Academy Celebrates the Nativity of the Mother of God

On September 20 and 21, Moscow Theological Academy celebrated the Day of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The Nativity of the Mother of God is the first of the Twelve Great Feasts in the liturgical calendar. By Her most pure birth, the Mother of God brought joy to Her devout parents, who had been childless, and became the foundation of our salvation.

Rejected by human judgment, Saints Joachim and Anna continued to trust in the Lord and remained faithful in marriage. Yet human judgment often differs from, and sometimes even contradicts, God’s judgment.

Words of joy and wonder now resound in the church: “The power of the Most High has loosed barrenness!” By grace, the long-desired Lady of the whole world is born. Today we witness the mysterious appearance of Her without whom the mystery of the Incarnation would not have taken place. We pray to the Most Holy Mother of God for our own birth into eternal life.

Archimandrite Hilarion (Forkavets) celebrated the vigil on the eve of the feast and the Divine Liturgy on the feast day in the Academy’s Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God, assisted by ordained faculty members and students.

Hierodeacon Simon (Mishakov), a second-year master’s student, delivered the sermon before Communion.

After the prayer behind the ambo, the clergy offered a festal hymn of praise for the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God.

Background information:

The services were sung by the first Academy choir under E. V. Borovinsky and the first mixed choir under S. P. Borovinskaya.

MThA Press Office