Divine Liturgy celebrated at Christ the Saviour Cathedral on the occasion of the sixteenth anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
DECR Communication service, 01.02.2025.
On 1st February 2025 the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church prayerfully marked the sixteenth anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill. In all the churches and monasteries prayers were offered up for the Church’s Primate, who was elected at the Local Council of 2009 to the Patriarchal Throne of Moscow.
On this important day His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, wearing the vestments in which he was enthroned, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.
Upon arrival in the cathedral he venerated the relics of Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, reports the Patriarchal Press Service.
Concelebrating with His Holiness were: metropolitan Juvenaly (Poyarkov); the metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistan and head of the Central Asia metropolitan district Vikenty; the metropolitan of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga Barsonuphius; the metropolitan of Krutitsk and Kolomna and Patriarchal vicar for the metropolitanate of Moscow Paul; the metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslava and Patriarchal exarch of All Belarus Benjamin; the metropolitan of Vokresensk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchy and first auxiliary bishop of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the city of Moscow Gregory; the metropolitan of Vladimir and Suzdal and chairman of the department of economics and finance of the Moscow Patriarchate Nicander; the metropolitan of Novgorod and Staraya Russa Leo; the metropolitan of Tula and Efremov Alexis; the metropolitan of Samara and Novokuibhyshev Sergius; the metropolitan of Ufa and Bashkorkostan Nikon; the metropolitan of Petrozavodsk and Karelia Constantine; the metropolitan of Kursk and Rylsk Herman; the metropolitan of Krasnoyarsk and Achinsk Paneteleimon; metropolitan Seraphim (Zaliznitsky); the metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Kirill; the metropolitan of Ivanovo and Vichuga Joseph; the metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk Mercurius; the metropolitan pf Baltissk and Svetlogorsk Seraphim; the metropolitan of Bryansk and Sevsk Alexander; the metropolitan of Kurgan and Belozersk Daniel; metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev); the metropolitan of Tambov and Rasskazovo Theodosius; the metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas George; the metropolitan of Simbirsk and Novospasskoye Longinus; the metropolitan of Ryazan and Mikhailovo Mark; the metropolitan of Cheboksary and Chuvashia Sabbatius; the metropolitan of Kemerovo and Prokopievsk Aristarchus; the metropolitan of Gorlovo and Slavyansk Mitrophane; the metropolitan of Singapore and Sout-East Asia and Patriarchal exarch of South-East Asia Sergius; the metropolitan of Novosibirsk and Berdsk Nicodemus; the metropolitan of Luhansk and Alchevsk Panteleimon; the metropolitan of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk and chairman of the Synodal department for interaction with the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies and the Synodal committee for interaction with the Cossack community Cyril; the metropolitan of Oryol and Bolkhov Tikhon; the metropolitan of Saransk and Mordova Zenobius; the metropolitan of Khabarovsk and Amur Artemius; the metropolitan of Khanty-Mansiisk and Surgut Paul; the metropolitan of Vologda and Kirillov Sabba; the metropolitan of Saratov and Volsk Ignatius; the metropolitan of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory Cornelius; the metropolitan of Omsk and Tavricheskoye Dionysius; the metropolitan of Donetsk and Mariupol Vladimir; the metropolitan of Irkutsk and Angarsk Maximilian; the metropolitan of Barnaul and Altai Sergius; the metropolitan of Astrakhan and Kamyzyak Nikon; the metropolitan of Orenburg and Saraktash Peter; the metropolitan of Zaraisk and Patriarchal exarch for Africa Constantine; the metropolitan of Penza and Nizhny Lomov Seraphim; the metropolitan of Izhevsk and Udmurtia Victorin; the metropolitan of Chita and Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky Dimitrius; the metropolitan of Volgograd and Kamyshin Theodore; the metropolitan of Pskov and Porkhov Matthew; the metropolitan of Vladivostok and Primorsky Krai Paul; the metropolitan of Zvenigorod Arsenius; the metropolitan of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturie and chairman of the Synodal department for religious education and catechism Eugene; the metropolitan of Chelyabinsk and Miass Alexis; the metropolitan of Yekaterinodar and the Kuban Basil; the metropolitan of Voronezh and Liskinskoye Leontius and a multitude of other bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Participating in the service were the representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches: the metropolitan of Philippopolis Niphon (the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch); archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky) (the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia) and archpriest Daniel Andrejuk (the Orthodox Church in America).
