On 6 December the ceremony hall of SSU Bldg. XII hosted the Plenary Session of the XVII Interregional Education Pimen Readings. Traditionally, the event is organised every year within the Commemorating Days of Archbishop Pimen (Khmelevskii), and it is attended by representatives of clergy and research and culture communities from all over the country.
Before the Plenary Session its participants enjoyed the exhibition titled the Russian Idea: Philosophers and Ascetics of the Saratov Region, which had been prepared by the students of the Department of Theology and Religion Studies, the Faculty of Philosophy.
At the beginning of the meeting Metropolitan of Saratov and Volsk Longin asked its members to discuss the forum topic and explained why it had been chosen.
‘There have been a few moments in our history when our country and our people were on the verge of disappearing. One of such challenges was the Great Patriotic War, and we still remember it very often. It is our duty to preserve the war in our memory and make the next generations aware of it. But it is more and more difficult to do. Firstly, the elder generations had an opportunity to talk to the war veterans and young people did not. Secondly, recently ‘alternative approaches’ to our history and especially to the war have been imposed upon us. However, anyone who is unbiased to the history of the 20th century understands our people won that war against all odds. How did they do it? Where are the roots of self-sacrificing deeds that puzzle us today? All these great qualities have been brought up in our people thanks to the Orthodox Faith for more than 1000 years.’
Then Vice-Governor of the Saratov Region Igor I. Pivovarov read out loud the congratulatory address of Governor Valerii V. Radayev. The Governor called the Pimen Readings a reputable platform to discuss the ways to develop the Russian society and increase the traditions. Chair of the Saratov Region Duma also addressed the audience.
‘The Pimen Readings are held in Saratov State University. In 2019 the centre of spirit and culture life of the Saratov student community celebrates its 110th anniversary. Therefore, I would like to congratulate its members of the staff and students! You have always been at the top, you have lots of ides, and you can implement them,’ underlined the speaker.
SSU President, Professor Leonid Yu. Kossovich also paid attention to the fact that the XVII Pimen Readings were organised in such a celebratory year.
‘110 years ago they started to build Emperor Nicolas University, and later it has grown into the dynamically developing culture, education, and research centre, one of the leading classic universities in Russia. It has become possible due to the self-devoted work of its professors and students. Notably, this forum topic is connected with the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Nowadays we, the predecessors of the soldiers who won it, have obligations, and the most important of them is to disseminate and preserve the values of classic education.’
SSU Rector, Professor Aleksei N. Chumachenko devoted his speech to the Great Victory in the history of Saratov University.
‘Today when we commemorate Grace Pimen we talk about his ingenious personality and the modern worldview, and we must understand that all the issues young people have to deal with cannot be thought about without morality. We hope that our students will not have to make the choice between their own values and the values of their Motherland, and it was exactly what our students faced with during the Great Patriotic War. But we always try to discuss with our students the moral standards that have been depicted in the history of Saratov University. By the Victory anniversary we have prepared a thick book titled Their Names Are in Our Memory. It is dedicated to the university students and professors, including those who worked and studied at Pedagogical Institute and Medical University. In total, the book includes the information about 150 people, and their names are also engraved on the memorial in the university campus. Those heroes are the moral role models for our youth and us.’
In addition, the rector told the event participants about some of them in detail.
The forum members marked that the heritage of the Great Victory was a very concise notion. All of us are its heirs, therefore, each of us bears a part of responsibility because of it.
Metropolitan Longin pointed out that Saratov State University had been moderating the Pimen Readings since it was held for the first time.
‘I heartily congratulate the rector, the president, all the members of the staff, and students on the coming anniversary. The Saratov Metropolia and I are proud to have cooperated with the university. Together we have organised international and interregional conferences, annual education olympiads, and creative contests for pupils. It shows that the research worldview does not equal to the atheist worldview, it means that research is not contrary to faith, and that one of the main objectives of the modern prestigious university is not only to share the knowledge with new generations but to get them accustomed to Russian traditional spiritual values.’
After that guests from Moscow presented their reports. Thus, Professor of the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute Olesya A. Nikolayeva delivered a speech on the Great Patriotic War and us. She commented on the experience of her own father who had taken part in that war. Associate Professor of the Department of History and Political Theory (the Faculty of Political Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University) Daniil A. Anikin told the audience about the spirit nature of the Victory and the memories about that war in modern Russia. Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Philosophy RAS Anatolii V. Chernyayev touched upon the contribution of Russian philosophers into the Victory.
Then Deputy Director for Research and Methodology of the Russia – My History Park Olga V. Grishanina talked about the life of the Saratov Diocese during the Great Patriotic War, while Secretary of the Committee on Canonization of Asceties of Piety in the Diocese of Saratov Priest Maksim Plyakin delivered his report to Hieromonach Nilus (Pozdnev), a hermit of the Petrovsk District.
Metropolitan Longin and Minister of Education of the Saratov Region Irina V. Sedova awarded the Saratov Metropolia prize winners of the XIV All-Russia Contest in Pedagogy, Education, and Work with Children and Youth under 20 titled For Teacher Moral Deed.
Within the Pimen Readings there was held the Traditional Values in Modern Pedagogy Forum. It was hosted in four places – Holy Protection of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Classic Gymnasium, Sergiy Radonezhsky Russian Orthodox Classic Gymnasium, the Spikelet Children Centre, and Saratov Orthodox Seminary.
The next day the forum sections were held in Saratov Orthodox Seminary, Saratov State University, and Saratov State Conservatoire.
On 10 December Divine Liturgy and Requiem Service for Archbishop Pimen (Khmelevskii) was conducted in Holy Trinity Cathedral of Saratov.