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His books reveal his wisdom, patience and persistence. Let us quote just the
ending of his book The Soul of Serbia:

Serbia is now like a cemetery full of silence, bones and hyenas.
However, the last chapter of this great tragedy is not death but
Resurrection. I don’t believe that Serbia will die for ever. But even
if it happens temporarily, I will write on the holy cemetery of my
martyr country this most apt epitaph: “Here Rests England’s Loyal
Friend”.

Thus spoke Nikolai who was a gift from God to the Serbian people at this most
critical time. It is, therefore, not surprising that in 1916 the Archbishop of Can-
terbury, Randall Davidson, began his foreword to Nikolai’s book Serbia in the
Light and Darkness by saying: “The presence of Father Nikolai Velimirovic in
England for the past few months has brought to many people with whom he
has been in contact a new message and a new appeal reinforced by his personal-
ity and gratitude which shines more warmly and more brightly as we get to
know him better”.

In a sermon, delivered in Canterbury cathedral in the presence of the
Archbishop of Canterbuty, Nikolai said: “I am not addressing you in order to
teach you but to thank you. I must thank you on behalf of the Serbian nation
and me personally”. He went on to say that England had given to the world
Shakespeare, Milton, Newton, Hershel, Wellington, Nelson, Cardinal Newman
and many others. He expressed his gratitude to the many nurses who had died
in Serbia while trying to save Serbian lives, commenting: “Serbia would rather
forget about herself than about the English lives lost in this catastrophe”.

Nikolai continued to meet people, make speeches increasingly winning
over the hearts for the Serbs and their cause. Working tirelessly for the good of
the Serbian people he stayed in England for four years until 1919 when he was
made Bishop of Zica.

Let us list some more of his lectures: England and Serbia, Serbia for the
Cross and Freedom, The Soul of Serbia, Serbia’s Place in the History of Humanity, Re-
ligion and Nationality in Serbia, The Serbian Tragedy, Serbia at Arms… One of his
most memorable sermons was at St Paul’s in London on St Vitus’ Day in 1916
when he addressed more than ten thousand people including King George and
the elite of English society. I shall quote the opening and closing paragraphs of
his sermon:

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