Bishop Kirill led Sunday services on the leave-taking of the Ascension of the Lord

The Church of God is a space that unites people of different character, culture, nationality and social status. According to Apostol’s words, «there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus» (Gal.3:28).

In Sacraments a person becomes involved in the one Body of Christ and His Divine Spirit that inspires Christians to strive for unity and love.

The Divine Liturgy is a witness to the world of the unity, which the Lord prayed for in the Garden of Gethsemane.

On May 27, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Kirill, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, together with the academic clergy, performed an All-night Vigil at the Intercession Academic Church.

Before reading the Kathismas, Nikita Pakhomov, a fourth-year undergraduate student, delivered a sermon. In his speech, the preacher noted that the dogmatic definitions formulated by Holy Fathers came from their personal experience of unity with God.

During the Canon, Bishop Kirill elevated Nikolay Yemelyanov, a first-year Master's student at the Orthodox St. Tikhon’s Humanitarian University, into the rank of subdeacon.

On May 28, Bishop Kirill tonsured a third-year undergraduate students Nikolai Shumsky, Alexander Zorin, Dmitry Nekrasov and Dmitry Rebus as Readers.

After the Cherubic Hymn, Bishop Kirill ordained Deacon Alexander Maximov, a second-year Master’s student, into a presbyter.

At the end of the Eucharistic Canon, the Rector ordained subdeacon Nikolay Yemelyanov into a deacon.

Before the communion, Alexei Makhonkov, a first-year Master's student, delivered a sermon, in which he spoke about the life and ascetic labors of St. Pachomius the Great.

After the Liturgy, Bishop Kirill addressed an assembly with his archpastoral word.

Background information:

Clergy served at the All-night Vigil: Bishop Kirill co-served by Archimandrites Venedikt (Knyazev), Platon (Igumnov), Hilarion (Forkavets), Luka (Golovkov), Simeon (Tomachinsky), Hieromonk Barnabas (Losev), Archpriest Sergiy Zabelich, Hieromonks Theodore (Yulaev), Philotheus (Artyushin), Priests Valery Dukhanin, Dimitry Baritsky, Hieromonks Cassian (Plosky), Mikhey (Kopytov), ​​Boris (Zelyuchenko), Prokopy (Rudchenko), Deacons Dimitri Maslov, Nikolai Goyuk, Alexander Maksimov, Hierodeacons Filaret (Zubov), Arseny ( Salov), Anthony (Streblyachenko), Pimen (Shein). 

Clergy served at the Divine Liturgy: Bishop Kirill co-served by Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov, Archimandrites Venedikt (Knyazev), Platon (Igumnov), Hilarion (Forkavets), Luka (Golovkov), Simeon (Tomachinsky), Archpriest John Yemelyanov, Archpriest Alexei Yemelyanov, Archpriest Nikolai Yemelyanov, Hieromonk Varnava (Losev), Archpriest Sergiy Zabelich, Hieromonks Theodore (Yulaev), Filofey (Artyushin), Priest Valery Dukhanin, Priest Alexy Cherny, Priest Dimitry Artamkin, Hieromonks Cassian (Flat), Mikhey (Kopytov), ​​Boris (Zelyuchenko), Procopius (Rudchenko), Priests Vladislav Pshibyshevsky, Alexander Maksimov, Deacons Dimitry Maslov, Nikolay Goyuk, Deacon Yevgeny Lyutko, Hierodeacons Filaret (Zubov), Arseniy (Salov), Anthony (Streblyachenko), Pimen (Shein), Deacon Vsevolod Yemelyanov, Deacon Nikolai Yemelyanov.

Chanting at the All-night Vigil performed by the first academic choir under the conduct of E.V. Borovinsky and the third mixed choir led by K.A. Bukurova. 

Chanting at the Divine Liturgy performed by the first academic choir under the conduct of E.V. Borovinsky and the choir of the engineering troops at the RF Armed Forces "For Faith and Fatherland" led by M.S. Mologin.

MThA Press Office