Most graduation ceremonies take hours. The one at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute on Tuesday morning took just minutes. It was for one Ph.D. student, Veaceslav Ghersimciuc.
"We have a war going on. Today is the 152nd day of the war," Ghersimciuc said. "People are dying there every day, and most of my colleagues are right now dispersed all over Ukraine and some were forced to leave the country."
Ghersimciuc teaches at Odessa Theological Seminary in Ukraine. After war broke out, his school evacuated staff and cleared out valuable documents. Ghersimciuc fled to his native Moldova with his family, where he's been teaching remotely and finishing his Doctorate in Philosophy from B.H. Carroll Theological Institute in Irving.
"I have this deep love for the persecuted church and Slava represents that for us," B.H. Carroll Theological Institute Ph.D. Program Director Karen O'Dell Bullock said. "We want him to know he's not forgotten."
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"Right now having all these robes on me is just fantastic," Ghersimciuc said after the short hooding ceremony. "My hope, my prayer is this whole war experience will help us to focus on the most important things. Focus on God."
