The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

The article is dedicated to the Latvian students of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute — future priests Alexei Ionov, Vasily Rushanov, Nikolai Trubetskoy, and Fedor Yagodkin — who subsequently formed the nucleus of the Pskov Orthodox Mission. This article explores the origins and principal milestones in the life paths of these young men, as well as their motivations for joining the St. Sergius Institute — an opportunity that arose through the personal acquaintance of Archbishop John (Pommer) of Riga with Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky), the rector of the institute. It is shown how the issues of financial assistance to students who had a difficult financial situation were resolved. Information is provided on their academic performance, the topics of their graduation theses, as well as reviews from Latvian students about the teaching staff of SSOTI (St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute). More often than others, the students in their letters home recalled Bishop Veniamin (Fedchenkov) and Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov. For future clergy, studying at the theological institute offered not only a high-quality theological education and thorough preparation for pastoral and missionary work but also the chance to engage with the living theological tradition of the corporation’s outstanding professors and teachers. 
Relationship between the leadership of the Latvian Orthodox Church and St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute became strained after the Archbishop of Riga banned representatives of the Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM), many of whom were closely associated with the Institute, from entering the canonical territory of the Latvian Orthodox Church. This situation proved to be a trial for the Latvian students aspiring to holy orders, for whom Archbishop John (Pommer) was not only the head of the Latvian Orthodox Church but also a spiritual guide. 
After returning to Latvia, graduates of the St. Sergius Institute faced serious difficulties in ordination and church service.