Monastic tonsure performed at Kyiv Theological Schools
Monastic tonsure of students of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary. December 21, 2025 Photo: KDAiS press service
On December 21, 2025, at the Church of Venerable Agapitus of the Caves of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Archbishop Sylvester, performed the monastic tonsure of three students. They were second-year Academy student Davyd Sharamko, first-year Academy student Heorhii Momot, and fourth-year Seminary student Mykola Myronets, according to the KDAiS press service.
During the tonsure, the students received new monastic names: Kirion, in honor of Kyrion II of Georgia; Ioannikii, in honor of Ioannikii of Kyiv; and Sophronii, in honor of Sophronius of Irkutsk.
The spiritual sponsor of the newly tonsured monks was the confessor of the Kyiv Theological Schools, Bishop Panteleimon Melnyk.
After the tonsure, Archbishop Sylvester congratulated the monks Kirion, Ioannikii, and Sophronii, emphasizing the importance of humility and constant spiritual growth in monastic life.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that His Beatitude presided over the patronal feast of the church of the Kyiv Theological Schools.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.