Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in his sermon after the Divine Liturgy at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy touched upon the issue of so-called “burnout”.

– A bishop once related to me that a certain priest had complained of a  burnout. I said: either you ought to send him to a monastery for hard work, or else have him defrocked. Christian Orthodox clergy cannot burn out: they can only burn for Christ.

Those who complain of  a “pastoral burnout”, plainly speaking, have no idea of what the priestly vocation is all about, what the purpose of their study in a Theological School was, what it means to preach and witness for Christ that is so important today for the whole world, suffering an sick because of the present tremendous crisis.

Addressing the students of St. Petersburg Theological Academy, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church urged them, like all believers, not to succumb to “decadent moods” in today's difficult time, not to waver in faith. “Relying on our faith, we must meet the difficult challenges of this century and overcome them in personal, public and civil life”, – said the Patriarch.