| Archive Пн Delegation of Moscow Theological Schools visited Egypt 14 May 2019 year 12:25 From May 6 to 13, 2019, with the blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and on the invitation of Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, a delegation of the faculty, staff and students of Moscow Theological Academy visited Egypt to help develop inter-church cooperation in academic sphere and make a pilgrimage to old common Christian shrines in Egypt. The trip took place in the context of developing dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church and as part of the work of the respective bilateral Commission. The delegation was led by Archbishop Ambrose of Vereya, rector of Moscow Theological Schools (MDA). It included Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR); Hegumen Gerasim (Dyachkov), deputy rector for economic work; Hieromonk Vyacheslav (Sorokin), senior assistant to the pro-rector for pedagogical work; Hieromonk Dometian (Kurlanov), sacristan of academy’s the Chapel of the Protecting Veil; Hieromonk Theodore (Yulaev), lecturer; Hieromonk Apollinary (Panin), assistant rector for pedagogical work; MDA students M. Bykov, S. Moroz, K. Babak, N. Gauk, S. KOnstantinov, A. Cherepenin, D. Leskov, S. Bolenkov, N. Saveliev; and the MDA video controller K. Shnurov. During its trip the delegation was accompanied by Hieromonk Daud al-Anthony of the St. Anthony Monastery (Coptic Church), who is studying in Moscow Theological Schools at present. During its trip the Moscow Patriarchate delegation visited the IV-V century monasteries of the Romans (Al-Baramus), the Syrians (As-Suriani), St. Paisius the Great (Anba Bishoy), St. Macarius the Great (Anba Makarios), and monasteries of St. Anthony the Great and St. Paul of Thebes of the Eastern (Arabian) Desert. In these old monasteries the guests from Russia had talks with their monks and venerated the great shrines associated with the history of the emergence of Christian monasticism. In Cairo, the delegation visited the historic Christian center of the city, as well as convents of St. George the Conqueror (Mar Girgis), St. Theodore Stratelates (Amir Tadrus), the Coptic Hanging Church (Muallaqa), the Ss Sergius and Bacchus with its crypt grotto, which is believed to give refuge to the Holy Family; as well as the churches of St. George the Conqueror, the Cathedral of St. Mark and the church of St. Paul. |
| During the meeting with teachers and students of Tbilisi Theological Academy, Archpriest Pavel spoke about the reform of religious education in Russia, theological IT projects, and the prospects for cooperation between the MTA and theological schools of the Georgian Church. In turn, Father Anthony Borisov described the development of international activities in the MTA. Then the MTA delegates answered numerous questions from the audience, which ranged from the specifics of the curriculum in their Academy to the possibilities for Georgian students to do graduate and postgraduate studies at the Academy. During the meeting, films from the “Bogoslov” film studio were shown, on the Moscow Theological Academy and on the web-portal " Bogoslov.Ru " , as well as the video channel of the film studio on YouTube. In conclusion, Archpriest Pavel Velikanov, on behalf of Archbishop Evgeny, Rector of the MTA, gave as a gift to the Georgian Patriarchate a portrait of Archpriest Constantine Ruzhitsky, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, during whose rectorship the future Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II was a student at the Academy. The delegation also reviewed the progress of major repair works to a building that will house the Tbilisi Theological Academy. The building is designed for two thousand students and will have accommodation for a hundred people. Repair works started at the beginning of 2012 with full funding from the state and are planned to be completed by the beginning of the school year. Representatives of the MTA had the honour to be accepted by the Chairman of the Education Committee of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan John of Rustavi and Marneuli. During the meeting both groups discussed the prospects for cooperation of theological schools of the Georgian and Russian churches, as well as the experience of having received state accreditation of Georgian theological academies and seminaries in 2011. During the visit the delegation visited the ancient monasteries Svetitskhoveli, Santavro, Alaverdi and other holy sites of the Georgian land. |
| Archive Пн The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture officially banned teachers and students of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary from entering Lavra 30 August 2023 year 15:42 The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has officially banned teachers and students of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary fr om entering and staying on the territory of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, wh ere the educational buildings are located. This is reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists with reference to the website of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary. Such an order was issued by the Ministry of Culture in a letter signed by acting Minister of Culture Rostislav Karandeev. Since the unilateral cancellation of the state " s agreement with the Kiev Pechersk