International students of Tomsk Theological Seminary (TDS) who took part in the I All-Russian Student Conference with international участием "On the holiness of the Church in different languages" in Tomsk from July 1 to 5, 2024, expressed gratitude to the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage for organizing the forum.
The Tomsk conference was the first international forum that brought together international students from the Moscow and St. Petersburg Theological Academies and the Tomsk Theological Seminary. The event was organized by TDS and the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.
Below are some reviews from TDS international students who shared their impressions of the conference * (editor's note – the spelling and punctuation of the authors have been changed)*.
"It was a great learning opportunity not only for me, but also for all students from different cities and countries. Many students read their reports on various saints, and thus we drew inspiration from their holy lives. We took a two-day excursion, living in nature and studying there at the same time. Then we took a spiritual and educational tour of the beautiful city of Tomsk. The culmination of this conference was of particular importance, as we participated in the annual celebration of one of the greatest saints of the Tomsk and Siberian lands – St. Theodore of Tomsk, and also joined the procession. I really liked and admire how perfectly all the cases were organized and executed by the administration. It was a wonderful educational, informational and spiritual experience for me. I hope that similar events will be held in the future. Thank you so much for your help and guidance from the beginning to the end of this conference," TDS student Efrem (Nazir) thanked Richard is from Pakistan.
TDS student Neophytos Kipkemboi from Kenya left the following warm feedback about the forum: "From my point of view, it was very interesting to listen to the opening speeches of Metropolitan Rostislav of Tomsk and our rector Archimandrite Joseph at the conference. In the second season, we did a presentation. I was in a computer class group. All the presentations were amazing, but I liked the presentation about St. Sylvester of Omsk. Russian Russian I also enjoyed meeting my brothers and sisters from different schools, and I also enjoyed talking to them in Russian, but the most important thing was how I read and answered questions in Russian. Reading the question and answering it, as well as the ability to understand the questions in Russian, prompted me to make more and more presentations. I liked everything at the conference, it brought me great benefits. I'm looking forward to making another presentation. Thanks to all the interested parties, namely the Foundation and the Seminary, who worked tirelessly, as I was able to personally verify. The conference was a success."
"I really enjoyed the conference because it brought us, international students from different seminaries, together, and it was well organized, and I also had the opportunity to meet with my brothers from Malawi. I am glad that I was allowed to participate in the conference. I thank the support fund and the theological seminary," wrote Chinyama Chimwamwe from Malawi.
"I want to say that I liked the presentation of all our students, because I learned more about the life of our saints and the sacred ministry of the church. I also got to know new saints and their lives, which I had not known about before. I also learned about the churches in Tomsk and their history. I thank the support fund for organizing the conference," said Victor Ruheny, a student at Mwangi TDS from Kenya.
In our previous materials, you can find out what impressions the students had of the conference and the trip to Tomsk Московской and St. Petersburg Spiritual академий.
Photo: Tomsk Theological Seminary website