Also serving with His Holiness were: protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, secretary to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; archpriest Mikhail Ryantsev; sacristan of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral; archpriest Nikolai Balashov, advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; archpriest Maxim Kozlov, chairman of the Study Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church; archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), deputy chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; archimandrite vassian (Zmeyev), head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem; archpriest Dionisy Kazantsev, secretary to His Holiness the Patriarch for the Moscow region; archpriest Nikolai Lischenyuk, deputy chairman of the DECR; archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, deputy chairman of the DECR; Father Vasily Losev, director of the legal service of the Moscow metropolitanate; and clergy fr om the city of Moscow and the Moscow metropolitanate.
Among those concelebrating were the vicar abbots of the stavropegic monasteries: archimandrite Sergy (Voronkov), vicar abbot of the Saint Joseph of Volotsk monastery; archimandrite Theophilact (Bezukladnikov), vicar abbot of the New Jerusalem monastery; abbot Ioann (Ludischev), vicar of Sretensky monastery; and acting rector of the Sretensky Theological Academy; abbot Dionisy (Shlenov), vicar of Saint Andrew’s monastery; and hieromonk Daniel (Konstantinov), acting vicar abbot of Zaikonospassky monastery.
Praying in the cathedral were: the chairman of the Synodal department for public relations Vladimir Legoida; the abbesses of convents, priests and deacons of Moscow and the Moscow region; colleagues from the Synodal and church institutions, representatives of parish councils and teachers and students from ecclesiastical educational establishments.
Visiting the festive service were: the deputy chairman of the Russian government D.N. Chernyshenko; the deputy chairman of the State Duma and Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation A.Yu. Kuznetsov; the deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma and Federal Assembly P.O. Tolstoy; Russian presidential representative in the central federal district I.O. Schegolev; chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and head the LDPR State Duma party and chairman of the State Duma committee for foreign affairs L.E. Slutsky; chairman of the State Duma committee for land and property relations S.A. Gavrilov; head of the federal service for control over consumer goods and peoples’ well-being and head Russian doctor A. Yu. Popova; human rights representatives in the Russian Federation T.N. Moskalkova; member of the Federation Council of Russia A.G. Yaroshuk; State Duma member, advisor to the mayor of Moscow, advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and curator of the programme for church construction in Moscow V. I. Resin; State Duma deputy and warden of the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral in Moscow N.Yu. Chaplin; State Duma deputy cosmonaut Ye.O. Serova; chairman of the Moscow City Duma A.V. Shaposhnikov; head of the department for nationality policy and inter-religious ties for the city of Moscow V.I. Suchkov; chairman of the Moldova-Russia Business Union I.N. Dodon; head of the Odintsovo city district in the Moscow region A.R. Ivanov; first deputy director general of the Russian Railways V.V. Mikhailov; vice president of the Russian union of chemists A.G. Guriev; the president of the Russian association of producers of minerals A.A. Guriev; deputy head of the World Russian Peoples’ Council S.Yu. Rudov; acting director general of the Sofrino church goods factory V.A. Levin; chairman of the watch committee for the ‘Orthodox Russia’ public movement M.M. Ivanov; and head of the Apostol jewelry workshop I.S. Kharkov.
The hymns were sung by the choir of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral conducted by I.B. Tolkachev and the choir of the clergy of the Moscow metropolitanate conducted by Father Sergei Golev.
The Patriarchal service was broadcast live on the Soyuz and Spas TV channels as well as on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarchia.ru.
Included in the Litany of Fervent Supplication were special prayers for Holy Russia as well as petitions for the health of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the well-being of the Church which he leads. Metropolitan Juvenaly read the prayer for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Holiness the Patriarch read the prayer for Holy Russia.
