In Spain today there are about twenty centers of religious activity, parishes, chapels, mission belonging to the SOC. When a small group of Catalan decided to establish an Orthodox community 1972, orthodoxy in this area of Spain was almost completely unknown. But the core of which they formed has developed a large Orthodox community, which today is under the omophor of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In Spain there are dozen parishes in SOC: in Catalonia, Basque, Alikanteu, Mallorca, Galicia, and has about 20 centers of religious activity, parishes, chapels, mission ...

Their purpose is served by 14 priests, two deacons and three subdeacon. There is a  30 students who attending the theological institute which is connected to the Orthodox Theological Institute of St. Sergius in Paris. Father Yoann Garcia, vicar of Bishop of West Europe Luke, serve in Spain and Portugal, takes care of the Orthodox flock, and is  a priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church already for 22 years .

In Spain today there are about twenty centers of religious activity, parishes, chapels, mission belonging to the SOC. When a small group of Catalan decided to establish an Orthodox community 1972, orthodoxy in this area of Spain was almost completely unknown. But the core of which they formed has developed a large Orthodox community, which today is under the omophor of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In Spain there are dozen parishes in SOC: in Catalonia, Basque, Alikanteu, Mallorca, Galicia, and has about 20 centers of religious activity, parishes, chapels, mission ...

Their purpose is served by 14 priests, two deacons and three subdeacon. There is a  30 students who attending the theological institute which is connected to the Orthodox Theological Institute of St. Sergius in Paris. Father Yoann Garcia, vicar of Bishop of West Europe Luke, serve in Spain and Portugal, takes care of the Orthodox flock, and is  a priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church already for 22 years .

- Catalan Orthodox community was established 38 years ago and initially was under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchy. Because canonical reasons before 22 years was admitted to the Serbian Orthodox Church, 12 February 1988  by the Bishop Lawrence. First Parish in Catalonia numbered about 150 believers, of whom 90 percent were locals. It currently has about 500 believers, and one part are the immigrants - said the father of Yoann.

The decision to help the Orthodox community in its infancy, our source was made forty years ago, and on this mission as a priest for 38 years already. On the question of how the inhabitants of traditionally Catholic countries accepted orthodoxy, briefly but pithily replied: the joy of re-invention of true apostolic tradition.

- Every day we serve vespers, Saturdays and Sundays Vigil liturgy, in Catalan, Old Slavonic and Church Slavonic, Romanian, Greek, and possibly in Spanish and Serbian, depending on the presence of believers. There is an organization for social assistance, which currently works with about 100 families with legal problems, problems of survival and with the similar problems - father of Yoann explains.

Spanish parish, which formed the core of national, Catalan population, have so far visited many bishops from Serbia: the Metropolitan of Montenegro Amphilochius, Bishop Gregory of Zahumlje and Herzegovina,  Bishop Ignatius of Branichevo, Bishop of Western America diocese Maximus, as well as bishops, who received them under the SPC bishop Šabac Lawrence. Competent Bishop, Bishop of Western European Luke, in Spain he visit his clergy and laypeople there four or five times a year. Priests and believers from Spain, also retaliate visit.

- We visited the Patriarchate in Belgrade, where we were received by Patriarch Pavle of blessed repose, which will stay in an unforgettable memory. We were in the Diocese of Sabac, we  were welcomed by Bishop Lawrence, and we visited the monastery, Žiča, Studenica ... Recently, one group visited  Montenegro and its churches and monasteries also of Saint Basil of Ostrog - father of Yoann story.