With the blessing of Metropolitan Theognost of Kashira, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, a meeting of members of the working group on agricultural activities of Stavropol monasteries with representatives of the scientific community and business was held at the Nikolsky Shostyensky Stavropol Convent on February 7, 2025.
The meeting was led by Bishop Tikhon of Vidnovo, vicar of the Catherine Stavropol Monastery, head of the working group.
The meeting was attended by: Abbess Neonilla (Frolova),; P.A. Chekmarev,; V.M. Vershinin,; M.P. Churkin, entrepreneur; S.N. Sapleshina, director of MBOU "Shostyenskaya Secondary School", as well as residents of the Nikolsky Shostyensky Monastery, responsible for crop production and horticulture.
Abbess Neonilla (Frolova), abbess of the Nikolsky Shostyensky Monastery, conducted a tour of the monastery's subsidiary farm for the guests. Despite the small scale of the monastery's economy, the guests noted the high level of its organization, which can serve to transfer experience to local residents, as well as other monasteries.
In a joint statement, P.A. Chekmarev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and V.M. Vershinin, adviser to the head of the Federal Scientific Center for Vegetable Growing, presented a project for the foundation of the monastery and school garden by the Nikolsky Shostyensky Monastery and the Shostyensky School, dedicated to the memory of the heroes of Russia.
The participants decided to invite the administration and the deputy corps of the Kasimov Municipal District of the Ryazan Region, the command of the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Order of Suvorov and the Red Banner Command School named after Army General V.F. Margelov, and the interested community of entrepreneurs and local residents to consider this project and its implementation.
During the meeting, Bishop Tikhon of Vidnovo shared his experience of fruitful cooperation on joint projects of the Catherine Monastery with the Vocational Training Center. Hero of Russia, Major of Militia V.A. Tinkov, located next to the monastery.
Then the participants discussed the issues of further cooperation between monasteries and scientific centers in various areas of agricultural activity.