Before holy communion the sermon was delivered by the bishop of Pavlovsky Posad Siluan, the deputy chairman of chancery of the Moscow Patriarchy.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy after the proclamation of ‘Many Years’ the metropolitan of Voskresensk Gregory read out congratulatory greetings on behalf of the members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' on the occasion of the sixteenth anniversary of his enthronement. Metropolitan Gregory then presented His Holiness with a gift of an antique icon of Saints Peter and Paul and a bouquet of white roses.
Then His Holiness was congratulated by the deputy chairman of the Russian government D.N. Chernyshenko, who said:
“Your Holiness,
On behalf of the government of the Russian Federation allow me to congratulate you on the sixteenth anniversary of your enthronement and say a few words of profound gratitude for the great work you do for all the various constituent parts of society.
The Russian Orthodox Church which you are the head of is the largest societal organization in Russia that accomplishes a huge number of good deeds which are impossible to list here. The great number of churches, especially in the liberated territories, the new territories, wh ere some churches were desecrated, have now thanks to your endeavours been restored and will be be further restored with our support.
I would like to express separate thanks to you for the spiritual and moral growth and teaching of our children and young people, for the clear direction and values which we have and which the military clergy carry within themselves in their ministry at the contact line in strengthening the faith and courage of our fighters for the imminent victory for which you today prayed and we with you.
A huge thank you is due for the great efforts in restoring historical monuments. Last year one of the most important events most likely was the conclusion of the restoration work to the mark the 500th anniversary of the Novodevichy Convent. Important events will also continue to take place thanks to your endeavours. I believe that in 2029, God willing, we will together celebrate the restoration of the holy sites of all the Solovki archipelago and the Holy Transfiguration monastery at your desire. We shall sincerely try to make this happen.
Huge work is being done also in the area of sport which is a universal and international means of communicating. Thanks to your endeavours the Saint Alexander Nevsky Games have now acquired international status.
These and other deeds we greatly respect, recall and express gratitude to you for them. And we beseech the Lord that he may grant you strength and many good years so that you may accomplish a great many other good and righteous deeds and that we may do the same through your prayers. May the Lord save you!”
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church then delivered a sermon to all those gathered followed by a ceremony of handing out Patriarchal awards. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had issued a decree granting awards on the occasion of important dates and for labouring for the good of the Church. The recipients were: the metropolitan of Cheboksary and Chuvashia Sabbatius on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of his episcopal consecration and for his diligent archpastoral labours, awarded the Order of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, 3rd Degree; the metropolitan pf Gomel and Zhlobin Stephan on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of his episcopal consecration and for his diligent archpastoral labours, awarded the Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, 3rd Degree; the bishop of Glazov and Igrinskoye Victor on the occasion of his seventieth birthday and for his diligent archpastoral labours, awarded the Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, 2nd Degree; and the bishop of Shadrinsk and Dalmatovo Vladimir on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday and for his diligent archpastoral labours, awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir, 3rd Degree.
Also, for his contribution to the strengthening of ties between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), dean of the Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kotelniki, the metochion of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, was awarded the Order of Saint Daniel of Moscow, 3rd Degree.
Towards the end of the proceedings, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said to those who had attended the service: “Once more, dear bishops, fathers, brothers and sisters, I congratulate you all on the occasion of the feast. May God’s mercy touch each of us and may the protecting veil of the Most Pure Queen of Heaven abide over our homeland, over our Church and over our people. Amen.”
At the end of the service in the gallery of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral the members of the Patriarchal Volunteers Movement congratulated His Holiness the Patriarch on the occasion of the anniversary of his enthronement. In reply the Primate of the Russian Church thanked the volunteers for their labours: “I Love you all very dearly, I value you all, as when I look at you my mood always improves as I can see that this is the future of our Church. And I would very much desire that your piety and your faith be extended to all those who will come after you, that is to say, to your families, friends and children, so that this baton be handed over to those generations which I will not see and which you will only partly see. This is our task – that faith shall be never be extinguished in our memory. So, preserve your faith and strengthen it. And I wish you all prosperity, peace and human happiness. May the Lord preserve you all!”
There was then held a reception on the occasion of the sixteenth anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.