Rating of higher theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church for 2022

What it is?

Translated from Latin, “seminarium” means “breeding ground,” but in real life, a theological seminary is an educational institution engaged in the professional training of church workers. This educational institution fulfills a specific mission - it trains Christian clergy.

In fact, this cultural and spiritual center makes it possible to convey to specific individuals who want to connect their lives with the Christian religion, faith, deeply immersing them in all the nuances and sacraments, the rules for conducting certain services, rituals, celebrations, etc.

The education received at a theological seminary is special and suitable exclusively in a religious environment, in a specific religious organization - the church.

Information for applicants

Conditions of education

Pererva Theological Seminary is accepting students for the main educational program of higher education 03/48/01 Theology (bachelor's degree), focused on training clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

To organize the educational process, a highly professional teaching staff has been selected: employees of synodal institutions, leading experts in their fields, doctors and candidates of science, graduates of theological academies and prestigious universities.

An individual approach is applied to each student, there is no “stream” in the learning and education process, the scientific, theological, creative, sports and other interests of students are taken into account, elective classes and extracurricular activities are provided.

Graduates of the Pererva Theological Seminary are among the most sought after in the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. More than 90% of graduates take holy orders. Every year, more than a third of graduate students enter a higher educational level.

The seminary is located on the territory of the Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery in Moscow. Education, accommodation and meals are free, full board. Rooms for 2-3 people. Regular pilgrimage and excursion trips, student conferences, sports and gyms, one of the best football teams among theological schools, a football ground. Good transport accessibility (MCD, metro).

The seminary offers preparatory courses for applicants.

During training, a deferment from service in the RF Armed Forces is granted.

Conditions for admission to the Theological and Pastoral Faculty for the 2021/2022 academic year. year

The theological and pastoral faculty accepts young men with complete secondary education; the form of study is full-time, there is no correspondence department.

List of entrance tests:

1. Russian language.

2. History.

3. Comprehensive examination on the Law of God (Biblical history and Orthodox doctrine).

4. Interview.

A test of reading in Church Slavonic and listening (the troparion of one’s heavenly patron) are carried out. What is required is a meaningful and solid knowledge of the Creed, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian “Lord and Master of my life,” the Decalogue, the Beatitudes, the troparions of the twelve feasts and the troparion to one’s saint, psalms 50 and 90, numbers of the Church Slavonic language.

List of documents required for admission

• Documents on secular and spiritual education (original document of the established form and copies of the rest).
• A written blessing from the ruling bishop (those applicants from the Moscow diocese are given after passing the diocesan council for applicants) or a recommendation from a parish priest, certified by the diocesan bishop.
• Recommendation from a priest (confessor).
• Certificate of Baptism (copy).
• Passport (copy).
• International passport (copy if available).
• Certificate of registration or military ID (copy).
• Medical certificate (086/у).
• Medical policy (copy).
• Personal petition (written in seminary).
• Application form (filled out at the seminary).
• Autobiography.
• Photos 3x4 (4 pcs.) in a suit or plain shirt.
• Other documents (certificates, testimonials, diplomas, etc.) at the discretion of the applicant.

Applicants from the Moscow diocese to pass the Diocesan Council of Moscow must contact A.V. Dmitriev during business hours (from 10:00 to 17:00; Monday-Friday) by phone: · + 7 (915) 141-33-56, then send the requested documents by email by 05/25/2021. By 06/20 .2021 all documents provided by email must be transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate in the original.

Address: Moscow, st. Shosseynaya, 82.

Tel.: +7 (495) 354-15-83; e-mail: [email protected]

How to enter a theological seminary?

In general, the admission procedure to this educational center has both standard and specific features. Among the general points, one can note the provision of a certain package of documents (bureaucracy).

How to enter the seminary?

The package of documents for admission includes:

• Document confirming identity and citizenship (passport);
• Document confirming availability of education (secondary or vocational);
• Passed exams in the form of the Unified State Exam (in most cases it is required to pass the Unified State Exam in history and the Russian language, but the list should still be clarified directly at the training center or with the admissions committee);
• The results of the medical commission in the form of a standard certificate in form 086/у;
• For men, it is mandatory to provide a military ID;
• Photos 3*4 for maintaining a personal file, preparing a grade book, etc.

The specifics of admission and training in a theological seminary are manifested in the following points:

• Only a man can be an applicant. Women cannot enter this training center, but this does not mean that they do not receive any education at all. We will talk about this below;
• The age of young people should be between 18-35 years;
• It is mandatory to have recommendations from local church ministers who can confirm the individual’s true zeal for religion, active participation in the life of the local church and the education of the people, religious service and life.

In some cases, when entering a theological seminary, they may require additional documents confirming their attitude to religion, religion and spiritual life: marriage and wedding certificates, baptismal documents, etc.

Moreover, only a man who has only one active marriage behind him will be able to enter the seminary.

Every believer has visited church at least once in his life, and probably met women there. Yes, girls and other female representatives cannot study in seminaries, but only those who have undergone appropriate training in special universities and theological schools can work in the church. There they can enter any department, except pastoral. In the church, women can work as nuns, monastery abbess, etc.

When entering a theological seminary, not only the results of the Unified State Exam are taken into account, but also additional moments from the applicant’s life:

• His faith in God, to the extent that he is a church-going person;
• Knowledge of prayers, the Bible, Orthodox traditions and holidays;
• Compliance with fasts and prohibitions;
• Ability to read and write in Church Slavonic.

Most often, as an additional entrance test, a conversation is held with a clergyman, who, in the course of a simple and relaxed conversation, receives certain information and ideas about the future student. Testing and other tests designed to test knowledge of the basics of religion, etc. are also allowed.

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master's theses

ORTHODOX SPIRITUAL ACADEMIES IN RUSSIA

closed educational institutions providing higher theological education. They train clergy, teachers for theological schools, theologians and researchers for the institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate. Are under the jurisdiction of the Educational Committee at the Priest. Synod. The AD is headed by rectors (usually of episcopal rank), who directly supervise the educational process. Graduates of theological seminaries are admitted to the A.D. after passing exams. A.D. have the right to confer scientific degrees of Doctor, Master and Candidate of Sciences. theology, doctor of church history and doctor of church law (degrees are not recognized by state legislation). As of 2000, there were 5 A.D. in the Russian Orthodox Church: Moscow (1685; rector - Evgeniy (Reshetnikov), Archbishop of Vereisky), St. Petersburg (1797; rector - Konstantin (Goryanov), Bishop of Tikhvin), Kiev ( 1701; rector - Archpriest Nikolai Zabuga), Minsk (1996; rector - Archimandrite Leonid (Fil)), Moldavskaya (1997; rector - Vladimir (Kantaryan, Metropolitan of Chisinau). The leading educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church are MDA and SPbDA, which have the most qualified teaching staff.

In 1994-2000 There was a reform of the A.D., begun by the decision of the Council of Bishops in 1994, which decided to prepare the transition to a new system of spiritual education by 2000. The reform proposals developed by the Educational Committee provided for the transformation of A.D. into schools providing theological specialization. The proposals were approved by the Holy. Synod 27 Dec. 1996 In accordance with the project of reform of theological schools, the academic course of study should be divided into 2 stages: the first three-year, after graduation in case of successful defense of Ph.D. dissertation, the graduate is awarded the degree of Candidate of Science. theology and he receives the right to teach at the DS, and a two-year second (postgraduate) course, after graduation, in case of successful defense of a master's thesis, the graduate is awarded a master's degree in theology and he receives the right to teach at the DS. All subjects studied in academies should be distributed between 4 departments: theological, biblical studies, pastoral and church history, which provides specialization in Russian. or general church history. In 2000, A.D. were in the stage of reorganizing the educational process.

The first higher educational institution in Russia arose in 1615 in the form of a school at the Kiev Brotherhood Monastery, intended for the study of rhetoric, theology, Latin. and Greek languages. Kyiv Metropolitan St. Peter (Mogila) (1633-1646) transformed it according to the Polish model. Jesuit colleges and placed it first in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, then in the Brotherhood Monastery. Since 1632, the school was called the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium, it taught arithmetic, poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, theology, musical singing, catechism, Church Slavonic, Latin. and Greek languages. By decree of Peter I on September 26. In 1701 it was transformed into the Kyiv Academy, received a royal salary and the confirmation of its former rights and benefits. Since that time, the course of sciences has been expanded: natural history, geography and mathematics, German, French have been introduced. and ancient Hebrew languages. The Kiev-Mohyla College and the Kiev Academy played a decisive role in the formation of the system of theological education in Russia.

12 Dec 1685 on the recommendation of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Dosifei and with the blessing of the Moscow Patriarch Joachim Greek. Monks and theologian brothers Sophrony and Ioannikiy Likhud founded a theological school in Moscow, which was located first in the Epiphany Monastery, then in the Zaikonospassky Monastery. It taught in Latin. and Greek languages: grammar, literature, rhetoric, logic and physics. The Likhud school was the basis of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, later. transformed into MDA. The first Russians were taken from the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. students at the university that existed in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Sciences (since 1726), as well as students at the Moscow University, which opened in 1755. In 1812, the MDA was transferred to the Perervinsky Monastery near Moscow, and in 1814 - to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where it is located to this day, retaining the name Moscow.

SPbDA was formed on the basis of the Slavic school created in 1721 (since 1726 Slavic-Greek-Latin seminary), transformed in 1788 into the Main St. Petersburg DS for the purpose of training teachers for theological seminaries. In 1797, together with the Kazan DS, it received the status of an academy.

In 1809, the Commission of Theological Schools approved the charter of the A.D., written by M. M. Speransky and supplemented by Archbishop. (later Metropolitan) Theophylact (Rusanov) (see Charters of theological schools). On its basis, in 1809 the Alexander Nevsky Academy was transformed into SPbDA. Based on the experience of teaching the first set of students at this academy, in 1814 its rector, Archimandrite. (later Metropolitan) Filaret (Drozdov) finalized the charter approved by the emperor. Alexander I Aug 30 1814 On the basis of this charter, the Moscow A.D. was transformed in 1814, the Kiev A.D. in 1819, and the Kazan A.D. in 1842 (the latter was a seminary in 1814-1842). By the charter of 1814, ADs were placed at the head of the management of theological schools entrusted to each of the academies of the educational and spiritual districts. The highest adm. The board of directors, consisting of the rector (chairman), inspector, economist and one of the professors, was approved as the body of the A.D. The board was under the control of the local bishop, but the ADs themselves were subordinate to the Commission of Theological Education under the Holy Synod. The training took place over 4 years, divided into 2 “terms”, or “classes”: philosophical and theological. The first taught philosophy, history of philosophy, general literature, general and Russian history, physics, mathematics, German. and French languages; in the second - dogmatic, moral, accusatory and pastoral theology, rhetoric, church law, patristics, biblical and church history, history of the Russian Orthodox Church, ancient Hebrew. language. Both classes taught hermeneutics, homiletics, and Greek. language, and from the natural sciences - botany and zoology. The staff was determined to consist of 6 professors and 8 bachelors in each academy. The election of the rector, inspector and professors was introduced. AD trained DS teachers and rectors of city parishes, as well as officials of the Holy Synod. Particularly distinguished graduates were retained by the AD to prepare for the “professorship.” The A.D. was in charge of spiritual censorship.

