On February 14, 2025, on the eve of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, a historic event took place at the Nikolay-Ughresh Monastery: for the first time in Russia, the Divine Liturgy was held in Portuguese. This is reported by the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa.

The service was led by Professor Arseny (Sokolov), the seminary rector. He was assisted by Father Sergey Shilov, head of the Additional Education Department of the seminary; Diacon Michael Onishchuk, a student of the undergraduate program; Deacon Andrey Pozhilov, a cleric from the Yenisei Diocese; as well as clergy from the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa.

The Liturgy was held in the church of St. Pimen of Ughresh, where services in foreign languages are regularly held on Fridays. These services involve African students from the theological seminary, as well as clergy from the Exarchate of Africa, who are undergoing liturgical practice.

The apostolic reading in Portuguese was performed by Paulo Estevane from Mozambique, a student of the preparatory department, and the singing was performed by a combined choir of African students under the direction of first-year student Jorge Meva.

After the service, Father Arseny addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He emphasized the significance of this event and noted that it was the first experience of conducting the Liturgy in Portuguese in Russia. He also wished the African students and clergy spiritual strength, success in their studies, and fruitful apostolic service in Africa.

Portuguese arrived in Mozambique in the late 15th century with Portuguese sailors. During the colonial period, it was used in administration, trade, and the church but remained the language of the educated elite. After gaining independence in 1975, Portuguese was retained as the only official language. This was due to its neutral status: none of the indigenous languages had a significant numerical advantage, and Portuguese was the language of the national elite and education.

Today, Portuguese serves as a lingua franca: it is used for education, administration, and media. According to the 2017 census, 58.1% of the population speaks it, but only 16.5% consider it their native language. In urban areas, particularly in the capital Maputo, it has become the main language of communication. The Mozambican variant of Portuguese retains the European standard but includes elements of African languages and influences from Brazilian Portuguese. With the spread of the media and increased literacy, its importance continues to grow.