KDAiS relocating to Holosiiv Monastery in Kyiv

The Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary (KDAiS) are relocating from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to the UOC's Holosiiv Monastery in Kyiv, reports Fr Mykola Danilevych, the spokesperson for the UOC, on his Telegram channel.

Fr. Mykola expressed regret regarding the seminarians' relocation but noted that such steps often demonstrate the path of a Christian.

The priest urged students not to worry but to continue working and dynamically developing Christian and church life in the new place.

"What matters are not the walls and not the premises, what matters are people. Christianity emerged as a community, as a community of people, without walls and beyond walls. And it seems to me that the Lord periodically reminds us of this in history when He allows external forces to destroy or capture temples or drive Christians out of there," he said.

One of the seminarians of KDAiS told the UOJ that a building for accommodation and study, as well as an academic church, had already been allocated for the needs of theological schools and seminarians in the Holosiiv Monastery.

He also noted that the 1st and 2nd classes of the seminary should move to Holosiiv by August 27, and the 3rd, the 4th classes and the Academy should move by September 9.

According to the source, the decision to relocate was made by the KDAiS leadership due to a letter from the Ministry of Culture, in which seminarians and staff of theological schools were equated with "visitors" of the Lavra and were prohibited from being on the monastery's territory.

As reported, the Reserve restricted access to the Lavra for students and teachers of KDAiS.