The Academic held Sunday services

Thanks to Zacchaeus, an ordinary fig tree became revered and world-wide known. Zacchaeus was a publican rejected by his own Jewish folk, bur friendly greeted by the Savior. He climbed that tree bringing his soul forward to its transfiguration. 

Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him (2 Sam.14, 14). How the Lord sees us is incomprehensible. Where we refuse a person, God stands with open arms. It was beautifully conveyed in a poem by Olga Sedakova, a Christian poetess: 

Remember, I say, remember

remember, I say and cry:

everything will pass, everything will change

and hope at last.

The ocean does not flow into the river;

the river does not return to its source;

time does not spare anyone -

but I love you like

All it was and comes.

On January 28, the Bishop of Skopinsk and Shatsk Pitirim officiated an All-night Vigil co-served by Bishop Kirill and the academic clergy. 

After reading the Kathismas, Ilya Cherkashin, a fourth-year undergraduate student, delivered a sermon, in which he interpreted the Gospel passage of the day. Focusing on the intertwined fates of apostles Peter and John the Theologian, the preacher noted that Christians are called to treat each other with love and care. 

On January 29, Bishop Pitirim celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Intercession Academic Church. 

At the Antiphons, Bishop Kirill tonsured third-year undergraduate students Alexey Antonovich, Timur (Andrey) Kuznetsov, Ioann Bondaruk, and Andrey Biryuchkov as Readers.

At the special Litany, petitions for the Fatherland and its army were raised. At the funeral Litany, they commemorated 50th death anniversary of Hegumen Mark (Lozinsky), who was a teacher at the Moscow Theological Academy. 

After the Eucharistic Canon, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Kirill ordained Leonid Peven, a second-year Master's student, into a deacon.

Before the Communion, Igor Myachin, a second-year postgraduate student, delivered a sermon, which he dedicated to the theological and exegetical understanding of the Gospel story about Zacchaeus. 

At the end if the service, the Bishop of Skopinsk and Shatsk Pitirim addressed an with a word.

Background information: 

Clergy served at the All-night Vigil: Bishop Pitirim and Bishop Kirill co-served by Archimandrites Benedict (Knyazev), Platon (Igumnov), Hilarion (Farkovets), Luka (Golovkov), Simeon (Tomachinsky), Abbots Lazar (Gnativ), Philip (Zhilyakov), Gerasim (Dyachkov) ), Adrian (Pashin), Meletius (Sokolov), hieromonks Barnabas (Losev), Feodor (Yulaev), Claudian (Menshikov), priests Dimitry Baritsky, Evgeny Emelyanov, hieromonks Damian (Voronov) and Boris (Zelyuchenko), deacons Dimitri Maslov, Nikolai Goyuk, Alexander Vivtonenko, Hierodeacon Job (Urum), Deacon Miodrag Radovanovich. 

Clergy served at the Divine Liturgy: Bishop Pitirim and Bishop Kirill co-served by Archimandrites Benedict (Knyazev), Platon (Igumnov), Hilarion (Farkovets), Luka (Golovkov), Simeon (Tomachinsky), Abbots Lazar (Gnativ), Philip (Zhilyakov), Gerasim (Dyachkov) , Adrian (Pashin), Melety (Sokolov), hieromonks Barnabas (Losev), Feodor (Yulaev), Claudian (Menshikov), Cassian (Plosky), priests Dimitry Baritsky, Evgeny Emelyanov and Valery Dukhanin, hieromonks Damian (Voronov) and Boris ( Zelyuchenko), Deacons Dimitry Maslov, Nikolay Goyuk, Hierodeacon Job (Urum), Deacon Miodrag Radovanovich.

Chanting performed under the conduct of E. V. Borovinsky and S. P. Borovinskaya.

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