The Charter of March 1, 1839 abolished the Commission of Theological Schools, and the A.D. were subordinated directly to the Holy Synod; abolished the election of the rector and professors, who began to be appointed by the Synod. Each of the A.D. eventually received its own profile. Teaching at SPbDA (it was considered the main one) was approaching university teaching. Fundamental development of theological disciplines was carried out in the KDA and MDA, while in the KDA the West was studied especially thoroughly. (lat.), and in MDA eastern. (Greek) patrolology. KazDA had a missionary department that trained missionaries and polemical theologians—experts in schism. It additionally taught Arabic, Tatar, Turkic, Mongolian, Kalm. and others east. languages.

On May 30, 1869, the new charter and staff of the Academy were approved, in accordance with which the academies were divided into 3 departments: theological, church-historical and church-practical. All educational and administrative work. The activities of the AD were transferred to the jurisdiction of academic councils - general (they included all ordinary and extraordinary professors) and ordinary (consisting of the rector, vice-rectors and 6 professors - 2 from each department). The general councils considered the most important issues; ordinary councils were in charge of filling professorial vacancies, awarding academic degrees, reviewing curricula, and conducting examinations. Each department included professors of basic subjects headed by a vice-rector, who was elected for 4 years from among the regular professors of the department, was its leader and representative in the general council and board of the academy. The board was in charge of exclusively economic matters. It consisted of a rector, an inspector and an “honorary guardian for economic affairs.”

The subjects of the theological department included dogmatic, moral and accusatory theology, patristics, and ancient Hebrew. language, biblical archaeology; At the church history department, biblical history, general church history, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, the history and exposure of the schism, and Russian civil history were studied. The subjects of the church-practical department were pastoral theology, homiletics, history of preaching, church archeology, liturgics, canon law, general literature, history of Russian. literature, russian and foreign languages ​​(usually German and French). Compulsory subjects for students of all departments were Holy. Scripture, basic theology, logic, psychology, metaphysics, history of philosophy, pedagogy, one of the ancient languages ​​(Greek or Latin) and one of the new ones (German, French or English). The entrance examinations included theology, philosophy, dogmatic theology, biblical and ecclesiastical history, one of the ancient and one of the modern languages.

Charter dated April 2 1884 strengthened the power of the rector in academies, limited the competence of the councils of the academy, and a number of administrative, educational and economic issues were excluded from their jurisdiction. Departments were abolished, all theological and philosophical subjects became compulsory. The remaining subjects were divided into 2 groups: verbal (theory of literature and general history, Russian and Church Slavonic languages, paleography, history of Russian literature, ancient Hebrew language and biblical archeology) and historical (history, comparative study of Western confessions, history and exposure of the Russian schism, general and Russian civil history). Public debates during the defense of master's theses were abolished, and the doctoral degree began to be awarded based on the reviews of 2 reviewers.

The unrest and unrest that took place in theological schools during the revolution of 1905-1907 led to the fact that in 1908 a revision of the AD was carried out, based on the results a cut was drawn up and a new one was adopted on May 2, 1910 charter (amended in 1911), which eliminated the partial autonomy granted to the A.D. in 1906. The charter provided for the expansion of the teaching staff, the introduction of practical classes for students, and an increase in the number of departments - departments of Byzantine and Slavic history were opened. Churches. Particular attention was paid to religion. and moral education of students and strengthening of discipline. Attendance at religious services became mandatory for students and teachers, and the importance of observing fasts was noted. To increase the authority of the AD administration, the charter provided for the episcopal rank for the rector and the rank of archimandrite for the inspector; Preference was given to teachers in holy orders. The Charter strengthened the power of diocesan bishops over the highest theological school.

In 1914, a project was submitted to the State Duma to establish the 5th Orthodox Church in Tomsk. AD, the project was approved, but the outbreak of the World War prevented its implementation. After the February Revolution of 1917, a commission of representatives of the A.D. developed a draft of a new charter of the A.D. and submitted it to the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (1917-1918), which approved it. The charter provided for the restoration of the principle of election, the open nature of teaching, the admission of women to the Academy of Arts as volunteers, and the introduction of a narrower specialization.

With the establishment of Soviet power, the conditions for the activities of the AD changed. Decree of January 23. 1918 “On the separation of church from state and school from church” prohibited “the teaching of religious doctrines in all state and public, as well as private educational institutions,” but in the resolution of the People's Commissariat of Justice dated August 24. the same year, the teaching of religions was allowed. religious doctrines in “specially theological” institutions. In 1918, the last intake of applicants was held at the MDA; classes ceased in 1919, although individual professors continued to study with students at home and prepared course essays for defense until 1922. Orthodox. The People's Academy of Theological Sciences, organized on July 24, 1918 with the blessing of Patriarch Tikhon and headed by the rector Archpriest. N. Bogolyubsky, existed until approximately 1921. Many scientists took part in its work (I.M. Gromoglasov, N.D. Kuznetsov, etc.), and the number of students reached 225 people. In Petrograd, the academy was closed in 1918. In Kyiv, Soviet power was finally established only in 1919, and the KDA existed until the end. 1920 The last rector of the KDA, Bishop. Vasily (Bogdashevsky) in Oct. 1920 wrote about the imminent closure of the academy. They resisted closure in KazDA for a long time. In 1917, the academy building housed troops and a hospital, but teachers continued classes until 1920.

The re-establishment of the A.D. in Russia began in 1943 after the election of Sergius (Stragorodsky) as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', who instructed the bishop. Grigory (Chukov) to draw up a project for organizing religious educational institutions of higher and secondary types. On June 14, 1944, the opening of the Orthodox Theological Institute and Theological and Pastoral Courses took place in the Novodevichy Monastery. Aug 31 In 1946, the Moscow Orthodox Theological Institute was transformed into the MDA, and on October 8. In 1946, the grand opening of LDA and LDS took place. The full cycle of theological education was designed for 8 years: 4 years of seminary and 4 years of academic study. In addition to theological and church-historical disciplines, the curriculum of the academies also included ancient and modern languages, the history of religions, and the history of Russian history. religious thoughts, logic, psychology, Christianity. pedagogy. However, already in 1948, the Ministry of Education, referring to the decree of January 23. 1918, demanded that the history of philosophy, logic, and Christianity be removed from the programs. pedagogy, etc. At the beginning of the 1950/51 academic year, 730 students were studying in 2 academies and 8 seminaries.

In the 60s XX century Well-known church scientists taught at the MDA - Bishop. Pitirim (Nechaev), bishop. Filaret (Vakhromeev), Archpriests John Kozlov, Alexander Vetelev, Andrey Sergeenko, D. Ogitsky, V. Talyzin, A. I. Georgievsky, I. N. Shabatin; professor prot. Alexey Ostapov, abbot. Mark (Lozinsky). During these same years, professors Archpriests Pyotr Gnedich, Liveriy Voronov, Vitaly Borovoy, L.N. Pariysky, N.D. Uspensky, M.F. Rusakov taught at the LDA. LDA has become the largest center of the Russian Orthodox Church engaged in systematic research into problems related to the ecumenical movement. All activities of the A.D. took place under the leadership of the Educational Committee under the Priest. Synod, headed by Ser. 60s stood Metropolitan Tallinn Alexy (Ridiger), later Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Until 1971, A.D. graduated 811 candidates of theology, 13 doctoral and 53 master's theses were defended.

All R. 70s XX century AD received permission from the Council for Religious Affairs and local authorities to expand its premises and construct new buildings. In 1978, regency courses were opened at the LDA. In the 70s and a regency class appeared under the MDA, transformed into a school in 1985. A significant event in the history of the MDA was held in December. 1985 conference dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the academy. The conference materials were published in the anniversary issue of BT. In 1971-1987 355 people graduated from the full-time department of the MDA, and 338 from the correspondence department. 202 graduates graduated from the LDA in these years. Thus, in 1971-1987. 895 people received higher theological education. During this period, 473 graduates of the Academy of Theology were awarded the degree of Candidate of Theology, 20 theologians defended their master's theses, and, finally, 9 major figures in theological and church historical science were awarded the academic degrees of Doctor of Theology and Church History. In the 1999/2000 academic year, the following students studied in the full-time and part-time departments: in the MDA - 158 people, in SPbDA - 164, in the KDA (recreated in 1989) - 461, in the Minsk DA - 21 people. In Moldavian DA in 1997 there were 50 students.

Official and reference ed.: Spiritual regulations. St. Petersburg, 1721, 1776; Charter and staff of theological academies, supremely approved on May 30, 1869 St. Petersburg, 1869; Charter and staff of Orthodox theological academies, supremely approved on April 20, 1884 St. Petersburg, 1884; Explanatory note to the draft amendments to the charter of Orthodox theological academies. St. Petersburg, 1884; Acts and documents related to the history of the Kyiv Theological Academy (1721-1795). K., 1904-1907. 4 t.; Same. (1796-1869). 1911. T. 1; Reviews. Parts 1-3, approx.; Rhodes. SPbDA Students' Dictionary; The Charter of Orthodox Theological Academies, the highest approved on April 2, 1910 by Serg. P., 1910; Council, 1918. Definitions. Vol. 3; Report on the state of the Moscow Theological Academy in the 1917/18 academic year. Serg. P., 1918; Orlov A., prot. Report [provided by St. Patriarch Tikhon] on the state of the Moscow Theological Academy for 1919/20 and 1920/21. // Vestn. RHD. 1986. No. 147; Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1989; Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2000.

