The Keyholder of the Dormition Cathedral in Astana, Archpriest Dmitry Baydek, defended his master’s thesis at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy

On December 26, 2024, the graduation ceremony for part-time master’s program students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy took place. A thanksgiving service in the Academy’s St. John the Theologian Church and the diploma ceremony were led by the rector of the Academy, Bishop Siluan of Peterhof.

The rector was co-served during the service by graduates of the part-time master’s program, including Archpriest Dmitry Baydek, the keyholder of the Dormition Cathedral in Astana and spiritual advisor of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary.

After the service, Bishop Siluan congratulated the attendees, followed by the awarding ceremony. A master’s diploma was presented to Archpriest Dmitry Baydek, a cleric of the Astana Church District. The topic of his thesis was “Theological Origins of the Missionary Strategies of the Russian Orthodox Church in Central Asia in the 19th – Early 20th Centuries.”

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, congratulated the pastor on the successful defense of his thesis and the completion of his studies at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.