Jovan was born in Medinci in 1936. He finished elementary school in Medinci and secondary in Podravska Slatina. After he completed his seminary education at Rakovica Monastery he graduated at University of Belgrade Faculty of Orthodox Theology in 1963. Postgraduate studies he attended at several universities in West Germany. At the Evangelical Academy in Schleswig and Faculty of Theology of University of Kiel studies Evangelical theology. He studied Catholic theology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. During this period, he spent some time in Chevetogne Abbey in Belgium and St. Matthias' Abbey and Niederaltaich Abbey in Germany.
