ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: 13 October 2026
Archpriest Andrei Sommer meets with Orthodox youth in the Northern Capital

On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, a meeting was held at the St Petersburg Diocesan Youth Affairs Department with the city's active youth and Archpriest Andrei Sommer, Vice President of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

During the meeting, the young people asked the priest from New York a variety of questions: about how Orthodox youth live and what they are interested in in the USA, what holiday and parish traditions distinguish and unite the two countries, and what challenges young Orthodox missionaries face in America. The youth also learned about how the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia emerged after 1917, how reconciliation between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate occurred in 2007, and what now helps feel a sense of unity despite the huge distances.

The organizers of the meeting, a team from the Kerigma Association of Orthodox Youth Communities , initiated an online broadcast of the dialog with Father Andrei.

During his visit to Saint Petersburg, Fr Andrei also participated in several other meetings. On October 4, at Kazan Cathedral, there was an open dialog with Father Andrei about the life of Orthodox youth of the Russian diaspora, organized by the Orthodox youth club "Meeting of the Future."

On October 2, a meeting took place at the Youth Affairs Department of the St Petersburg Diocese with the head of the department, Archpriest Konstantin Golovatsky, and the deputy head, Alexander Rozmyslov, as well as representatives of youth diocesan organizations — the Kerigma Association and the volunteer service "Thousand Friends." The meeting discussed issues of cooperation and experience exchange between countries in youth ministry, and assessed the work being done with youth in the Church both in Russia and abroad.