Lavra in March of this year, the rector of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary, Archbishop Sylvester, has repeatedly appealed to various authorities to prevent the closure of the Kiev Theological Schools. Nevertheless, when the Reserve closed the entrance to the Lower Lavra grounds to all visitors on the 11 th of August, access to the Academy buildings to all faculty, students and staff was also blocked. The press service of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary reports that on the same day the rector " sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience with a historical justification of the legal relationship between the KTA and the Reserve, as well as with a request to consider the possibility of unimpeded access to the buildings of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary for students, teachers and working staff " . In response, Acting Minister of Culture R. Karandeev sent a letter to the Academy of the Reserve dated 17.08.2023, where teachers, students and staff of Kiev Theological Schools are equated with visitors to Lavra, and access to the territory of the monastery and the Academy buildings is prohibited to them. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Theological Education in Scripture and The Fathers If theology means all this, we may well ask: Is it a suitable subject to be studied in universities and academies? Can we legitimately set examinations in theology, awarding to our students theological degrees and diplomas, assigning passes and distinction, " firsts " , " seconds " , and " thirds " ? Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) 03 November 2010 Source: SYNDESMOS, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth Vth International Consultation of Orthodox Theological Schools, Halki Theological School, Turkey, August 14-20, 1994 What is theology? At a consultation of theological schools, devoted specifically to the subject of theological education, it is appropriate to ask ourselves the basic and primary question: What is theology? How do Scripture and the Fathers of the Church understand the task of the theologian? Looking at the Bible, we encounter at once a striking and remarkable fact: nowhere in the Old or New Testaments do we ever find the words “theology”, “theologian” or “theologize”. These are, quite simply, not Scriptural terms. By the same token we may also note that none of the Twelve chosen by Christ was educated at a theological college. It is only gradually that the term “theology” enters Christian discourse. The word was viewed with suspicion by the second-century Apologists, because for them it meant primarily the speculations of religious thinkers who were pagans. On one occasion, however, the adjective “theological” is used in a Christian sense by Athenagoras of Athens, to indicate faith in the Holy Trinity . It was the Alexandrians Clement and, to a far greater extent, Origen who established the Christian use of the word “theology”. Significantly it was also at Alexandria that there emerged the first well-established theological college, the celebrated Catechetical School headed by Pantaenus, then by Clement and Origen, and subsequently by Bishop Dionysios of Alexandria . At a later date, in the Byzantine period, the main centre of theological education moved to the Patriarchal Academy of Constantinople. |
| His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: Theological schools should be recognized by state and society as academic-intellectual humanitarian centers June 21, 2013 On 21 June 2013, a regular session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Opening the session, His Holiness presented the agenda and shared his thoughts about the development of theological education in the Russian Orthodox Church: ‘Our major theme today is an education reform in the Russian Orthodox Church. Now it is June and school-leaving and entrance exams are in full swing. Both secular and Orthodox higher education institutions, as well as theological schools start their campaigns for attracting school-leavers. It is just the right time for discussing the problems related to the life of our theological educational institutions. ‘I would like to remind you that the Church felt the necessity of reforming the system of theological education as far back as 1990s. This sphere has been changing rapidly and the Church cannot stand aside from these processes. ‘When a future clergyman graduates from a seminary or academy, he does not get into a vacuum or a previous century, but into modern society with its challenges, pace of life, and its speedy information transmission and processing. He should get necessary knowledge and skills in order to not only be a loving pastor (that should be formed in the first place), but also meet intellectual expectations of society. ‘The following words are ascribed to a certain philosopher: ‘Education is a difficult task, and to improve its conditions is one of the sacred duties for each man, for there is nothing more important than education of oneself and one’s neighbours’. The development of theological education, the transformation of our clergy into an ‘intellectual class’ of our society is a sacred duty for us all. It is not for the sake of some intellectual aestheticism but for the sake of making us as participants in public discourse more convincing – all this for the sake of salvation of the soul of the modern man, for whom convincing are only the words which are intellectually impressive. |
