The Academy celebrated the Day of All Saints Glorified in the Russian Land

Today the Holy Church remembers All Saints Glorified in the Russian land.

Like the ripe fruit of Your salvatory sowing, the Russian land brings Thee, Lord, all saints glorified there. Let their prayers protect the Church and our country with the Theotokos, Oh, the Merciful.

The idea of ​​celebrating the memory of all Russian saints first appeared in the middle of the XVI century after glorification of saints at the Moscow Councils in 1547 and 1549, when monk Gregory, a brother at the Suzdal Savior and Euthymius Monastery, created a service in honor of the "new Russian miracle workers." Initially, it was scheduled on July 17, but since the XVII century this tradition has remained only among the Old Believers.

The modern celebration was established at the beginning of the XX century at one of the Local Councils, which proposed to restore the commemoration of All Russian Saints on Sunday after the Day of All Saints resembling the tradition of the Holy Mountain Athos.

On June 25, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Theodorite, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, officed an all-night vigil at the Intercession Academic Church.

On June 26, Bishop Theodorite celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom co-served by teachers and students in the priesthood.

At the antiphons, Vladyka tonsured fourth-year undergraduate students Vladislav Pilyugin and Timophey Bakhterov as readers, and elevated Dmitry Konovalov, a fifth-year student of PSTHU, into the rank of a subdeacon.

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

During the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Theodorite ordained Deacon Alexander Samoylenko, a second-year Master’s student, into a priest and Subdeacon Dmitry Konovalov into a deacon.

After singing the Sacrament verse, Dmitry Sandulyak, a second-year Master's student, delivered a sermon:

We especially honor our heavenly patron saints, who are closer to us than our relatives knowing our needs and sorrows. Like our holy fathers and mothers they teach us the Orthodox faith. Following them as role models, let ask ourselves about our place. Do we respond to the Christ’s call to follow Him, just as they do? Will we be worthy of them? On this day, let’s pray deeply and heartily to our patron saints, so that they make us worthy before the Lord.

Background information: 

Chanting performed by a male choir under the conduct of V.V. Chuvilov and a singing group led by Ivan Bondaruk, a second-year undergraduate student.

MThA Press Office