On July 27, 2026, an installation webinar dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Synodal Bible Translation was held in a remote format.
The meeting, organized by the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis, was held as part of the Patriarchal Bible Study Program. The meeting was attended by those responsible for this program in the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as those responsible for cooperation with organizations of higher and secondary vocational education. Clergy and laity from one and a half dozen dioceses joined the event, including Lugansk, Grodno, Berdyansk, Melekesskaya, Kansk, Perm, Volga, Izhevsk, Blagoveshchenskaya, Samara, Odintsovo.
Abbot John (Rubin), Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis, addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. He outlined the main goal of the upcoming work — to turn the anniversary date into an effective tool for biblical education in parishes. Russian Russian Orthodox Church gave its children the Holy Scriptures in an accessible Russian language a century and a half ago, and today the task of the Patriarchal Program is to help believers not just read, but deeply and meaningfully study the Word of God in the spirit of Church Tradition. Fr John also introduced the speakers and wished the participants fruitful work.
The main part of the webinar was conducted by Deacon John Zmiev, editor of the media resources of the Patriarchal Bible Study Program. His speech consisted of two semantic blocks. The first one was devoted to the history of Synodal translation. The speaker outlined key milestones, from the Slavic translations of Saints Cyril and Methodius to the publication of the complete Russian Bible in 1876. Special attention was paid to what semantic accents those responsible in the field should place when telling their audience about this story: continuity with the ancient church tradition, the feat of St. Filaret (Drozdov) and his companions, the fate of the Synodal translation in the 20th century, its influence on Russian literature and culture.
The second block was devoted to practical issues. The participants were offered a range of educational events dedicated to the anniversary date, from an evening of Synodal translation and an exhibition of one book to discussion meetings in schools and universities, film lectures, Bible quizzes and challenges on social networks. The overarching idea of this block was that each such event should end with an invitation to join the Patriarchal Program and begin a systematic study of the Holy Scriptures.
The experience of the All-Russian Youth video blogging contest "Explore the Scriptures 2026" was shared by Priest Andrey Filonov, cleric of the Church of the Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University, head of the Laboratory of Creative Orthodox Initiatives "Saint Tatiana will Help." The priest explained how such a format allows young people to personally witness to the Gospel, and explained how this successful experience can be replicated in dioceses, both through organizing their own contests and through using ready—made videos for discussion at youth meetings.
Materials for the preparation of anniversary events were sent to all participants of the webinar. These included two detailed articles on the history of Synodal translation by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill (1976) and Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) (2016), as well as a ready—made presentation combining a brief history of translation and basic information about the Patriarchal Bible Study Program. Those responsible in the dioceses were advised to hold at least one educational event dedicated to the commemoration, and further share their accumulated experience in the community of leaders of bible groups.
The webinar confirmed the keen interest of the dioceses in the anniversary topic and became an important step in preparing for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Synodal Translation. The Patriarchal Bible Study Program will continue to provide information and methodological support to all those who work in the field of biblical education, and expresses the hope that the jubilee year will bring abundant fruits in spreading the Word of God.