Lit.: Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. History of the Kyiv Theological Academy. K., 1843; Smirnov S.K. History of the Moscow Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. M., 1855; aka. History of the Moscow Theological Academy before its transformation. M., 1879; Chistovich I. History of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. St. Petersburg, 1857; aka. St. Petersburg Theological Academy over the last 30 years (1858-1888). St. Petersburg, 1889; Collection published by MDA on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. M., 1864; Znamensky P.V. The main principles of the spiritual school reform during the reign of Emperor Alexander I. Kaz., 1878; aka. Theological schools in Russia before 1808. Kaz., 1881; aka. History of the Kazan Theological Academy for the first (pre-reform) period of its existence (1842-1870). Kaz., 1891-1893. 3 t.; Arkhangelsky A. Spiritual education and spiritual literature in Russia under Peter the Great. Kaz., 1883; Golubev S. T. History of the Kyiv Theological Academy. K., 1886. Issue. 1: Pre-Mogila period; Vifinsky N. [Glubokovsky N. N., pseudonym] On the issue of the needs of spiritual and academic education. St. Petersburg, 1897; Glubokovsky N. N. On issues of theological school (secondary and higher) and about the Educational Committee at the Holy Synod. St. Petersburg, 1907; Smentsovsky M. Brothers Likhud: Research experience from the history of church education and church life. XVII and beginning XVIII century St. Petersburg, 1899; Jabłonowski A. Akademia Kijowska-Mohilańska: Zarys historyczny na tle rozwoju ogó lnego cywilizacji zachodniei na Rusi. Kraków, 1899-1900; Svetlov P. Ya. On the need for Theological faculties in universities, or On the reform of higher religious education in Russia. K., 1906; Titov F. Transformation of theological academies in Russia in the 19th century // TKDA. 1906. No. 2; aka. Kiev Theological Academy in its three-century life and activity (1615-1915). K., 1915; Dyakonov K. Theological school during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I. St. Petersburg, 1907; Titlinov B.V. Theological school in Russia in the 19th century. Warsaw, 1908-1909. 2 t.; Bogoslovsky M. Reform of the higher theological school under Alexander I and the founding of the Moscow Theological Academy // BV. 1917. No. 10-12; Kiselev A. History of the Moscow Theological Academy (1871-1900): Course. op. MDA. Zagorsk, 1973-1974. RKP.; Golubtsov S., diac. History of the MDA (1900-1919). Tr. Sergius Lavra, 1976-1977. RKP.; Uspensky N. D. On the history of theological education in Leningrad // ZhMP. 1977. No. 4; Saltykov A., priest. A brief outline of the history of MDA // BT. 1986. Jubilee. Sat., dedicated 300th anniversary of the MDA. pp. 73-112; Kirill (Gundyaev), Metropolitan. Theological education in St. Petersburg-Petrograd-Leningrad: tradition and search // BT. 1986. Jubilee. Sat., dedicated 175th anniversary of LDA. pp. 6-34; Khizhnyak Z. I. Kiev-Mohyla Academy. K., 1988; Sorokin V., Bovkalo A.A., Galkin A.K. Spiritual education in the Russian Orthodox Church under His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (1917-1925) // Vestn. LDA. 1990. No. 2; Zhuravsky A.V. Kazan Theological Academy in the last period of its existence // History and man in theology and church science: Materials of the Kazan anniversary. history-theology conf. Oct. 1995 Kaz., 1996; Vishlenkova E. A. Theological school in Russia in the first quarter of the 19th century. Kaz., 1998; Mitrofanov G., prot. The two-century historical path of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy within the walls of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra // Kh. 1998. No. 16; Shkarovsky M.V. Russian Orthodox Church under Stalin and Khrushchev (1939-1965). M., 1999.

Priest Maxim Kozlov, V. A. Fedorov

Features of studying at a theological seminary

Studying at a specialized religious institution is possible on a full-time and/or part-time basis. In most cases, becoming a “qualified” church worker is free. But at the same time, students do not always receive a scholarship. These payments depend entirely on the financial capabilities of the educational institution. For example, often special “theological schools” operate at churches, so the size of the scholarship and the possibility of paying it will directly depend on the budget of the church.

What is the educational process in a theological seminary?

Only Orthodox people, Christians, can master religious basics and nuances. Moreover, they can be one from birth, or they can change their faith at their own request.

Training involves a simultaneous combination of theory and practice. Students live in a special dormitory and observe all established traditions, orders, and fasts. They eat in special dining rooms and engage in social life. Moreover, propaganda of Orthodoxy is strictly prohibited.

Education at the theological seminary takes place in accordance with the current rules. At the bachelor's level, students master the program for 4 years, and then can continue their professional path to religion in the master's program, studying for another 2 years.

Among the compulsory subjects to be studied are:

• General developmental disciplines: Russian language, mathematics, foreign language, logic, pedagogy, physical education, psychology, etc.
• Special subjects: history of the Russian Orthodox Church, Divine services, patrolology, apologetics, history of Christian virtues, catechism, etc.

Moreover, bachelors and masters must undergo practical training at a church, where they gain experience in organizing and conducting services, church celebrations, rules of conduct for individual events (baptism, funeral services and funerals, weddings, etc.).

In each course of study at the theological seminary, each group is assigned a mentor who will help in mastering practical skills and knowledge. He is obliged to monitor the students’ daily routine, their actions, the correctness of speech, individual movements while studying and reading prayers, etc. His responsibilities also include regular conversations with students, solving organizational and educational problems of students, instructing them on the righteous path, etc.

Studying at a theological seminary also involves carrying out “community work”: subbotniks, cleaning the seminary territory, duty in the refectory (dining room), night and day shifts, etc.

Mastering the theoretical part of work in the church involves not only reading and retelling, but also writing essays, reports, and term papers on subjects. The practical part of the curriculum involves studying and observing the learned canons and rules.

Upon completion of the theological seminary, the graduate must complete a certification project (within the framework of a chosen topic or an upcoming church event or holiday) and demonstrate the acquired skills: perform a service in a church, describe or organize a specific event or celebration, etc.

Russian Orthodox Church

A young man who wants to serve the Church as a clergyman is faced with a choice of where to go in order to have the appropriate education. You can go to a seminary closer to home, choose one of the central theological schools, or enter a church university. Rectors and teachers of theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church share their thoughts on how to make the right choice. Bishop of Peterhof Ambrose, rector of St. Petersburg theological schools:

Personally, I am deeply convinced that the future priest should study in a theological educational institution - in a seminary. Now we call this stage of spiritual education a bachelor's degree. The seminary gives a young man not only the necessary knowledge. The way of life that he lives for four or more years in the seminary gives him the opportunity to immerse himself in church life as much as possible, to experience himself in a large Christian community, to receive the education necessary for future service as a clergyman or clergyman, to become a bearer and continuer of church traditions. Daily prayers, regular participation in divine services, obediences, pilgrimage trips, cultural and educational programs, social and missionary practice, even joint meals and community life - all this and much more that is present in the life of the seminary, not only complements, but imparts meaning to the entire educational process. Without learning to live according to the Gospel, to know oneself, to repent of one’s sins, without knowing what spiritual warfare and struggle with passions are, without knowing the power and grace of humility, without learning the ascetic experience of the Church through the example of those who have achieved deification, it is impossible to become good priest

It is no secret that it is precisely thanks to the special structure of the seminary that a student can, having tested himself and realized that this is not his path, honestly leave his previous intention. When such a discrepancy with the vocation is noticed by the management of the educational institution, it also decides to terminate the education of a particular student. No university, even the best, is capable of giving a person what he gets in a seminary. Those who have gone through this school are immediately noticeable. It is great if the future priest already has a higher secular education. But it is necessary to go through the school of seminary life. Please note that almost all of those who head church universities today (PSTGU, RPU), departments or departments in secular educational institutions, studied in our seminaries and academies. I am sure that it was the experience of our own studies in theological schools that allowed the leaders of church universities to create worthy educational institutions, which, of course, can provide theological education to future priests, but still, in the process of educating and forming a priest, in my opinion, they are significantly inferior to good seminaries. Many times, communicating with representatives of Local Orthodox Churches, who do not have the opportunity to have their own theological educational institutions and are forced to educate future clergy at state universities, I heard: keep your tradition in matters of education, it is unique! Do not lose it under any circumstances!

Of course, there are a number of problems in the system of spiritual education. This is the quality of education in a number of regional seminaries, and the state’s persistence in not recognizing our degrees and diplomas. All these difficulties still need to be overcome. In our theological academy, a high level of teaching and quality of education is achieved not only by administrative decisions. Leading professors from state universities in St. Petersburg who teach at the Theological Academy make their enormous contribution. It is remarkable that this is happening precisely within the walls of a religious educational institution, the unique microclimate of which primarily attracts secular professors to us.

I think that I have outlined my principled position in sufficient detail.

Now about which seminary is better to enter. Well, of course, to St. Petersburg!

Before admission, the applicant must take a written blessing from the ruling bishop. These are the rules and necessity. Very often, the local bishop blesses a young man to enter a diocesan or regional seminary. And, of course, this has its own logic: the student will not get lost, will study in the local culture, climate, in his own time zone, and will not lose sight of the peculiarities of the way of life of the people of the region. At the same time, every year we take exams for master's programs, we are faced with an unacceptably low level of knowledge of applicants from other seminaries. But usually the best people go to master's programs. It turns out that the level of education, culture, and training of the clergy of such a diocese remains at a fairly low level, and the circle of this problem is closed by the bishop himself, who must fill his own or regional seminary, and at the same time wants his clergy to be well prepared. What to do? The late former Archbishop of Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk Sophrony, in whose diocese at that time there was a theological school, of all those wishing to enter St. Petersburg or Moscow, never created obstacles for anyone, if only those who wished to prove by their preparation and lifestyle that they are capable of studying in the central spiritual educational seminaries. As a rule, they all returned to their diocese. And now some bishops who have their own seminaries honestly understand that diocesan educational institutions are significantly inferior to central ones; they send the best to St. Petersburg or Moscow. It is important that they also take care of their students, help them financially, and nurture them spiritually throughout their studies.

Of course, there are also very worthy seminaries among the diocesan ones. For example, the Saratov diocese annually sends several graduates of its seminary to our magistracy. These are well-prepared, capable and at the same time modest, worthy guys in all respects. They become one of the best master's students and are free to enter graduate school.

Those who want to receive a theological education and do not intend to prepare for ordination should go to a church or secular university. There are many different faculties there, besides theological one, and upon completion you can receive a state diploma. Of course, I in no way claim that studying at the theological department of a state university or at a church university, a student cannot prepare well to become a priest, but hand on heart, I give preference to traditional academies and seminaries, which are ranked by the Educational Committee worthy places.

Hegumen Andrey (Moroz), rector of the Yakut Theological Seminary:

We live in good times! Today, applicants entering church universities are already faced with a dilemma about where to go to study. This is great because the variety of theological schools provides an opportunity to choose. There are glorious schools with a structure of the educational process that is measured by decades of continuous development and improvement. There are schools that are young, but already well-known, as they say. There are many religious educational institutions that have the status of “diocesan”.

In advising others to do this, I thought about where I would direct my steps today if I were 17, with today’s school certificate in my hands? I probably would have made the same choice - I would have gone to study at the seminary of my native diocese. A young man, choosing such a seminary, solves several problems at once that will inevitably arise during the learning process. And they, ultimately, are not trivial. First of all, diocesan seminaries offer an individual approach to the seminarian. They do not have the notorious “system” that students and graduates of seminaries at academies so often tend to believe. The diocesan seminary does not exclude the student from the life of the diocese, where the student, the future pastor, will have to serve. During the training period, the young person will already be able to enter into the context of the traditions existing in the diocese and will be able to organically conform to the way of life of the region. Proximity to home is also an advantage, both material and psychological.

I remember how at the age of 17 I visited the cathedral city, how difficult it was to get used to the new, albeit church, environment. I think that our young contemporaries are not without a calling attachment to their small homeland, which, of course, dulls over the years. Another good factor of diocesan seminaries is their involvement in missionary service. Every student counts, everyone receives not only a theoretical, but, above all, a practical dimension of this responsible service to the Church.

I think that those who want to continue their studies in the capitals can always do this after the seminary by entering the academy.

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, first deputy chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy:

A young man who is pondering his life and whose heart is inclined towards possible church service, today can direct his steps either to one of the 36 seminaries of the Russian Orthodox Church (I’m only talking about those located on the territory of the Russian Federation, but there are also seminaries in Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia , Europe, Central Asia), or to an open Orthodox higher education institution, that is, an institute or university.

