Academy celebrated New Year by holding the divine service
At night on January 1 st the bishop of Zvenigorod Pitirim, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, together with ordained teachers and students hold the first divine service of a New Year at the academic church of the Intercession of the Theotokos.
On a day of remembrance of martyr Vonifatii of Tarse and reverend Ilia of Murom academic family thanked for the past year and asked the Almighty for help in a new year.
Christ preached humility, forgiveness and self-sacrifice towards everyone who is in need of our love and help. During that night service a deacon read a passage from the Hole Gospel of Mark where Christ summons us to be like children if we want to reach the Heavenly Kingdom:
Истинно говорю вам: кто не примет Царствия Божия, как дитя, тот не войдет в него. И, обняв их, возложил руки на них и благословил их».
Вместо боя курантов – звон колоколов, вместо обращения президента – проповедь. Под залп салютов совершается самое главное событие в жизни христианина – претворение хлеба и вина в Тело и Кровь Господни. Большинство молящихся в новогоднюю ночь приобщились Святых Христовых Таин.
Background information:
The divine service was held by the bishop of Zvenigorod Pitirim, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, together with archimandrite Ilarion (Forkavets), hegumen Meletiy (Sokolov), hieromonks Varnava (Losev), Apolinariy (Panin), Vyacheslav (Sorokin), Kassian (Ploskiy), Dometian (Kurlanov), Faddey (Pryadun), priest Alexander Orischenko, priest Dimitriy Nozdrin, deacon Dimitriy Maslov, hierodeacons Pavel (Polevoy), Innikentiy (Glazistov) and deacon Deonosiy Kim.
During the service a student choir sang under the conduct of a first-year master student Roman Shilkin.
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