| Historically the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary were located not in the territory of a monastery, but in downtown Kiev. The Divine providence ordained it so that in the late 1980s, when it became possible to reopen the seminary, it could only be done in the Kiev Caves Lavra. The Kiev Theological Academy was opened practically at the same time. Therefore, the revival of monastic life in the Lavra and the revival of the Kiev theological schools are linked by bonds of time and personalities. – What is the current status of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary? Does it have accreditation of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine? – Thirty years have passed since the reestablishment of the Kiev Theological Seminary and Academy. Regretfully, at the moment we do not have state accreditation, albeit our educational institution is officially registered by the state. In our life in the academy and seminary we take into consideration the recommendations given by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education. Actually we find ourselves in a very interesting situation. Our diplomas are not recognized by the state, but every diploma individually can undergo nostrification procedure at a special commission under the Ministry of Education. Despite a rather complicated religious situation in Ukraine, people working at the Ministry of Education are willing to help us in recognizing our diplomas. I will note that accreditation of educational programmes and fulfilment of licence conditions is a long process, and the Kiev Theological Academy makes every effort to develop its educational resources with this in view. – What is the procedure for enrolling in the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary (KTA&S)? Who are its graduates? – The procedure for enrolling in the KTA&S is the same as in other theological schools. First of all, an applicant needs a letter of recommendation fr om a priest or bishop. He also must provide a high school diploma, results of the External Independent Evaluation, a conscript card or a military ID card, and certain medical certificates. Every applicant takes exams and comes for an interview. I would like to note that the interview is very important, for we try not only to assess a person’s knowledge, but also learn about his interests, skills, etc. |
| Archive Пн Metropolitan Hilarion speaks at the Russian National Forum of Young Theologians 27 November 2021 year 15:07 On November 25, 2021, the First Russian National Forum of Young Theologians took place in the spacebridge format. It was organized by the Academic Educational Theological Association (AETA) with the support of the Commission for Developing Theological, Religious and Ethical Education under the Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations and the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, as part of the Fifth Russian National Academic Conference on Theology in Academic-Educational Space held with international participation. The forum was opened by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, rector of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate and Doctoral Studies and president of the Academic-Educational Theological Association. He noted in particular that in the Russian education space, theology exists in two forms: as a system of disciplines taught in theological confessional schools and in the form of a humanity taught in secular universities. “Theology is one of the humanities relating to a wide range of people, to many of those who study at higher education institutes, Metropolitan Hilario said, “In this sense, theology is demanded and justified in the secular educational space. Theology serves to broaden the horizon of those who master this field of human knowledge. The last years have seen a rapprochement of the two spheres: the theology in theological schools and the theology present in the secular educational space. Firstly, there is an already formed and functioning common federal educational standard on Theology; at present, there are three learning passports: Theology - Orthodox, Islamic and Judaic. Secondly, theology cannot be torn from specific religious traditions, and this is the difference between a theologian and a scholar of religion. Secondly, the rapprochement is taking place through the gradual introduction in usage of the same textbooks and educational aids. Today’s educational aids take into account the whole experience accumulated by our Church and have to meet the present-day educational standards of education. About 30 textbooks have already come out and as many of them are to be delivered. Prepared for publication are three volumes of “The History of the Russian Orthodox Church”, with one of them to be reviewed before long. In the nearest future, we will try to complete the work to create a full code of new present-day educational aids for the bachelor degree to be used in both theological and secular schools. |
