On October 10, 2026, with the blessing of the abbot of the monastery, Archbishop Guriy of Novogrudok and Slonim, the Assumption of Zhirovichi Metropolitan Monastery hosted for the first time the forum of students "Milestones in the History of Belarus in the Faces of the Saints", dedicated to the memory and spiritual feat of St. Seraphim (Shakhmut, 1901-1946), Archimandrite of Zhirovichi. This year, the Belarusian Orthodox Church celebrates two significant dates related to his memory: the 125th anniversary of his birth and the 80th anniversary of his martyrdom.
The forum was attended by teachers and about 100 students of Slonim State Medical College and Zhirovichi State Agrarian and Technical College. The monastery's inhabitants, Hieromonk Nikolai (Chebotarev) and Hieromonk Damian (Lipchevsky), organized and presented the forum. His main goal was to familiarize the younger generation with the history of their native land, especially with the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, when faith and patriotism required special courage from a person.
The participants of the event got acquainted in detail with the life and feat of the Venerable Martyr Seraphim Zhirovichsky, his example of sincere service to God and people in the years when the spiritual hunger of the people was especially acute, and the profession of faith threatened with mortal danger.
Hieromonk Damian (Lipchevsky), assistant dean of the monastery, delivered the message "The feat of martyrdom from early Christianity to the present day." He emphasized that Archimandrite Seraphim's ministry was carried out under double pressure: from the atheistic Soviet government and from the German invaders. Despite the threat to his own life, the saint opened churches, supported ordinary people and quenched their spiritual thirst, remaining faithful to his vocation to the end.
Hieromonk Nikolai (Chebotarev), a teacher at the Minsk Theological Academy, Candidate of Philology, Candidate of Theology, presented the report "Warriors of the Spirit: the patriotic contribution of the clergy to the Church life of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War."
The forum has become for young people not just one of the lessons of history, but a living testimony of how the Orthodox faith and love for their native land can become a support in any life circumstances.