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
Lavra reserve head estimates damage to Dormition Cathedral at €15 million
Maksym Ostapenko said restoring the Dormition Cathedral would take at least a couple of years and require major funding.
DESS official says state should not govern the Church
A DESS official called for cooperation between the state and the Church for the benefit of citizens.
Poltava court upholds mobilization of Protestant pastor
A court in the Poltava region ruled that a prior criminal conviction and religious beliefs do not exempt a person from military service.
Ostapenko: Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra would not exist without Soviet-era reserve
The reserve director spoke about the Soviet museum’s role in saving the monastery, while stressing the need to rethink its history.
Metropolitan Anthony criticizes DESS order on Boryspil Eparchy
The UOC chancellor rejected officials’ findings, pointing to procedural violations in the DESS review.
Two more parishes in Sloviansk reregistered under OCU
The organizer behind the transfer of UOC communities in Sloviansk said the reregistration of churches would continue.