Any of these choices should be conditioned by a fundamental desire to subsequently serve in the Church, and not just to expand the circle of one’s education, and certainly not by the desire to simply spend 4-5-6 years at some university. Today, mostly very young people who have just received higher or even secondary education enter religious educational institutions, so you definitely need to pay attention to making the choice informed. The responsibility of choice, therefore, must certainly be supported by the blessing of the confessor, and this is how Orthodox educational institutions fundamentally differ from secular ones. Of course, a blessing can be taken for admission to any educational institution, but the fact is that secular universities do not require it. It is important to discuss the validity of your decision with your confessor, as well as discuss which theological school is better to choose.

Let's say the confessor gave his blessing. Most dioceses have a testing commission that will assess a young person’s preliminary readiness for admission. Let's say, in Moscow, every potential applicant goes through the Diocesan Commission, which gives or does not approve his admission to an Orthodox higher education institution.

Today, it seems, there is no fundamental difference in which theological school to go to, since if a young person discovers the ability for in-depth study of church science and the desire to continue his studies, the bachelor's degree level can be followed by a master's degree, which is available in central theological schools and a number of provincial schools.

Some theological schools are strong scientifically, others are better oriented in a practical sense. If initially there is a desire for church-theological, scientific, teaching, church-administrative service, central schools will provide preferential training from the first year.

Orthodox universities, it seems, are primarily suitable for those who, due to age, family obligations and the nature of work, cannot be in a seminary station for four or six years and must combine student life with work, family and other urgent responsibilities.

Archpriest Gennady Egorov, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of PSTGU:

Briefly, these questions can be answered as follows.

If a young man wants to serve in a parish in his native diocese, then it’s good to study at the local seminary (if, of course, they teach something there, it seems to me that there used to be, I don’t know how it is now, such that one could suffer some losses in intellectual plan). A local seminary allows you to immediately fit well into the clergy of the diocese and does not radically break social ties (unless, of course, the diocesan center is a thousand miles from your home; sometimes it is easier to get to Moscow than to get there).

One of the central seminaries is also suitable for this case, the advantage is the opportunity to receive a better education (again, in terms of intellectual). But there are also risks, because new connections are made, and at an age when they are very strong, old ones weaken, and it is often easier for a graduate to stay in a new place than to return and start all over again. Here, much depends on the wisdom of the diocesan bishop, to what extent he can create a psychologically comfortable environment for returning and getting used to the “new old” life.

If a young man has a desire to serve in the capital’s regions or serve in obedience in synodal structures, then, of course, the shorter route there lies through the capital’s seminaries. Here he will be visible, will receive better training, and will make the necessary contacts. The same is true for the case if a youth wants to devote more time to church science - the chances are much greater in a large city with a strong seminary, but the next step is still inevitable - an academy or Church-wide graduate school and doctoral studies.

The last paragraph can also be applied to “church universities,” especially if future service will involve frequent contacts with the “outside world.” Here you can get suitable hardening for this. The downside is the maximum distance from the “system,” which for some bishops can serve as a sign of “unreliability.”

It goes without saying that the phrase “the young man desires” implies the presence of God’s will for him, which the young man strives to fulfill. If this is not the case (calling or aspiration), then it is better to think about some other field.

Mikhail Stepanovich Ivanov, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Moscow Theological Academy:

The desire to become a clergyman of the Church deserves approval and is perceived very positively in church circles. However, it must be taken into account that such a desire should always be conditioned by a calling to future high church service. Vocation is a kind of guideline not only in the personal spiritual life of a Christian, but also in his understanding of a certain direction that he chooses to carry out the type of church service that will be useful to him and which will correspond to the Divine will. The reminder of the calling is not done here by chance. The fact is that religious educational institutions know cases when applicants try to enroll in them who have no idea about their vocation and, at the same time, literally declare from the outset that some of them will be priests, and others - monks.

A calling is always necessary. It is extremely necessary in our time of spiritual savagery and violation of the norms of Christian morality. Vocation as a spiritual guideline can also help in choosing the church educational institution in which the applicant would like to study. Therefore, we will not give any recommendations in terms of such a choice. Let us note only those features that, in our opinion, distinguish this or that church educational institution.

Option 1. The applicant raises the question of admission to a regional theological seminary.

In this case, it is advisable to have at least a general acquaintance with the educational institution: its place according to the rating of the Educational Committee, the state of the library collection, the professional level of teachers, living conditions and material support for students, the spiritual atmosphere in the educational institution, the spiritual, cultural, intellectual education of students, etc. .P.

Option 2. The applicant wants to enter one of the best seminaries, according to the rating of the Educational Committee.

In such seminaries, as a rule, there is a competition, which imposes increased responsibility on the applicant when preparing for entrance exams. In addition, such seminaries have a higher educational level, which is an undeniable positive phenomenon for gifted students. For students with modest natural abilities and poor academic performance, this advantage often turns into additional difficulties, because Such students are unable to master the educational level that is normal for successful students. As a result, they find themselves on the list of chronic student debtors and, as such, are expelled from the educational institution for poor performance.

Option 3. The applicant raises the question of admission to PSTGU.

The educational level of this church university is quite high. Therefore, all those features and warnings that were expressed regarding Option 2 are applicable in this case. It is known that the percentage of those expelled from this university for poor academic performance is quite high. However, PSTGU will provide such an opportunity to those who wish to study church science deeply and seriously. The question is different: does the applicant himself, who realizes his calling to become a clergyman, want to seriously engage in church science?

Option 4 is associated with admission to the RPU.

Since this educational institution is socially oriented, and its curricula and programs are not directly related to the ordination of graduates to the priesthood, for those who wish to take such orders, entering the RPU is unlikely to be the best option for fulfilling their desires.

Option 5. Admission to the theological faculty of a state university.

For taking holy orders, this option seems to be the least successful for a number of reasons. Firstly, the formation and development of theology faculties is far from being completed. These faculties, as a rule, have a weak scientific and methodological base, an almost complete absence of theological literature and church textbooks, many random teachers who have a vague understanding of church science, etc. The fact that graduates of such faculties receive a state diploma is not of decisive importance for those wishing to take holy orders.

Prepared by Priest Pavel Lizgunov and Olga Bogdanova

Educational Committee/ Patriarchia.ru

The rating of church educational institutions has been compiled. Which theological school was in first place, what is the secret of their success and what will happen to the seminaries that are in the lower positions of the ranking, says Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, First Deputy Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The idea of ​​rating church educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church arose in the second half of 2012 - early 2013, when a virtually simultaneous inspection of all theological seminaries and academies on the territory of the Russian Federation was carried out over four months.

Today, the ranking of church educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church includes 35 seminaries and 2 academies. All 37 educational institutions correspond to the bachelor's level, while 29 out of 37 have preparatory departments, and 10 have educational programs at the master's level. There are 2 postgraduate schools, 19 regency departments and 8 icon painting departments at 37 educational institutions.

There are 9.5 thousand students studying in church educational institutions, of which there are more than 7 thousand students at the bachelor’s level, about 1 thousand students at the master’s level, more than 500 people in the regency departments, and more than 250 people in the icon painting departments.

The rating takes into account various parameters of the life of theological schools. The Educational Committee gets acquainted with some of them on the basis of self-examination sheets - documentation that is sent by educational institutions to the Academic Committee at certain intervals on a regular or extraordinary basis upon request. Other parameters are monitored during scheduled inspections - on average, each educational institution will be visited by an inspection from the Education Committee once every three years.

The main parameters that are taken into account in the rating:

• regulatory support, that is, the availability of all necessary documentation - license, state certificate, etc.;
• material support, that is, parameters for the number of classrooms, the quality of equipment in classrooms, living conditions for students - food, gyms, etc.;
• quality and learning outcomes.

Also, when compiling the rating, the following are taken into account:

• test results of final year students to check the result of knowledge during the inspection;
• availability of additional programs at the educational institution;
• indicators of educational work, the work of the institute of individual mentors;
• degree of communication between students and administration;
• information and library support;
• faculty;
• educational and methodological support;
• research activities - the presence of a website, a collection of teaching works, holding conferences, cooperation with secular universities.

All these factors correspond to a certain kind of coefficients and are compared with paper data and data from remote monitoring of the defense of qualifying works and final exams, which was introduced last year.

Rating: alarm bell

– Father Maxim, can we say that the rating is primarily a purely bureaucratic criterion?

- No, the rating is a criterion that shows a certain kind of dynamics in the development of a church educational institution - up, down, stability. If the rating of an educational institution has changed by one or two places in relation to the original parameters, that’s one thing, but if by ten, that’s already an important change. And it’s good if it’s ten up. Therefore, the rating is a certain kind of warning system. Either a wake-up call or confirmation that the educational institution is doing everything correctly.

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov

– Who are the leaders of spiritual education today according to the rating?

– Although we do not publish the rating, which is our working document, for everyone’s information, I think it would be permissible to report that the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy is in first place in the rating.

In general, church educational institutions that are historically central - SPbPDA and MDA - are traditionally in the top. Also at the top of the ranking are seminaries that already have state accreditation - these are Smolensk, Saratov and Penza. There are also seminaries that have master’s degrees: Sretenskaya, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, etc. And also consistently strong seminaries, with a well-formed teaching corps and an attentive archpastoral attitude. This is, for example, the Kolomna Seminary, where, among other things, there is an excellent material base and the best seminary building today, recently built on the territory of the Holy Trinity Novo-Golutvin Monastery, which is ideally suited for the educational process and student accommodation.

The second group is seminaries that show stable indicators, but have certain shortcomings.

The third group are seminaries with more significant shortcomings that are under control.

The fourth rating group is the lowest. There are seminaries here, which today do not indicate confirmation of the status of a higher educational institution. I will not name these seminaries, but they are aware of their situation and the decision of the Synod of July 2013 to give them three years to correct the situation. If the level is not raised, then these seminaries may be transformed into educational institutions of a different profile. For example, to one of the centers for training parish specialists.

As I have already indicated, the publication of the ranking is not intended by the nature of the document, but with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, the interim document has already been sent to the rectors of theological educational institutions, and everyone locally already knows where they stand.

– Why do we need training centers for parish specialists?

– Today there are more than 15 such centers. They have four profiles: youth, missionary, social and catechetical. An interdepartmental commission under the Educational Committee evaluates the organization of these centers and grants them the right to issue students with a church-wide document upon completion of training. The demand for this kind of personnel in parishes is great, and so far only a small part of the potential is being used - so this area of ​​church education will develop intensively.

It will be possible to increase the number of such centers at the expense of theological schools that are ending their historical existence. An example is the Chita Theological School, which is now in the process of being transformed into a Center for the Training of Parish Specialists. But the Vologda Seminary, on the contrary, after the decision of the Synod in 2013, increased its status and is developing very dynamically through the efforts of the rector, the Vologda Metropolitan.

Photo: nds.nne.ru

Autonomous existence among ourselves is not useful for us

– Should church educational institutions meet the parameters of secular universities?

- Undoubtedly. This is the need of the hour. All church educational institutions are licensed, and His Holiness the Patriarch has set the task of carrying out state accreditation of at least the best part of the seminaries. Accordingly, seminaries are subject to licensing and accreditation inspections by Rosobrnadzor. And the task of the Academic Committee is to help church educational institutions prepare for state accreditation.

