On Saturday, September 2nd, the opening of the academic year 2023/2024 took place. This year, 70 applicants joined the ranks of students at the Institute of St. Thomas.
Traditionally, the opening of the academic year began with a Divine Service led by Bishop Alexander Yazlovetsky, the assistant bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese in Ukraine. During his sermon, Bishop Alexander emphasized that it is easier for God to convince us of His existence than of His Love. God has led us all to the source, but we must drink from it ourselves. Your task at this Institute is to understand that God is Love. Even if you do not acquire a lot of knowledge, this experience will help you and the people you meet to heal
The inaugural lecture on the topic of ‘the Russian world’ as an object of scholastic analysis was delivered by Father Kirill Govorun, Ph.D. in Philosophy with a specialization in Theology, a professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, USA, the director of the Ecumenical Institute Gaffington in the USA, and a professor at the Stockholm School of Theology.
During the lecture, Father Kirill Govorun raised questions such as: Who is the primary instigator of the war against Ukraine? Who is its irrationalizer, and who is its rationalizer? And how have spiritual traditions brought from Greek and Ukrainian lands been distorted in Russia?
The inaugural lecture
The full text of the lecture has been published in our online journal Verbum.
We wish all applicants, students, and teachers a productive academic year, and may the Institute’s work bear fruit for everyone who studies and works here!