It has now been thirty years since I began teaching Russian Church History at Holy Trinity Seminary. Over these decades, I have tried to help students see the coherence and depth of our Church’s historical experience, and this remains one of the most meaningful parts of my work.

In the fall of 2024, I announced my Russian Church History course for the first time. Since then, one student has already completed all seven units, and two others are steadily progressing toward the finish. The course includes a certificate of completion, and I am now ready to welcome additional students.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of Russian Church history in a structured and accessible way, you are warmly invited to enroll. You can find the course materials here:
https://www.patreon.com/c/rocorstudies/collections

The structure of the course is simple: students read the materials I provide, and then we meet online for discussion. This approach has proven effective and enriching for those who have taken part.

Below is a reflection from one of my students, shared with her permission, about how this study has enriched her own engagement with the Church’s history.

Protodeacon Andrei Psarev, Ph.D.
Professor of Russian Church History
Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY

At This Time A Year Ago

To those who may be listening to Protodeacon Andrei, or reading his appeal to sign up for ROCOR Studies, I encourage you to take advantage of the blessing he is offering. It was just a year ago that I apprehensively decided to commit time to learn Russian Church history. My desire at the time was to be able to explain brief stories and moments in history related to key icons that are in the parish to my 3 year old godson who is part Ukrainian & Belarusian and my two goddaughters (ages 3 and 9) who are half Russian.