Of course, this work adds a lot of trouble to us: government requirements change all the time. For example, there was a requirement that the university needed an agreement with the clinic, but in order for the clinic to carry out medical activities on the territory of the seminary, it needed to change its license. You can imagine what efforts are needed to get the management of the clinic to agree to renew its license! The same applies to the requirements for teaching staff, for educational and regulatory support - the standards, unfortunately, are extremely unstable.

On the other hand, the process of obtaining state accreditation is a stimulating factor. Autonomous existence among ourselves is very unprofitable for us. And the church educational institution as a kind of abstract provincial theological school issuing its own diplomas has now come to an end.

– How painful was the transition to the Bologna system for church educational institutions?

– There were a lot of useful things in this transition. Yes, master's programs have become specialized in their field, but these are obvious demands of the time, it is clear that it is necessary to move to faculty-type specialization, this is done in the master's program - biblical, theological, historical, church-practical disciplines are taught to choose from.

Obviously, it was also necessary to transition from the lesson-questioning system, which was recommended in theological schools in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, to the lecture-seminar system. Teaching in higher educational institutions is not lessons with quizzes, but lectures, seminars, and practical exercises.

As for the holidays, yes, we began to study more, but if not with my heart, then with my head, I understand that the inadequate number of weekends and vacation days that we had before the Bologna system was harmful to the educational process. The liturgical cycle is one thing, but the academic year is another; it cannot be directly related to Easter, for example.

If there is anything painful, it is in the incomprehensible variability of the external forms of our state higher education, which we must take into account. There is a constant flux of criteria and requirements - for example, the issue of the status of theology in the higher education system has not been fully resolved. Today it is impossible to defend dissertations in theology; there is no appropriate advice. There is discipline, but there is no corresponding dissertation council - absurd.

Photo by Anna Galperina

Components of success

– What determines the success and failure of a religious university? Can you give examples of the correct strategy or typical mistakes based on the inspection results?

– As a positive example, we can certainly name the Saratov Theological Seminary. What are the parameters of success?

Firstly, out of the unconditional interest of the ruling bishop . When the ruling bishop sees that having a good seminary in his diocese is not just prestigious, but the very forging of a cadre of educated clergy and church workers in a quality higher educational institution is one of the cornerstones of positive development for the diocese - then this is a kind of depth, sobriety and the correctness of the vision of the situation.

Secondly, the key to success is the formation of a qualified teaching staff . The teaching corps should not consist primarily of part-time workers! The backbone should be people for whom the place of work in the educational field is the main thing. Of course, it is good to attract famous teachers from secular universities, but even the church educational institution itself must have a strong core of “its own” qualified teachers.

Thirdly, decent wages for teachers . “A slave is not a pilgrim” - a church saying, or “Slave labor is unproductive” - the words of one non-church economist. Work must be adequately paid!

Fourthly, working with applicants . Nowadays, this work can be carried out in different forms. As a debatable example, but one that undoubtedly meets the challenges of the time, I will cite the well-known video of the Kazan Theological Seminary, prepared by its new leadership. Such vital, positive creativity testifies to the processes of renewal and development that are taking place in the theological school, which was once one of the four academies of the Russian Church and is now dynamically developing again.

Seminaries must also provide normal living and working conditions for students. His Holiness the Patriarch pays great attention to this - students came to study, and all kinds of additional obediences and duties must be strictly dosed.

Fifthly, the key to success is a normal atmosphere in the relationship between the educational part of the administration and students . For example, the hostel system in seminaries is a very important educational beginning: can I live with other people together, not the way I want, as I am used to with my mom and dad, but build relationships on my own after 4-5 years of study? Seminarians are students living in a dormitory, performing certain duties, but at the same time being open to modern society.

– Can you tell us more about the educational component in a church educational institution, what is its significance?

– Church educational institutions are called upon to provide not only education, but also upbringing. No matter how lofty these words may sound, we all understand that priesthood is not a job, but a lifelong service. Of course, there are comparable vocations in society: physician, teacher, military man. We all want to see in a doctor not only a specialist, but also a sympathetic person; a teacher is not only a teacher, but also an educator; in a priest not only a person who can serve the required service, but also a mentor, a comforter. And such a skill for a priest is impossible without acquiring a certain internal experience of Christian life, the education of the soul.

And here we come to the most delicate sphere of education in theological schools, which, on the one hand, is necessary, because how will someone educate who has not been educated, and on the other hand, is easily replaced by purely disciplinary principles.

It cannot be said that all approaches have already been found here, but it is also impossible to abandon this part of the work in church educational institutions. A new and good example of the educational principle in church educational institutions is the institute of individual mentors. In the system of the Educational Committee and in the MDA, this work is headed by Oleg Sukhanov, a man with a higher military education, a former naval sailor, exceptionally loved by students and able to find a common language with them. The most interesting materials on a specially created website for individual mentors, programs on “Theologian” and the live communication that takes place between him and other mentors within the framework of this portal show how much this institute is in demand.

A mentor is a person who occupies a borderline position between students and the administration. Most often, this is a young teacher or a recent graduate who can help students in practical life, in educational activities, and in solving some problems that arise during their studies with high-ranking members of the administration.

This form has already been introduced everywhere; now it is important that it be filled with content everywhere. Close attention is paid to those cases when representatives of the administration, including educators, turn out to be inconsistent with their calling. When the corresponding signals are confirmed by facts, such people definitely stop working in church educational institutions.

Photo: Gury Balayants

MDA: statistics

– Do you have statistics specifically on the Moscow Theological Academy? To compare over the years and identify trends.

– This year, several times more young people entered the MDA than usual – more than 150 people enrolled in the bachelor’s program. Moreover, this year there are more stringent requirements and the Unified State Exam is mandatory. Of these 150 people, more than 80 were accepted into the preparatory department, and about 10 people immediately entered the first year.

The new unified curriculum implies a mandatory four-year bachelor's degree for all and the presence of a preparatory department. At the preparatory department, church disciplines are taught, which are absent in secondary school; the situation with ordinary subjects is also normalized - Russian language, foreign language, general humanities, historical disciplines. But the best students from high school, and especially young people with a higher secular education, can immediately enter the first year.

In the final year, there are usually about 60 people in the MDA: about 30% of students do not make it to graduation for various reasons. Firstly, it is difficult to study in a theological school. Secondly, someone switches to the correspondence department due to various life circumstances. Thirdly, someone himself understands that he is in the wrong place and has chosen the wrong path. And it happens that the administration understands this about someone.

Most students graduating from MDA are ordained. The task of the seminary is primarily to train clergy. But there cannot be a formal mechanistic approach here: “Please decide during your graduation year whether you will become a monk or get married. And if you don’t decide, you won’t get a diploma.” If something like this ever happened, we are now monitoring this kind of pressure and suppressing it in every possible way.

The MDA has courses where 60% of students become clergy by the time they graduate. But there shouldn’t be a competition to see which seminary will have the most clergy by the end of their studies. The main thing is that the graduates then remain in the sphere of church work, in the ranks or as church workers. And today there are a decisive majority of such graduates. And in this sense, most seminaries realize their task - they prepare people who then go out to serve the Church.

– Father Maxim, what are your feelings and intermediate conclusions from observing the development of the MDA during the period of your work in the Academic Committee?

– MDA is a unique institution, an ancient theological educational school. The forced “Soviet” break in the MDA and SPbPDA was minimal; the Moscow and Leningrad theological schools, resumed in the mid-40s, could rely on the teaching staff and graduates of pre-revolutionary theological educational institutions that survived the years of persecution. Therefore, these academies are not comparable in scale to other church educational institutions. These are institutions that have a very large margin of safety and that depend little on the personality of the leader or a particular teacher. This is stability and conservatism in the best sense.

On the other hand, it is precisely this conservatism that can lead to a certain kind of inertia processes. The scale of activity within the framework of a huge teaching and student corporation is such that the resolution of some practical issues is carried out more slowly than in small seminaries. Perhaps this is why today neither the Moscow nor the St. Petersburg academies have state accreditation.

But I think that the current problems of MDA are surmountable. Some areas are developing dynamically, for example, the library, which is being improved not only externally, but also internally - using modern technologies. At the Institute of Individual Tutors, MDA also became the flagship. Distance learning, when lectures were broadcast for provincial seminaries, also relied primarily on MDA personnel.

When it was necessary to develop training programs for the new unified curriculum, it was MDA that was the first to post them on its website so that others could benefit. And there are many such examples of the successful implementation of various tasks of our alma mater.

Crisis or not crisis?

– One of the main problems of provincial seminaries is the personnel crisis. How is this problem solved?

– I would not call the situation today a crisis: the problem is not so much with the lack of personnel, but with meeting the necessary parameters for staffing positions – teachers, for whom work at the seminary is the main one. And here, indeed, the local diocesan authorities are often faced with the task of combining moral and material factors so that the teacher agrees to make the seminary the main place of work.

Over the past 3-4 years, there has been tremendous progress here. The situation of so-called volunteer contracts for the provision of charitable services by teachers is almost one hundred percent a thing of the past. The level of teacher pay is not yet satisfactory, but we hope the situation will improve. Namely, because of the low level of wages, teachers are forced to work simultaneously in several universities and cannot devote the necessary time, attention and effort to students.

Also, graduates of central academies and master's programs are filling up the staff - in those regions where self-reproduction of the teaching force is not yet possible. In recent years, another form of support for teachers has become advanced training courses, which are both legally required and essentially important for keeping teachers on their toes. In general, I see an obvious trend towards improvement in the situation with the teaching staff.

– Are remote lectures in demand for provincial seminaries?

– Time has shown that simply broadcasting lectures or classes from central religious educational institutions as a form of education is of little demand.

Full-fledged distance education, which involves appropriate faculties and assessment of students’ knowledge, is a task that is not so easy to implement. Such a system exists today at the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University. But we must still gradually move towards distance learning replacing the current distance learning sectors. The form of distance education is a requirement of the time, and we will inevitably come to it.

In conclusion, I would like to express my firm confidence that the current responsible academic year, when for the first time in our modern history, religious universities will work according to a unified curriculum approved by the Supreme Church Council and the Holy Synod, will become an important stage in raising their overall level and approaching the solution to the task of creating unified educational field of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church was established in 1867, recreated in 1945. It is a department under the Holy Synod, designed to provide general management and coordinate the activities of theological schools, provide them with methodological assistance, and perform administrative functions together with the ruling bishops. The committee constantly operates a group to develop a new concept of education. Over the past 10 years, the committee has been holding rector's meetings, seminars for teachers of theological schools in individual disciplines, and collaborating with secular institutions and organizations. Chairman of the Academic Committee: Evgeniy, Archbishop of Vereisky, vicar of the Moscow diocese.

First Deputy Chairman: Archpriest Maxim Kozlov. Appointed to the position by the decision of the Holy Synod of March 15, 2012. Also by the decision of the Holy Synod of June 6, 2012, he was appointed secretary of the Commission of the Inter-Council Presence on Issues of Spiritual Education and Religious Education. Rector of the Patriarchal Metochion - the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment in Moscow.

