service for Bishop Methodius took place in the city of Zayechar , and the burial was in the newly restored Bukovo Monastery near the city of Negotin .

• Damaskin (Davidovich), archim., Article in the section "Chronicle of the Orthodox Churches," Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1977, No. 10, 57-58.
• Sava Vukoviћ : “Srpski рerarcy is one to two hundred and twentieth century”, Euro Beograd, Unireks Podgorica, Kaleniћ Kraguјevac, 1996. p. 318.