Archbishop Anastassy of Kazan and Tartarstan giving an interview to the press
Moscow, 5 February 2008 (Interfax):
A department of the Kazan Spiritual Seminary for girls opened today in Kazan after reconstruction was completed. An article Tuesday in Nenavisimaya Gazeta noted that this is the first such institution for women opened in Tartarstan since 1917. At first, some 60 students shall study theology, home economics, embroidery (including work with gold thread), iconography, and church singing. Preparations for the beginning of classes on 1 September 2008 are underway now. Archbishop Anastassy of Kazan and Tartarstan said that “the Kazan Diocese has a serious shortage of professionally-trained personnel. This shortage is especially serious where female staff is concerned. There is a particular lack of psalomchiki (church readers) and choir directors”. Until recently, the only seminary department for girls in the region was at Nizhniy Novgorod, and many students from Kazan did not return to their home diocese after completing their studies.
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=22702 (in Russian)
