The IV Christmas Educational Readings titled “Spiritual and Moral Upbringing, the Experience of the Formation of Citizens” were held at Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Education Development. The readings were organized by the regional Ministry of Education, NNIED, and the Nizhny Novgorod diocese.Many events took place under the Christmas Readings, including scientific and practical seminars, workshops, and a panel discussion with the participation of Sergei Naumov, Education Minister of the region; President of NNIED Nikolai Barmin, and Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas.

Archbishop Georgy delivered a speech at the plenary meeting in which he stressed that teachers play a paramount part in moral and spiritual upbringing. “Yesterday President Dmitry Medvedev declared the new year the Year of Teacher. That is why our today’s meeting is a reply to the challenge of time. Today the preservation of our Motherland depends on what children will learn at school and how priests and laypeople will work,” the archbishop mentioned.

Education Minister Sergei Naumov also delivered a speech saying, “We should fight for each child, but this is possible only with love. If a teacher has love in their hearts, they will certainly find a way to a student’s heart. If there is no love in a teacher’s heart, it is an empty container which will never quench one’s thirst.”