Joakim, Patriarch of Werschetz

Joakim (Werschetzianite: Йоакимъ; secular name Ilija Kasijanov Tavasevič’, Їлиꙗ Касиꙗновъ Тавасєвичь; born 27th July 1959) is the current of the Werschetzianite Orthodox Church. He was previously the Archbishop of Velija Gradina between 2003 and 2015.

Early life
Tavasevič’ was born in the village of Kostnoe to parents Jovan (Pantelijin) Tavasevič’ and Teodora (Nenadovič’ja) Tavasevič’ on 27th of June, 1959. as their first and eldest child. His bringing up had been in a poor household, whith his father being a day-labourer and his mother being a homemaker and having next to him 2 sisters and 2 brothers of which elder sister and younger brother died at the ages of 10 and 6 respectively. Tavasevič’ had been going to the elementary school of „Isailo Dračevič’“ in the town of Niska Sremuša and afterwards graduated from the high school „Georgovo Gradište“ in the same town. While having a somewhat really harsh environment for a child to grow up and become an adult in, he would go up to become a načelopojac (chief/first cantor) in the capital's Church of Saint Nectarius the Miracolous of Cestros at the age of 19. Afterwards, just a year later, he would receive a cheirothesia (lower clergy blessing by bishop/s) and become a in the same church while remaining the choir-office director. This would become his job with which he would provide to his parents (they are still living today, father being 97 and mother being 82). In 1992, he would graduate St. Mar Sabbas the Sanctified's Theological faculty. Three years earlier, in 1989, he founded a charity named „Trnova Solza“ which was intended to foster Zemlyan prisoners of war and all orphans who truly needed a home and a helping hand. He would later give up the charity for it to be merged with another charity from Kus as a sign of goodwill between the two nations, to reconcile for the minor disagreement over the causalties that took place in the „Train war“ during the late 1870's.