Source: pravmir.ru

​St. Petersburg Theological Academy topped the rating of educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church

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Photo: St. Petersburg Theological Academy

As Rublev.com previously reported, in September the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church planned to publish the rating of church educational institutions. However, according to the first deputy chairman of the committee, Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, as cited by the Orthodoxy and World website, it was decided not to publish the rating, since it is a working document.

However, the clergyman announced that the St. Petersburg Theological Academy took first place in the list of educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Speaking about the group of educational institutions with the highest indicators, Archpriest M. Kozlov noted that the oldest theological schools, the Moscow and St. Petersburg Academies, habitually occupy leading positions.

“In general, church educational institutions that are historically central - SPbPDA and MDA - are traditionally in the top,” explained the priest. - Also at the top of the ranking are seminaries that already have state accreditation - these are Smolensk, Saratov and Penza. There are also seminaries that have master’s degrees: Sretenskaya, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and others.”

The deputy chairman of the Educational Committee included in this same group “stablely strong seminaries with a well-formed teaching corps and an attentive archpastoral attitude.”

This, according to the archpriest, is the Kolomna Seminary, which has an excellent material base and the best building to date, erected not so long ago on the territory of the Holy Trinity Staro-Golutvin Monastery. The seminary complex, the clergyman noted, is ideally suited for the educational process and student accommodation.

The second group consisted of seminaries that demonstrated stable indicators, but had certain shortcomings. The third included “seminaries with more significant deficiencies that are under control.”

The most problematic are the seminaries included, based on the results of the inspection, in the last, fourth group. As Archpriest M. Kozlov noted, these educational institutions today do not actually confirm the status of a higher educational institution.

“I will not name these seminaries, but they are aware of their situation and the decision of the Synod of July 2013 to give them three years to correct the situation. If the level is not raised, then these seminaries may be transformed into educational institutions of a different profile. For example, to one of the training centers for parish specialists,” the publication quotes him as saying.

Thus, already next year, if the shortcomings indicated by the Educational Committee are not corrected, several seminaries may lose their status.

The Deputy Chairman of the Academic Committee noted that the document drawn up by the synodal institution has already been sent to the rectors of theological educational institutions. “Everyone on the ground already knows where they stand,” he concluded.

Today, the system of educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church includes 35 seminaries and 2 academies.

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Full text of the interview with Rev. See Maxim Kozlov in the “Accent” section.

tags: spiritual education, religious schools

How to become a priest?

The Russian Orthodox Church plays an increasingly important role in the life of Russian society, and many young believers participating in the life of the Church dream of becoming a priest or taking monastic vows, engaging in theological science or carrying out church social service.
In order for such a high destiny to become a matter of life, it is necessary to obtain an education at the Theological Seminary and Theological Academy. Theological seminaries prepare clergy who will serve in the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church. To engage in science, you need a more serious education - to graduate from an academy. The Theological Academy continues training only after graduating from theological seminary. You can enter these educational institutions only if you are a believer and a churchgoer.

The education system of the Russian Orthodox Church today is undergoing a reform similar to the secular one. The theological seminary is a bachelor's degree, the first two years of the academy are a master's degree, and the last three years of the academy are a postgraduate course. Bachelor's degree lasts 4 years, master's degree lasts 2 years, and postgraduate study lasts 3 years. Russian religious education is now in the process of obtaining state accreditation.

To date, 34 seminaries and 25 theological schools have been opened in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church has 5 Theological Academies (in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Minsk and Chisinau), three universities and Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies. In the educational buildings of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, which includes bachelor's, master's and postgraduate degrees, almost 800 students are studying full-time and part-time today.

Exams and interviews

Young people no older than 35 years old, single, are allowed to take exams for full-time undergraduate studies.

or married in their first marriage. Documents on secondary or higher education, a petition addressed to the rector, a recommendation from a confessor with a resolution from the ruling bishop, a baptismal certificate, a wedding certificate with a copy of the marriage certificate (for married people), a passport and birth certificate, a military ID, a certificate are submitted to the academy's office. about registration, medical insurance and medical certificate 086u, Unified State Examination certificate and photographs. You also need to fill out an application form for applicants, which is posted on the website of the Theological Academy, and write an autobiography. If the applicant lives in another city, you can send all documents electronically.

At the entrance exams, knowledge by heart of the necessary prayers and the ability to read in Church Slavonic are tested, an interview is conducted on the topics of biblical history of the Old and New Testaments, catechism (the foundations of Christian doctrine), liturgical regulations and the history of the Church. Upon admission, you must also write an essay on the proposed topic, take a test in one of the new languages, and pass a musical ear test. Future seminarians must undergo an interview with the rector, vice-rectors and confessor of the academy.

Academic disciplines and daily routine

Full-time education at the academy is free. Students live in a dormitory of 4-6 people on a full board basis; they are given cassocks or jackets in which they go to classes, and are given a small stipend. The seminary studies the Holy Scriptures, a wide range of theological disciplines, the history of the ancient and Russian churches, asceticism, liturgics, canon law and much more. There are also secular sciences: philosophy, pedagogy, psychology, computer science, social sciences, new and ancient languages. General lectures by visiting professors and world-famous scientists are often held. Students undergo internships in social institutions in St. Petersburg. At the end of the training, a bachelor's thesis is written.

Those who know a foreign language well are sent to study abroad. Seminarians are currently studying in France, Italy, Germany and the USA.

A student at the Theological Academy can be drafted into the army from any course. After the procedure for religious educational institutions receiving state accreditation is completed, seminarians will receive a guaranteed deferment from the army for the duration of their studies.

If at the entrance exams an applicant shows insufficient knowledge or skills of the catechism, he may be offered to study for a year at the preparatory department. Students of this department also live in a dormitory and are provided with four meals a day, they perform a variety of obedience work and are parishioners of the academic temple, and also attend lectures.

The daily routine at the academy is very strict. Rise at 7 o'clock, at 8 - prayer and breakfast, at 9 lectures begin. Break for afternoon tea, and again lectures until 14-30. After lunch, independent work, choir rehearsals, liturgical practice and free time. Students can play sports; the academy has a gym and its own football team. At 20 o'clock there is dinner, at 22 - evening prayer, and at 23 - sleep.

Correspondence department, regency department, icon painting department

The academy has a regency (singing) and icon painting department. Boys and girls are accepted here. The exams are approximately the same, but in the regency department you need to demonstrate musical literacy and hearing, and show the ability to play a musical instrument. At the icon painting department there is a creative exam: applicants complete a drawing - a fragment of an icon - in 4 and a half hours.

For a bachelor's degree, you can study part-time; tuition is paid. Men are accepted without age restrictions. The clergy or religious people who do not have the opportunity to study full-time study in the correspondence department. As a rule, this form of study is chosen by those who have a large family and are the only breadwinner (the decision on the possibility of studying in the correspondence department is made based on the results of the interview). Studying a bachelor's degree not only increases the level of theological knowledge, but also gives the right to become a priest. In order to enroll in a part-time course, you must pass the same exams and undergo the same interview as in a full-time course.

Master's and postgraduate studies

Bachelor's degree graduates who want to continue their education enter the master's program. On

During the entrance examination, applicants must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the texts of the Holy Scriptures, pass an exam in dogmatic theology, one of the ancient and modern languages, and write an impromptu essay. An exam in the specialty is also taken, depending on the department to which the bachelor is enrolled. In the master's program you can study in one of four departments: biblical, theological, church-historical and church-practical. Each department has its own specifics. Students in the Bible department gain knowledge in the areas of languages, exegesis of the texts of Holy Scripture, and biblical archaeology. In the theological department, the emphasis is on specific theological and philosophical disciplines. At the church history department, various aspects of church history and historical disciplines in general are studied in detail. In the church-practical department, in addition to liturgical subjects, there are also social ones, such as “Prison Ministry”, “Pastoration and Psychiatry”, “Age Psychology”, “Communicative Psychology”, “Journalism”, “Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts”. There is a correspondence department. During the last six months of study, students write a master's thesis. They live in a dormitory, alone in a room, on full board and receive an increased stipend.

The third stage of spiritual education is graduate school. It accepts students with a master's degree who are inclined towards scientific and teaching activities. Upon admission, philosophy, an exam in the specialty, an ancient language and a new language are taken. The result of the training is a Ph.D. dissertation. Women can study in graduate school at the Theological Academy. Postgraduate students live in a dormitory on full board or at home, and also receive an increased stipend.

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Theological education: not reforms, but development

Today, due to the growth of dioceses, parishes, and seminaries, the system of spiritual education of the Russian Orthodox Church is becoming more complex. The All-Church Postgraduate School was created not long ago. What is the responsibility of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church today, which you head?

All higher theological educational institutions are subordinate to the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church. Directly subordinate on the territory of Russia and advisory and recommendatory on the territory of other states included in the area of ​​canonical responsibility of the Russian Church, with the exception of Ukraine, which has its own Educational Committee. For obvious reasons, today the life of the Ukrainian Church is determined by its internal decisions. Although, of course, there is a desire to go in one direction.

In Russia today there are 39 higher theological educational institutions - seminaries and academies (there are two theological academies in Russia - Moscow and St. Petersburg). There is also the Taurida Seminary in Simferopol, but in ecclesiastical terms it is subordinate to the Educational Committee of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Although, of course, we work together because they need to be in the sphere of Russian legislation - and here they could not cope without the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church. By the way, about the Tauride Seminary - when we visited it for the first time on an introductory visit, noticed how being on the territory of a nearby state slowed down educational processes. But with God’s help, the Crimean theological school will also improve.

In addition to seminaries and academies, we have St. Tikhon’s University, the Russian Orthodox University, which since the end of last year, by decision of His Holiness the Patriarch, has been subordinated to the Educational Committee, and the Novosibirsk Orthodox Institute.

The area of ​​responsibility of the Training Committee is also largely the Centers for the training of parish specialists, which have now been created in different dioceses in the number of almost four dozen. The centers train youth workers, social workers, catechists and missionaries. Other Synodal departments work with them on specific profiles - Missionary, Youth, Social, but the theological, doctrinal component was all prescribed and controlled by the Educational Committee. Recently, there have also been advanced training courses for clergy, which are organized and conducted by dioceses, but the programs, terms, teaching staff, etc. are agreed upon with the Educational Committee.

When we talk about seminaries and academies, we mean that, first of all, they are engaged in preparing our future priests, clergy and clergy. And for this, a unified undergraduate curriculum has been introduced since 2015, which I will talk about later. In addition, the preparation of regents is now moving to a level of orderliness. We have had regency schools for a long time, but they operated frequently, according to popular proverbs: “Who goes to the forest, who gets wood,” “Where it’s thick, and where it’s empty.” There was not even a single program for years of study, not to mention a single internal program. Now a standard of regency education has been developed, and it is gradually being introduced in theological schools.

