On October 30, 2026, a delegation of African clergy—currently visiting Russia with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia—visited the Orthodox Gymnasium named after St. Philaret of Moscow in Lobnya. The delegation consists of priests heading schools and orphanages of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, who arrived in Moscow to participate in events marking the Russia–Africa Summit.
At the gymnasium, the clergy were greeted with a traditional loaf of bread and folk songs. The guests were welcomed by the school’s director, Archpriest Dimitri Grigoryants; the priest’s wife, Olga Grigoryants; and the staff and students of the gymnasium.
The interactive tour began with the singing of a troparion to Saint Philaret of Moscow.
The African clergymen familiarized themselves with life at the school, visited the kindergarten with its traditional Russian log cabin, where the children performed Russian folk dances. The guests toured classrooms decorated with scenes from the Bible, as well as the Museum of the History of the Russian Church, where a traditional tea ceremony was held. In an elementary school classroom, the priests made commemorative bookmarks, which they took home. In the auditorium, a presentation on the life of the gymnasium was given, and students’ drawings on the theme of “Russia–Africa” were displayed.
In the school church dedicated to St. Philaret, where services are held daily, the African priests had the opportunity to venerate a relic of the saint and other holy objects.
The guests from Africa sang hymns in Swahili and French.
The program concluded with a concert titled “The Faith is eternal, The Faith is glorious! Our Faith is Orthodox!.” A.V. Krotova, head of the Lobnya Urban District, and V.N. Bukin, a deputy of the Lobnya Urban District Council, delivered welcoming remarks to the guests.
A.V. Rakushin and Deacon George Yurenko, a staff member of the Exarchate’s St. Mark the Apostle Spiritual and Educational Center, conveyed greetings from the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa on behalf of Metropolitan Konstantin of Cairo and North Africa and presented the gymnasium with a laptop on behalf of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa.
After the concert, all those present were invited to a meal, during which the priests from Africa and representatives of the gymnasium continued to exchange experiences.
To conclude the visit, the delegation toured the church currently under construction in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” All guests received commemorative gifts from the gymnasium.
Photo: Ilya Belov
Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa
