Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk headed the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the project "Collection of works of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nikolai of Japan"

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk headed the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the project "Collection of works of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nikolai of Japan" Митрополит Волоколамский Иларион возглавил первое заседание Попечительского совета проекта «Собрание трудов равноапостольного Николая Японского» print version 19 March 2018 17:49 On March 16, 2018, the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the research and publishing project "Collection of the works of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Nikolai of Japan" took place in the assembly hall of the Church-wide post-graduate and doctoral studies of St. Cyril and Methodius in Moscow. The project is carried out on the initiative and under the direction of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. For the successful implementation of the project, the Board of Trustees is organized in the church and government figures, representatives of the scientific and cultural community of Russia and Japan. The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was attended by: Metropolitan Hilarion , Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Rector of the All-Church Post-Graduate and Doctoral Studies; Volokolamsky Hilarion , Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Alexander Zhuravsky; rector of the Nikolo-Ugreshskaya theological seminary Hegumen John (Rubin); the founder of the group of companies "Belaya Dacha", the head of the public movement "Rus Orthodox" Viktor Semenov; Adviser to the Chairman of the Board of PJSC Bank "FC Otkritie" Sergey Kharlamov; Yuri Pulya, head of the department for the periodical press, book publishing and printing of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications, as well as members of the editorial board of the publication. Opening the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion thanked all those gathered for attentive attention to the legacy of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas and for agreeing to join the Board of Trustees. Vladyka reminded those present that 2020 will be marked by the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Japan, as well as the 50th anniversary of the canonization of its founder, St. Nicholas of Japan, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Appeal to the materials about the life and activities of the Apostolic Nicholas, Archbishop of Japan, "is, first of all, an attempt to touch the rich inner world of a holy man who, according to God's all-purpose plan, succeeded in enlightening the Japanese islands with the unfading light of the Orthodox faith, which became the source of the spiritual connection between Russia and Japan ". The archpastor stressed that "since the sphere of interests of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas was not limited to strictly religious topics, the publication will also be of scientific interest to researchers studying the phenomenon of socio-cultural development of Russia and Japan, interstate relations of the two neighboring countries and simply everyday life of two neighboring peoples ". Metropolitan Hilarion told about the tasks that the participants of the project are setting for themselves. According to him, the collection of the works of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nikolai of Japan is "a large-scale project, the purpose of which is to publish all the epistolary heritage of St. Nicholas that has been revealed so far, as well as the accompanying activities of the Equal-to-the-Apostles." The edition will consist of 10 volumes: 1-2 volumes - official correspondence; 3 volume - private correspondence; 4 volumes - speeches, sermons, articles; Volume 5 - related documents; 6-10 volume - the diaries. All 10 volumes will be published in Russian and Japanese. Each volume will be accompanied by a vast historical, geographical and biographical commentary. Vladyka Hilarion noted that "at present the publishing group is fully prepared to publish the first two volumes of collected works, which mainly consist of previously unpublished archival materials discovered as a result of purposeful scientific and research activity." Russian Deputy Minister of Culture Alexander Zhuravsky underlined the importance of this project for the cultural and public life of Russia and Japan and wished success to all its participants. The rector of the Nikolo-Ugreshskaya theological seminary Hegumen John (Rubin) thanked Metropolitan Hilarion for agreeing to lead the work of the Board of Trustees and donated to the Archbishop Hilarion the icon of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nikolai of Japan. A presentation of the project was presented to the Board of Trustees, under which hegumen John spoke about the structure of the publication and the materials planned for publication. He also said that the completion of the main part of the project is planned for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the glorification of the saints of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas of Japan. During the discussion of the presentation, the members of the Board of Trustees made a number of proposals for the organization of further work. The meeting approved the composition of the editorial team of the publication, which will conduct research and prepare for the release of a multivolume collection of works of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nikolai of Japan.