MThA Postgraduate Student Successfully Defends Candidate Dissertation

On December 24, 2025, another meeting of the Joint Dissertation Council 99.2.096.03, established on the basis of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies (OCAD), Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), and the Moscow Theological Academy (MThA) in the scientific specialties: 5.11.1. Theoretical Theology, 5.11.2. Historical Theology, 5.11.3. Practical Theology (in the research direction: Orthodoxy), was held. 

The meeting took place at the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius in a hybrid (in-person and remote) format.

Present in the meeting hall were: Protopriest Alexei Marchenko – Deputy Chairman; Deacon Dionysius Makarov – Deputy Chairman; M.V. Pervushin – Scientific Secretary of the Council; members of the Dissertation Council R.M. Rupova, A.V. Sitnikov, D.V. Shmonin, V.Ya. Savrey. The following members of the council participated remotely in the meeting: M.V. Bibikov, A.Yu. Vinogradov, O.R. Khromov, I.S. Filippov, V.N. Katasonov, A.Yu. Polunov.

The successful defense of the candidate dissertation by MThA postgraduate student D.N. Gorstka, "Contemporary Problems of Mission and Catechesis in Orthodox Communities in China", for the academic degree of Candidate of Theology in the scientific specialty 5.11.3. Practical Theology (in the research direction: Orthodoxy), took place. The scientific supervisor was S.M. Shestakova, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Church-Practical Disciplines of the Religious Organization – Spiritual Educational Organization of Higher Education "Moscow Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church".

The official opponents for the dissertation were: 

V.G. Datsyshen, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Russian History, World and Regional Civilizations at Siberian Federal University;

Priest Daniil Yakovov, Candidate of Theology, Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Belgorod State National Research University.

The lead organization was the Religious Organization – Spiritual Educational Organization of Higher Education of the Khabarovsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church "Khabarovsk Theological Seminary".