Renovation
St. Mardarije Spiritual and Cultural Center
June 2026 Renovation Update
Thank you for your continued interest in the renovation of the St. Mardarije Spiritual and Cultural Center.
Joyous is the word to describe June!
June Donations
82 donors donated $115,302.43 in the month of June! Three new states joined the appeal — welcome OR, RI and WA!
Across the entire campaign, there have been 950 donors. Many have given multiple times and in multiple ways: check/cash, online, brick, and/or stocks.
We have several donors that signed up to send money to the project monthly: Stephanie, David, Fr. Deacon Mike & Masha, and Paul. These steady donors have shown their commitment and generosity to this project with their monthly gifts.
THANK YOU to ALL our donors!
Project Financial Status
Below is the project's financial status:
Funds Are Still Needed
The cash flow needs are coming in at a faster pace as the contractor is working on final construction steps for the project. We cannot afford to lose these resources, so the team has pursued a construction line of credit for the remaining funds, totaling $1.2 million.
We will continue to fundraise until we can pay off any credit line, if it is used. Continue to pray for this project, help share the updates and consider donating.
Saint Mardarije Day
Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 18, 2026, rain or shine. The building will be open for tours. Come and see the progress!
Planned activities include the annual procession from New Gracanica Monastery to Saint Sava Monastery starting at 6:00 AM, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 9:30 AM, and fellowship and activities at 11:30 AM. Arts and Crafts project will be available for children of all ages.
Event Schedule
35240 W Grant Ave, Third Lake, IL 60046 6:00 AM
32377 N Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048 9:30 AM
Fundraising Updates
Listed below are donors that gave $5,000 or more in June.
Project Appeal Status
This project has been presented to most parish boards in the Midwest Diocese. Parishes in the Eastern and Western Dioceses are getting updates as well. To date, 19 parishes have contributed to this project.
The newest donors are the churches that sponsored the Kosidba Event: Holy Resurrection Church, Chicago, St. John the Baptist, Bellwood and St. Stefan Decanski from Chicago, bolded below.
- Holy Apostle and Evangelist St. Luke SOC — Leander, Texas
- Holy Resurrection SOC — Chicago, Illinois
- St. Archangel Michael SOC — Huntsville, Alabama
- St. Archangel Michael SOC — Lansing, Illinois
- St. Basil SOC — Lake Forest, IL
- St. Elijah SOC — Merrillville, Indiana
- St. Nikolas SOC — Indianapolis, Indiana
- St. George SOC — Joliet, Illinois
- St. George SOC — Schererville, Indiana
- St. George SOC — Lenexa, Kansas
- St. John the Baptist, SOC — Bellwood, Illinois
- St. John the Baptist, SOC — San Francisco, California
- St. Lazarus SOC — Detroit, Michigan
- St. Nikola SOC — Lyons, Illinois
- St. Petka SOC — Nashville, Tennessee
- St. Sava SOC — Boston, Massachusetts
- St. Sava SOC — Houston, Texas
- St. Sava SOC — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- St. Stefan Decanski SOC — Chicago, Illinois
Kosidba Event
As mentioned last month, three local parishes — St. John the Baptist, Bellwood IL, St. Stevan of Decani, Leland Ave. Chicago, and Holy Resurrection Church, Palmer Square, Chicago — along with Udruzenje Hercegovac hosted a Kosidba on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at the picnic grounds in Libertyville.
Over $36,000 was turned in at the end of the event. Organizers kept open the finances for additional donations.
Event Totals Collected
In addition, the 3 parishes and Udruzenje paid for all expenses — food, drinks, cookies/pitas and other expenses — totaling $27,625.
Well done by the 3 host parishes — Holy Resurrection Church, St. John the Baptist and St. Stevan Decanski — and Udruzenje Hercegovac for their excellent and fruitful efforts!
Complete the Build Fundraiser
Work on the building is mostly complete. The remaining tasks include:
- Connecting to Gurnee Water and Sewer
- Paving driveway and parking lots
- Completing playground
- Securing Occupancy Permit
The Diocese has approved another fundraiser to complete the construction goal. A mailer, similar to the Paschal Appeal yellow envelope, has been sent out. This time the return envelopes are blue.
A donor is willing to match every donation up to $250,000. Please consider helping us to achieve our goal, and your donation will be matched!
Project Updates
As shown above, more than $4.75 million has been spent on this project. Here are spending category totals:
Building Progress
Building progress in pictures, taken June 22–27, 2026.
Building Tours
Tours of the building are available, but must be pre-arranged by calling the monastery at 847-807-4919.
It is an active construction site and it is not acceptable to arrive unannounced.
Other Giving Opportunities
The project can also accept shares of stock. If you have shares that have appreciated and you would like to reduce your tax liability, you can donate the shares to this account and the project can sell the shares and use towards the construction. That's a win-win!
Zelle Donation Option
Shown below is the monastery's Zelle QR code and tag phrase. Please scan from your banking app. Donating by Zelle saves the 2+% that PayPal charges.
Note: If you give via Zelle, share your email within the Zelle memo field in order to receive your donation receipt.
Stay Connected
Follow us on Facebook @SaintSavaMonastery and visit stsavamonastery.org for project updates, online donations, and other ways to support, as well as our newly released campaign donor wall, listing all donors.
With gratitude in Christ the Lord,
The St. Mardarije Spiritual and Cultural Center Steering Committee