Yes, indeed, in the Russian Orthodox Church the existing order of initiation into the reader does not apply to females. However, it is also infrequently applied to men. Usually this dedication appears as a necessary preparatory step on the path to chirotony to the priesthood, or as a reward to a clergyman who has mastered this art well, but, often, for other works in the church field.In historical terms, this tradition can be explained by the fact that, in tsarist times, the clerk (the setter-reader-singer) was always included in the parish staff, since the liturgy – a “common deed” – is not supposed to be served alone. In the absence of other assistants, Altar server’s functions were assigned to the clerk as well. Therefore, along with other factors, and, in particular, in order not to give an additional reason for temptation, this position was performed only by men. In Soviet times, many things had to be changed, and the functions of the clerk, except the altar server’s ones, very often began to be performed by the spouse of the priest, but this is, rather, force majeure. Currently, sisters are quite active in reading in the church, receiving only the blessing of the abbot for this (or of the abbess, as they do in our convent). However, in our convent, despite a sufficient number of good nuns-readers and even novices, when there is a sufficiently trained male reader, the most responsible readings – six psalmes, Apostle’s readings, Paremias – are given to him: the male voice is usually louder and, due to the timbre, better distributed and perceived.