| Translated by pravmir.com Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Holiness Is the Norm and the Meaning of Life Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk) A sermon by Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), spiritual father of theological schools in Kiev Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Donate Also by this author " Five Signs of a Modern Pharisee Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk) Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), spiritual father of the Kiev Theological Schools, gives advice on how to develop immunity against… " Why Do Our Children Get Out of Control? Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk) Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), spiritual father of the Kiev Theological Schools, replies. " Why Should We Fast? Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk) Homily of Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), spiritual father of the Kiev Theological Schools. More Today " s Articles “Le monde entier reste silencieux au… pravmir_com_team Depuis le 12 décembre 2022, la région de l " Artsakh, où vivent 120… “The whole world is silent about… Natalia Nekhlebova Since December 12, 2022 the region of Artsakh, where 120,000 Armenians live,… |
| Hieromonk Kirill was to make a decision concerning the Russian Church’s joining SYNDESMOS in the middle of the SYNDESMOS assembly to which he had come with two letters already signed by Metropolitan Nikodim, one on joining this organization and another on ‘postponing the decision’. He made the choice on his own - the theological schools of the Moscow Patriarchate did join SYNDESMOS. Hieromonk Kirill was elected to the SYNDESMOS Executive Committee. It became his first diplomatic task. On September 12, 1971, the Day of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, Hieromonk Kirill was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On October 19 of the same year, the Holy Synod appointed him as the Moscow Patriarchate representative to the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Archimandrite Kirill took an active part in all the activities of the WCC from 1975 as a member of the WCC Central and Executive Committees up to 1988, participating in their work without missing a single meeting. In the first part of the 1970s, Archimandrite Kirill became a permanent member of the theological dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and representatives of other confessions. The three years he spent in Geneva gave to the future Patriarch an opportunity not only to accumulate an immense experience in the area of church diplomacy but also to communicate with Russian clergy and faithful abroad. Service at the See of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (1985-2009) During Metropolitan Kirill’s service at the See of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, 166 parishes were opened (94 in Smolensk and 72 in Kaliningrad and its region), 52 Orthodox churches were restored and 71 churches were built. In 1989, a Smolensk Theological College was opened and in 1995 it was transformed into the Smolensk Theological Seminary. Since 1988, functioning there has been an Inter-diocesan Theological College, which trains church choir conductors, catechists, icon-painters and nurses. Most of the diocesan parishes run Sunday schools. There are Orthodox schools and kindergartens. |
| With his new relationship with the Karlovtsy Synod, Metropolitan Theophilus refused to proceed with plans to establish the Pan-Orthodox Seminary. Indeed, it appears that the proposal had been discussed in Serbia by the Russian bishops and had been disapproved. This led Metropolitan Theophilus to initiate plans to establish his own seminary. 171 When Archbishop Athenagoras learned that the Metropolia had rejected the cooperative proposal and was proceeding to establish its own seminary, he had no other alternative than to proceed with his own plans. Archbishop Athenagoras presided over the opening of Holy Cross Theological School on 5 October 1937 in Pomfret, Connecticut. 172 Nearly a year later, on 3 October 1938, Metropolitan Theophilus opened St. Vladimir " s Seminary in New York City. Another institution, known as a pastoral school, was also opened on 24 October 1938 at St. Tikhon Monastery in New Canaan, Pennsylvania. The fact that the Metropolia opened two schools at the same time appears to reflect an unresolved division between those who wanted a pastoral school and those who wanted a more advanced theological seminary somewhat equivalent to the academies of old Russia. 173 With the establishment of these schools, an important chapter in Orthodox theological education in America began. The opening of these schools indicated that the leadership of both the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Russian Orthodox Metropolia recognized the need to provide education here in America for future clergy and laity who would serve the developing church in this country. However, at the same time, an important opportunity for interjurisdictional cooperation was lost. The two schools would serve the particular needs of each jurisdiction and would not be able to bring about a greater sense of unity and common mission among the future clergy. THE COUNCIL OF BISHOPS PROPOSAL Archbishop Athenagoras was not alone in the desire for greater cooperation among the Orthodox in America. The primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese found a friend and a committed ally in the person of Metropolitan Antony (Bashir), who became the head of the Syrian (Antiochian) Orthodox Archdiocese in 1936. |
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