With the blessing of the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan Constantine of Cairo and North Africa, from November 11 to 28, 2025, the first trip of the staff of the Spiritual and Educational Center in the Name of the Apostle and Evangelist Mark of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa to Kenya took place as part of an educational program for local clergy and laity. The delegation, headed by the head of the Center, Archpriest Tigri Khachatryan, included Priest Anatoly Slobodchikov and Priest Anatoly Trushin.
Under the guidance of the Russian clergy, the clergy of seven Kenyan deaneries got acquainted with Russian liturgical practice, from reading entrance prayers and performing proskomedia to preparing and storing the Holy Gifts. To consolidate the acquired knowledge, memos with the key elements of each practical lesson were developed. Seminars for clergy and laity have become an important area of work.
Archpriest Tigri Khachatryan conducted a series of seminars for the clergy devoted to topical aspects of pastoral ministry, liturgical practice and organization of parish life.
The topic of the seminars of Priest Anatoly Trushin was the role of women in the life of the Church and the issues of spiritual education in the family.
Priest Anatoly Slobodchikov conducted seminars with catechists and youth leaders on modern methods of catechesis and the preparation of catechumens for the sacrament of Baptism. The topics of attracting young people to serve in the Church were also discussed during the classes.
Clergymen from Russia visited Orthodox educational institutions, where they discussed the prospects of creating a unified educational space and issues of spiritual and moral education. Eucharistic kits, church utensils, liturgical literature in Swahili and teaching aids were handed over to temples and educational institutions.
In conclusion, the head and staff of the Spiritual and Educational Center met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Kenya V.I. Tkachenko. As noted during the conversation, the trip demonstrated the effectiveness of the Spiritual and Educational Center, which will continue to work to further strengthen the Orthodox presence in Kenya.
Photo: Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa