Bishop Theodorite officed festive services on the day of the Holy Spirit

Today the Holy Church honors the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The celebration was established to fight against the heresy that demeaned the role of the Holy Spirit and rejected His divinity equal to God the Father and God the Son.

On June 12, Archimandrite Platon (Igumnov) led the Matins at the Intercession Church of the Moscow Theological Academy.

During the service, Yephim Ognev, a third-year undergraduate student, delivered a sermon:

The Day of the Holy Spirit is a special day not only in the church calendar, but also in the folk calendar, inextricably linked with the Christian life. As people say, this day was especially revered among farmers. It was believed that on this day the earth celebrates its name day flourishing with herbs and flowers. That’s why any agricultural work was performed on this day. Knowing the special attitude to this day among farmers, the Holy Church bless the water, which the believers sprinkle on their gardens and orchards praying for the good harvest".

On June 13, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Theodorite celebrated the Divine Liturgy co-served by teachers and students in the priesthood.

After reading the Holy Gospel, Bishop Theodorite addressed an assembly with his archpastoral word.

After singing the Cherubic Hymn, the Rector ordained Deacon Alexander Gapko, a second-year Master’s student, into a presbyter.

At the end of the Eucharistic Canon, Vladyka ordained a second-year graduate student, subdeacon Konstantin Babak, into a deacon.

Before the removal of the Holy Chalice, Pavel Ostrovsky, a second-year Master's student, delivered a sermon:

If dry leaves catch fire, they turn into a big flame. The same happens with souls open to the Spirit of God. If the leaves are damp, the flame will not be able to ignite them. So, if our souls are proud and passionate, they rather open to enmity and discord.

If we look at the history of our country, we will notice that unity of the Russian people has been achieved thanks to the Spirit of God acting in our Orthodox Church. He helped our holy ancestors in the most terrible battles and guarded our earth.

Background information:

Chanting performed by a male choir under the conduct of Ivan Bondaruk.

During the Divine Liturgy, chanting performed by a male choir led by V.V. Chuvilov.

MThA Press Office