The Academy prayerfully honored the memory St. Andrew the First-Called

Today, the Church commemorates St. Andrew the First-Called, who was Jonah’s son and a Galilean fisherman. He first responded to Christ’s call, left everything and followed the Lord.

For us it is very difficult to put aside all our affairs and worries, sometimes our thoughts and feelings capture us in the fuss of a daily life turning out from God. However, Christ calls us to follow Him without looking back. The Lord wants us to open our hearts and respond to His call.

On December 12, Archimandrite Venedikt (Knyazev) led an All-night Vigil at the Intercession Academic Church co-served by the academic clergy.

On December 13, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Kirill, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, performed the festive Divine Liturgy.

At the Hours, Bishop Kirill elevated Reader Mikhail Gar, an employee of the Department of Contemporary History of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Orthodox St. Tikhon’s Humanitarian University, into the rank of subdeacon and after the Eucharistic Canon ordained him into a deacon.

Background information:

Chanting at the All-night vigil performed by a singing group led by Nikolai Chernov, a fourth-year undergraduate student. Chanting at the Divine Liturgy performed by male choirs led by Alexander Leventsov, a second-year Master's student, and Ivan Bondaruk, a third-year undergraduate student.

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