Now the development of the same educational standard for icon painters has begun. It is clear that icon painters are a more “delicate” matter than regents. Here a lot is connected with a specific master, with a school, with a local tradition, but our task is to prevent a situation where, under the guise of icon-painting schools, there would actually be private icon-painting workshops seeking, under the guise of a church organization, to evade taxes. And on the other hand, so that the education of an icon painter is not limited to copying skills, so that a person is doctrinally prepared, understands the meaning of the icon and is generally rooted in world culture.

All of this taken together is what the Training Committee does.

Does the department have a large staff?

Our staff is small, but generally sufficient for the Synodal Institution - about 30 people, including technical employees. Well, the “content-brain”, administrative-content part - about 20 people - they do all this work.

Is the current system of theological education included in the “Bologna system”?

I would move away from the term “Bologna system”, because it immediately gives rise to negative connotations in the consciousness that this is something foreign-Western. I would say in clear terms: today, Russian higher education mainly exists in the form of two levels - bachelor's and master's degrees. There is also postgraduate study, but this is already the level of scientific activity. Accordingly, based on the fact that His Holiness the Patriarch set the task for us to be in a single field of higher Russian education, long ago, before I joined the Educational Committee, a transition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees was carried out, but with the amendments that are required for our spiritual schools.

What does this mean in practice? A person completes a bachelor's degree and what is he entitled to?

Right to ordination. A bachelor's degree is a full-fledged higher education. Our bachelor's degree has a single direction - pastoral and theological. And every bachelor's degree graduate who has no canonical obstacles is a potential candidate for the priesthood.

What then does a master's degree give?

A master's degree provides the next, more specialized, level of education. Bachelors study according to a unified curriculum, introduced in 2015, with minimal specialization and minimal variability. Variation, of course, is present - for example, in regions with an Islamic population they study Islam, almost everywhere there is regional studies, church history of their region, and some other subjects. But still, the variability of education at the undergraduate level is small; basic disciplines are studied according to a single plan.

And the magistracy is already specialized - there are church-historical, biblical, theological, historical-philosophical, apologetic, and pedagogical directions. A master's degree is, on the one hand, a forge of teaching staff for our schools, and, on the other, the preparation of those clergy who will work and serve in cities where there is a significant percentage of university youth or people with higher education, and, therefore, they should be savvy, ready to work in both higher and secondary schools. From a canonical point of view, a master's degree does not have any advantages over a bachelor's degree; he simply receives a more in-depth education.

Today we have approximately 10 master’s programs in different educational institutions. According to the decision of the December Synod last year, the opening of new master's programs will be approved by the Holy Synod on the proposal of the Educational Committee. And the Holy Synod then showed how strictly all this would be - admission to two master's programs was suspended - to Tobolsk and Samara. Due to the general unsatisfactory situation in these seminaries. On the contrary, at the Tambov Seminary, a new magistracy was opened. They prepared very well, and the Synod considered it possible to open a magistracy.

Tobolsk and Samara seminaries have existed for a long time...

Historical. But the totality of our inspection trips and the ranking of higher religious educational institutions prompted the Synod to make such a decision.

Therefore, I would not be afraid of the words “Bologna system”. Today this is the system of higher Russian education. What is our specificity? The fact is that, firstly, a bachelor’s degree typically involves four years of study, and we also have a preparatory course. It is not formally included in higher education, but for the majority of students who have not graduated from Orthodox gymnasiums and lyceums or who do not have prior higher secular education, generally somehow “unskilled” in church terms, this preparatory course is mandatory. More than 80-85% of students do not go to the first year directly, but to the preparatory course. That is, for most students it is actually a five-year course of study. I would like to note that it is important for our readers to know that all Russian seminaries have a license to conduct higher educational activities. However, according to our laws it shouldn’t be any other way. We already have eight seminaries that have state accreditation and issue state diplomas. We strive to ensure that our best seminaries issue diplomas that give their graduates the opportunity to work unhindered in both higher and secondary schools, regardless of the mood of the leadership.

To work means in what position?

This means that a person, being a priest, can teach the same “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” or some other discipline at school or university. It is important that the younger generation is taught not only by retrained teachers of the Russian language, history or social studies, but by clergy. This is a very important opportunity for us.

Today we hear a variety of conversations and assessments. On the one hand, they talk about the “overproduction” of clergy, they say, there is no need for so many seminaries, soon seminary graduates will not find places to serve and may even become, as was the case before the revolution, combustible material for social protest. Others say that, on the contrary, there are few educational institutions, especially theological academies, in the country. In your opinion, does the current number of Theological academies and seminaries meet the needs of the Church?

I'll start with the highest level - the academy. Academies today formally differ from seminaries in the presence of a postgraduate school, a candidate council where candidate dissertations can be defended, in a word, a special emphasis on scientific and theological work that can be carried out within their walls. It is clear that the status of an academy is not just a set of formal characteristics, it is an established tradition of church-scientific work, which is not easy to create. Before the revolution, as we know, there were four academies in the Russian Empire: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Kiev. Today, on the canonical territory of our Church, there are also four academies - two in Russia, one in Kyiv, one in Minsk. The Minsk Academy did not exist before the revolution, but now it does. In Tatarstan today, active work is underway to establish a higher theological school, but this is not a one-day or overnight process. You cannot create an academy by order. Although, of course, it is desirable to develop church-scientific centers not only in capitals, but also in the regions. In addition to the Kazan Academy, I would dream a little about an academy in Siberia. The east of our country, the Trans-Urals, certainly needs special attention and development, including in the field of church science. It would be good if something similar to the Novosibirsk Research University, which is one of the leaders in Russian higher education, appeared there. But this cannot be done by simply sending teachers there and building some kind of walls for this...

As for seminaries, this issue requires careful consideration. Now there is no clear answer to this. Moreover, I must speak responsibly about this issue as the head of the Educational Committee. Today I am concerned, I will say this, with the presence of a number of small seminaries from the point of view of the reasonableness of the distribution of church funds. There are cases when for 5-10 students in a course and, accordingly, 40-50 people for the entire seminary, it is necessary to maintain a staff of teachers twice as many as students. The expenditure of church funds and efforts here is not always adequate. Moreover, we do not have Lomonosovs coming out of these small seminaries. Therefore, today there is a question of restructuring, especially in relation to those seminaries that do not show good results in terms of training. The question here is not only about the number of students, but also about what kind of knowledge the output will be, because knowledge is something that can be tested. The level of spirituality of a student is not something that can be assessed unambiguously, although no one forgets that our goal is not only to educate, but also to raise a future shepherd. But there are things that you can feel and touch, and there are things that cannot be clearly revealed by any inspections or checks. Although, of course, a certain impression is created. But if a person leaves the seminary and changes from a D to a C, this shows his attitude towards his ministry. In rare cases, this is a matter of some kind of disability of the student. Much more often it’s a look like this: I’ll swing the censer, I’ve learned simple things, and I don’t need anything else. Well, where will such a shepherd lead his flock?!

We have all seminaries distributed into appropriate groups in accordance with the rating. The question of closing seminaries with low ratings has not yet been raised, but the question of limiting their activities is being raised. With regard to a number of seminaries, the Holy Synod has already decided to ban admission to the correspondence education sector, so that the leadership of the seminaries will direct all efforts to correct the situation in the main department - full-time. I do not rule out that decisions may be made (they are currently under consideration) allowing some schools to train only parish specialists, but not clergy, and to exclude the pastoral profile from them. It's possible. Then the seminary will turn into a secondary specialized institution that will train youth and social workers, catechists, but not clergy. Graduates of such institutions will be able to enter full-fledged seminaries, where they will complete their studies, but only the best graduates. I do not rule out that such a decision may be made in relation to those seminaries that are at the bottom of the ranking today.

You remembered the Kazan Theological Academy, which had rich traditions in training missionaries for the East. As far as I know, some time ago the issue of its revival was discussed. Now the conversations seem to have stopped. Is there a question today about the revival of the Academy in Kazan or not?

Work is underway. We are in close cooperation with the ruling bishop and with the leadership of the seminary. And we came to the understanding that the next step that should be taken in Kazan is state accreditation of the seminary. This requires considerable effort in terms of training, both personnel and material, educational and methodological. Accordingly, in the process of this preparation, the future status of the academy, expected by Metropolitan Feofan and the administration of the seminary, may be brought closer. But I repeat, it must be born naturally. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill requires us to act according to the principle: first the content, and then the sign. Some say: give us a seminary sign and we will have students for that, and the governor will give us premises. We say: no, first prove that you meet the level of a higher educational institution, and then there may be a sign.

You noted that the Training Committee is in charge of advanced training courses for clergy. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill constantly talks about the need to increase the educational qualifications of the clergy. How is this problem solved? Do all clergy today have higher spiritual education?

So far, not all our clergy have a full-fledged spiritual education. This is why distance learning sectors remain relevant. Only elderly clergy who find it difficult to study are exempt from education. The Holy Synod made a decision, which is consistently implemented, that if we are talking about the ordination of a person who does not meet the educational criteria, say, as a deacon (usually he must be in his last or at least third year of seminary), then this can only be carried out through the Commission on Ordinations, which is headed by the Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, and its composition includes, ex officio, the Chairman of the Educational Committee. This commission receives petitions from all bishops, arguing why such and such a person, due to some special circumstances, can be ordained without having a sufficient educational level. Now, when all this flocks to the center, it does not happen uncontrollably; in addition, the bishop undertakes to ensure that the person still receives an education. Nowadays it does not happen that someone is ordained without the appropriate educational qualifications and then forgotten.

When we talk about advanced training courses, we are talking about those clergy who already have a higher education, but so that they do not fall out of the context of the realities of modern church life, some relevant topics that a modern priest needs to know, they must improve their qualifications . Now the following procedure applies: advanced training occurs once every 7 years, until, of course, reaching old age.

Have special programs been developed?

Yes. Moreover, they have both a mandatory part and one developed by the diocese itself, based on local conditions, specifics and personnel availability. But this local part of the program also agrees with us. In our Russian realities this is very important. Firstly, everyone has the feeling that they are not on their own somewhere stewing in their far corner. Secondly, it encourages responsibility - it’s not just that they got together, talked about something, issued a diploma and left. This can be required by the church center at any time.

By the way, we are gradually replacing the sectors of correspondence education with distance education, which implies a significantly greater degree of contact between teacher and student, weekly completion of work, tests, and writing test assignments. This is a difficult and new field of activity for us. But now, first of all, these electronic distance courses are prescribed on the basis of the Moscow Theological Academy. Not only in Moscow, but in two other seminaries they began to be implemented, replacing the usual sectors of correspondence education. In the medium term, full-fledged distance education should replace our current correspondence education sectors.

That is, a greater degree of possibility of contacts compared to correspondence students.

Of course, after all, a correspondence student comes twice a year for a session, takes exams, listens to orientation lectures and leaves. And here I’m always online; now you can’t find a cleric who doesn’t know how to use the Internet. If there are such clergymen, then his mother knows exactly how to use them.

Is distance learning replacing face-to-face learning?

No. We certainly place an emphasis on face-to-face learning as our number one priority. For whom is distance learning offered? For those clergy who have already been ordained, but need to complete their studies, especially when it comes to remote dioceses. There are still many of them. There are cases when candidates for clergy who should be recommended to theological schools are bound by social obligations, are older in age, have large families, perform government service or perform duties in society - all of them should be given the opportunity to receive an education.

