Moscow Theological Academy started a new academic year

Today, the Moscow Theological Academy opens its doors to those who wish to devote their lives to serving the Church of Chris, acquire intellectual knowledge and the patristic heritage. 

Today, many young people gathered at the monastery of St. Sergius as his spiritual disciples. They get a wonderful opportunity to live within the walls of the ancient Lavra and comprehend theological sciences in the oldest educational theological institutions.

Along with this gift, a great responsibility is imposed on students of theological school. Having crossed the threshold of the Academy, students will experience both joyful and sad events of students’ life, new acquaintances and meetings, years of hard work, sleepless nights, exams and sessions.

However, a great deed cannot be achieved without God’s help. Only in personal communication with the Lord through prayer is it possible to gain strength and inspiration, strengthen and confirm the heart in goodness.

On Sunday, September 1, the Bishop of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov Kirill, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Abbot of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, celebrated the festive Divine Liturgy at the Intercession Academic Church co-served by the academic clergy academic family. 

At the special litany, traditional petitions for the Holy Rus' were raised, as well as petitions to God that He would grant wisdom and enlighten the heart to comprehend the study.

After the Eucharistic Canon, Bishop Kirill ordained Sergiy Gorbunov, a second-year Master’s student, as a deacon. The day before, on Saturday evening, during the All-Night Sigil, Sergiy was elevated to the rank of subdeacon.

After the Sacrament Verse, Hegumen Lazar (Gnativ), Dean of the Church singing faculty, delivered a sermon: 

“When entering the field of a new academic year, striving to acquire knowledge, especially theological, it is necessary to understand that there is a connection between education and spiritual life, between learning and spiritual activity.

Divine Revelation teaches us: “Wisdom does not enter into an evil soul, nor does it dwell in a body guilty of sin” (Wisdom 1:4). What is an evil soul? It is the human soul that is enslaved by passions, filled with sins, which does not strive to do some good deeds.

The possibility of assimilating God’s wisdom, depends on the moral state of a person. It clearly relevates to a person’s soul. 

An evil soul cannot gain Divine favor. And if an evil soul repents and changes its life, then the Lord, with His love and mercy, covers all its sins, enlightens it, and it gains hope for salvation and a Divine answer to its prayers.

At the end of the Liturgy, the clergy sang the glorification to the Dormition of the Mother of God. Then the Rector offered a prayer for the preservation of God’s creation.

Then teachers and students, led by the rector, went in a solemn procession to the Trinity Cathedral, where they venerated the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and ask the blessings for the new academic year. At the end of the prayer service, Bishop Kirill said a parting word. 

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! 

Today, having performed a prayer service at the relics of the Reverend, we begin a new academic year. It is known that St. Sergius is a quick assistant in learning, in mastering knowledge, especially pious knowledge. Today, standing before his holy relics, we ask for blessings to the teachers, administration, and students, so that this year will pass for the benefit of all of us. As you know, this summer the image of the Holy Trinity, painted by St. Andrei Rublev returned to its original place at the Trinity Cathedral. The The President came here specially to venerate this honorable image and relics of St. Sergius. The image of the Holy Trinity is an image of harmony in which the Lord created each of us and the whole world.

It happens that people know a lot, are encyclopedically educated, but they have no wisdom. However, the fear of God understood as a reverent attitude towards people, and towards oneself, towards the image of God that has been given to us, and towards knowledge, and towards everything that occurs in our lives, and to every hour and minute of our life. Don’t forget that we must be enriched in learning both externally and internally, and we really need to ask for this when we come to the Reverend, we bow to the Holy Trinity, so that we can not only assimilate the information, but also correctly and reverently put it in our souls. God grant that this knowledge be a truly strong foundation for your life, which would then become an example to others, who come to our holy churches. Amen".

After the prayer service, according to a tradition teachers and students venerated the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Then the academic family gathered on the steps of the Lavra bell tower for a joint photograph.

After that they proceeded to the necropolis of the Moscow Theological Academy to pray for the repose of the deceased mentors. Hegumen Daniil (Vasilenko), Vice-Rector for Educational Work of the Academy, officiated the funeral litia.

On August 31, Bishop Kirill officiated the Sunday All-Night Vigil co-serviced by the academic clergy. 

Background information: 

Chanting performed by the academic choir under the conduct of E.V. Borovinsky and a mixed choir led by S.P. Borovinskaya. 

MThA Press Office