The Moscow Theological Academy celebrated the memory of St. Gregory Palamas
The academic family continues its path through the Great Lent. Its ship confidently moves across the sea of the Holy Forty Day. Despite it might be beaten by storms, which are everyday cares and life issues, the ship follows the right course to its quiet and saving harbor, Easter.
The crew do not doubt that vicious storms of passions and vain excitements will be pacified by Christ, Who once calmed the storm and saved His disciples. We meet Him over and over again at the Liturgy in His Holy Gifts to get peace and silence in our hearts.
On Sunday of the second week of the Great Lent, the Church celebrates memory of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki and a teacher of Church.
At the Sunday service, we honor St. Gregory and looking at his image say:
Pray for us, holy hierarch, to Christ God, may He enlighten with divine light those who honor your memory».
On the eve of Sunday, March 11, the rector Bishop Kirill of Zvenigorod, the academic clergy, teachers and students gathered for an all-night vigil in the home church of the Academy to glorify the Risen Lord and offer up prayers to St. Gregory.
Before the reading of the kathismas, a 4th year MTA undergraduate student, Deacon Nikita Zhilin, addressed the worshipers with a sermon. Dedicating his speech to the memory of St. Gregory Palamas, the preacher noted that personal communion with God, about which the Thessalonian archbishop taught, gives strength to our faith. It is only through living communion with God that a person is able to correctly understand his faith, defend it and remain faithful to it even in the face of death.
At the Canon, Bishop Kirill tonsured Sergei Sokolovsky, a third-year undergraduate student of the Sretenskay Theological Academy, as a Reader and elevated him into the rank of Subdeacon.
On March 12, Bishop Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy co-served by the academic clergy at the Intercession Academic Church.
At the antiphons, Bishop Kirill tonsured ordination Ilya Nikulin, a fourth-year undergraduate student of the Nikolo-Ugresh Theological Seminary, and Innokenty Sedunov and Tikhon Smirnov, the MThA third-year undergraduate students, as Readers.
After the Eucharistic Canon, Bishop Kirill ordained Subdeacon Sergius Sokolovsky into a deacon.
Before communion, Vladimir Solovyov, a second-year Master's student, delivered a sermon.
At the end of 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), Hegumen Adrian (Pashin), Hieromonk Barnabas (Losev), Hegumen Meletius (Sokolov), Hieromonks Theodore (Yulaev ), Cassian (Plosky), Priest Valery Dukhanin, Hieromonk Mikhey (Kopytov), Deacons Dimitri Maslov, Nikolai Goyuk, Hierodeacon Job (Urum), Deacons Nikita Zhilin, Maxim Shevtsov, Sergiy Ershov.
Clergy served at the Divine Liturgy: Bishop Kirill co-served by Archimandrites Venedikt (Knyazev), Platon (Igumnov), Hilarion (Forkavets), Luka (Golovkov), Abbot Adrian (Pashin), Hieromonk Barnabas (Losev), Abbot Melety (Sokolov), Hieromonk Theodore (Yulaev ), Priest Dimitry Baritsky, Hieromonk Cassian (Plosky), Priest Valery Dukhanin, Hieromonks Boris (Zelyuchenko), Serapion (Zalesny), Mikhey (Kopytov), Athanasius (Italo), Deacons Dimitry Maslov, Nikolai Goyuk, Hierodeacon Job (Urum), Deacons Maxim Shevtsov, Sergiy Ershov, Miodrag Radovanovitch.
Chanting performed by a male choir under the conduct of E.V. Borovinsky and a mixed choir led by S.P. Borovinskaya.
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