Experience of Young Priests Entering the Orthodox Priesthood in Russia (Example of Moscow Parishes)

Abstract

The article focuses on the experiences and reflections of young priests in Moscow parishes regarding their journey to becoming ordained. The main research questions are: how do these young clergy members perceive their ordination experience? What kinds of events and personal experiences occur during their journey to become a minister of the church? To answer these questions, the authors used an inductive approach to analyze indepth interviews with young clergy. The study is based on phenomenology, a methodology that focuses on subjective experience, allowing to identify key events and emotions surrounding ordination and its impact on the individuals’ lives. Interestingly, young priests see their priesthood as a Beruf which is partially different from both a vocation and a job. Another significant finding is that clergy no longer separate themselves from their experience as priests - it becomes a fully formed identity, subordinating other collective identities and aspects of their Self.