On January 30, the Academic Doctoral Council was created, which, as you reported, will begin to function in the new academic year. Tell us in more detail what caused the need for its establishment and on the basis of which educational institution it will exist?

I'll start with the second part of the question. Its equal founders are three academies - Moscow, Minsk, St. Petersburg. The number of representatives from them varies, because they have a different number of doctors, and some of them are already involved in the church-wide doctoral council. We believe that the defense of doctoral dissertations can take place in turns at one of the three academies. In the coming days, when this interview appears, His Holiness the Patriarch will be presented with the regulations on the doctoral council (the initial personal composition has already been approved) and the candidacies of the chairman, deputy, and secretaries of the council. After the regulations are approved by His Holiness the Patriarch, practical activities can begin.

Sometimes they ask - why do you need second advice? Let's compare the situation with secular higher education. We are not surprised that there are doctoral councils at Moscow University, and St. Petersburg University, and at other major universities. The creation of another council will undoubtedly lead to: a) competition (in a good sense) between doctoral councils; b) to greater openness and stimulation of writing doctoral dissertations, to greater variability in work on topics. At the same time, the Academic Doctoral Council may in some sense be psychologically simpler for those candidates who will leave our system of higher theological education.

And we really need doctors of science in the system of theological education; we do not have enough doctoral forces in our seminaries according to the necessary parameters. Now they are being replaced by invited respected, worthy doctors of philosophy, philology, jurisprudence, and cultural studies. But it is clear that the profile of a theological school is church history, theology, and church law. We need to train our own specialists here, create our own scientific schools. And I think that the creation of a second doctoral council should, by design, lead to an increase in the number of doctoral dissertations and an increase in their quality.

Will the Council also include secular scientists?

It includes, as I said, representatives of the three academies as basic educational institutions, but a certain percentage of participants may also be from other educational institutions. Today, those doctors of science who work in a number of regional seminaries are represented there. Well, among secular universities, only Moscow State University, the department of church history, headed by Archimandrite Philip (Simonov), is currently separately represented. This does not exclude the expansion of the representation of other universities as the work of the doctoral council develops.

Will doctoral dissertations awarded by the council be valued in the scientific community?

Today, regarding dissertations, we have two directions of development. There is the Higher Attestation Commission on Theology, where dissertations on theological topics are defended. We already have a precedent for the defense of Father Pavel Khondzinsky, who faced far-fetched resistance from our Darwinian biologists, nevertheless, the dissertation was defended. There are other dissertations on the way.

But why is our internal theology council, our theological PhDs and doctoral council important to us? When the state, represented by the relevant authorities, evaluates our higher education institutions, one of the criteria is the presence of “graduate” teachers - there must be at least 60% of them. For our seminaries and academies, the state recognizes our degrees as valid, our doctors as doctors. This is one side of the issue.

The second side of the issue is the quality of the dissertations being defended; the authority of the Council will depend on this, first of all. I can say that our requirements for doctoral dissertations are no lower than in secular councils - these include 15 publications in VAK journals, the presence of relevant educational and scientific activities, and much more that is required of our applicant for a doctorate.

By the way, the other day two defenses of doctoral degrees took place in church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies. This was an absolute precedent. Never before have there been two consecutive defenses on the same day. Moreover, these were representatives of non-central seminaries - both applicants represented Kolomna: Archpriest Vadim Smirnov and Hieromonk Timofey (Yasenitsky). They have prepared interesting, deep and extremely relevant works. One’s dissertation is devoted to the issue of understanding primacy in Orthodox ecclesiology, and the other’s is devoted to the history of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine in the twentieth century. Both topics are now the nerve of our reality. But the work began to be prepared 8-9 years ago. Who could have known then that it would be so relevant?! Well, let’s say, Greek Catholics were already a sore subject for us back then, but no one could have known that the issue of primacy in world Orthodoxy would become so tough. And now, including to substantiate our official church position, an excellent argument and factual base has been collected that can be used. Thus, church science also serves the general benefit of the church.

And in which VAK journals can clergy publish?

There is a fairly large list of VAK journals where doctoral students submit their articles on a general basis, which are reviewed by the editorial boards. In addition to these magazines, we have our own list of Church publications that are recognized by the Council. True, you need more church publications than VAK publications; for example, three church publications are counted as one VAK publication. But there is this way.

There may be situations when the topic of work is so specific that there is no secular publication where articles on it could be published. Let us assume that there are no such difficulties in the field of church history or church law, but in theology such difficulties, of course, may exist. It is difficult to find a philosophical journal in which issues of dogmatics or comparative theology would be willingly accepted as publication. For these cases, there is a list of our church magazines, it is posted on all our resources. Doctoral students and candidates certainly know where to publish. So, in general, I would not say that this problem is acute now. Future candidates and doctors know where to publish their work; they will be helped, advised, and connected with the editors.

Are there any cases of refusal to publish because the author is a clergyman?

I don’t know of any such case! Moreover, if this kind of argumentation on this criterion takes place, we will react very harshly and contact our government colleagues. But, I repeat, today this is not the problem. There are refusals due to the low quality of the proposed texts. But here the matter is different, here whether a clergyman or a secular applicant does not matter. Here we must accept if this is an objective assessment.

And if the editors are able to understand specific theological issues...

Yes, it is not easy to understand specifically theological issues, but we still do not have many purely theological dissertations. Issues of patrolology, church history, church law can be addressed by specialists in related disciplines - Byzantine studies, philosophy, and so on. The thoroughness of the publication can be assessed.

Let's touch on a slightly different topic. Teachers at secular universities often complain about the low level of knowledge of applicants; according to their reviews, young people with an extremely low mental and cultural level are increasingly coming to universities. Is a similar trend affecting seminaries? Or do other applicants come to you?

No, the same young Russian boys come to us - Russians and other nationalities inhabiting our Motherland - who come out of our Russian schools, and do not fall to us from the moon, and live at the beginning of the 21st century. Here I would highlight as the main problem not the problem of the notorious Unified State Exam, which, in my opinion, has pros and cons (this is a separate topic for discussion), but the catastrophic influence of the Internet and gadgets on the consciousness of young people. This is not even about “brainwashing,” although, of course, an Internet addict loses the ability to think independently and becomes controlled. The point is that people’s ability to read for a long time simply atrophies, that is, it’s already difficult for a person to read longer than the screen size without clicking on the link; he doesn’t concentrate his attention. So, to read a book for an hour, an hour and a half, two hours, taking notes and independently making footnotes on it - this skill often has to be instilled in the seminary itself; students do not take it out of school. The influence of Internet and computer technologies, modern gadgets and the decrease in the mental abilities of school graduates cannot be ignored. Alas.

Are issues of spiritual censorship within the competence of the Educational Committee or not? For example, many are embarrassed when they hear some dubious ideas from representatives of the educational and spiritual corporation, for example, calls to justify the traitor General Vlasov. This, after all, discredits the Church in the eyes of the state and society.

Publications in the form of books are reviewed not in our Synodal institution, but in the Publishing Council, where there is a corresponding board. This includes representatives of the Educational Committee. When I was the first deputy, I worked there for more than 10 years, worked in this board, and now the Educational Committee is represented there by my deputy, Archpriest Valentin Vasechko.

If we talk about some statements in the public space, online publications, etc., then this is the competence of the theological schools themselves and their administrations. If this becomes the subject of attention of the Hierarchy, then the Training Committee can also become involved. But fundamentally this is the concern of the administrations themselves.

Agreeing or disagreeing with the church-social, church-historical position of certain teachers of our theological educational institutions, we, first of all, must think about retaining personnel who, with their specific views, are thorough church scholars and good teachers. And do not force out the already sparse church-educated people into the spheres of parachurch opposition. We see how people who lose certain positions are often quickly marginalized in their views, and some restraining centers that previously worked for them to some extent suddenly begin to fail. Here we can recall the clergy and laity who held certain church positions. Well, does this benefit the Church? For me, at least, this is a question. On the one hand, it’s not great when a person works “with nothing in his pocket,” holds a church position, and at the same time has his own views, I would even say “views.” On the other hand, it worked and worked, and now it is starting to cause obvious harm. You can remember different people who held different church positions, I don’t want to name names.

I understand what you're talking about. Of course, this is a difficult question. But here it is appropriate to recall, for example, the pre-revolutionary renovationists. They didn’t become renovationists out of the blue. They were inside the Church and propagated their dubious views, and the hierarchy did not react to this. And when the Church found itself in difficult conditions, they began to act openly.

The topic of renovationism is a separate conversation. Difficult, because all kinds of movements, such as priest Petrov and so on, were a kind of analogue of the future Catholic “theology of liberation” - advocating for the utmost social activity of the Church. But there was another group that advocated liturgical canonical reforms - this is a slightly different direction. Before the revolution, the future Patriarch Sergius also occupied similar positions on a number of issues. It is no coincidence that for a short time he found himself among the renovationists.

Before the revolution, he was one of the organizers of religious philosophical readings.

Yes. And their fates are different, and they need to be assessed specifically. Sometimes, when they talk about renovationism, they imagine some kind of monster, collaborators with the Bolshevik government, ready to betray both the faith and the canons of the church. Everything was more complicated.

Last question: what other reforms are on the Curriculum Committee's agenda?

The word “reform” is internally very antipathetic to me... I am for gradual evolutionary natural development, but at the same time for development, and not for stagnation.

Sometimes you hear lamentations: oh, how good it was 20 or 30 years ago in theological school. We need to understand that it is impossible to return to that river. I have been in the system of religious education for more than 30 years, since 1985, as a student, teacher, clergyman, and then as an employee of a synodal institution. Yes, there was a lot of good in our schools when there were three seminaries and two academies. But we cannot return to that reality - it was a different world. Just like the Soviet Union of that time was a different world in relation to the reality of modern Russia. So it is impossible to return theological schools to that situation. There was both good and bad, but the situation then and the current one are completely different.

Therefore, we need not so much some new transformations, but a consistent bringing to their logical conclusion of those decisions of the Hierarchy, which are implemented by the Educational Committee. After all, we are, in essence, a department that implements the assigned tasks, provides analytics, offers solutions and implements what the Hierarchy determines at the Supreme Church Council or the Holy Synod.

I would really like to see how our regents and icon painters begin to prepare systematically and seriously.

I would very much like to live to see the moment when all our clergy, with some special exceptions - academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences or ministers of culture and education - will be ordained to the priesthood, having previously received a spiritual education.

I would really like to see when the state understands (and we will be able to show it to it!) that the level of our higher religious educational institutions is such that it is necessary to recognize all their diplomas as equivalent diplomas from secular universities.

I would very much like to ensure that various kinds of moral and canonical disorder, which we sometimes encounter in theological schools, would be met with zero tolerance. And so that a person who has violated the ethical norms of an Orthodox Christian or a clergyman cannot be a member of the administration or a teacher in a theological school, and should not hope to end up there.

I think that now we should not talk about the next round of transformations, but about the consistent implementation of the line that was determined by the Hierarchy, His Holiness the Patriarch. About stable progressive development in this direction.