Delegation of the Malankara Church attends Patriarchal Liturgy on the commemoration day of Blessed Matrona of Moscow

DECR Communications Service, 08.03.2025. 

On March 8, Saturday of the 1^st week of Lent and the feast of the uncovering of the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow (1998), His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' visited the Pokrovsky stavropegic convent in the Russian capital.

At the gates of the convent, His Holiness was met by hegumeness Feofania (Miskina), the abbess of the convent, the sisters, and girls fr om the convent-run orphanage, as well as by Mr. Leonid E. Slutsky, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Patriarchal Press Service reports.

Upon arrival in the convent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill venerated the blessed old woman’s holy relics resting in the Сhurch of the Intercession, and read a prayer.

Then, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the Church of the Renewal of the Temple of Resurrection.

His Holiness was assisted by Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate and first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the city of Moscow; Metropolitan Feognost of Kashira, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism and abbot of the Donskoy stavropegic monastery in Moscow; Bishop Siluan of Pavlovsky Posad, deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Alexy of Ramenskoye, private secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; archpriest Vladimir Divakov, secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the city of Moscow; archpriest Daniel Andreyuk, representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne and rector of the Moscow Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr in-the-Fields; archpriest Oleg Yegorov, dean of the churches of the Pokrovsky district of Moscow and rector of the Church of St. Basil the Confessor at Rogozhskaya Zastava square in Moscow; clergy of the Pokrovsky stavropegic convent; as well as Moscow clergy.

Attending the Patriarchal service were Mr. Leonid E. Slutsky, chairman of the LDPR, head of the LDPR faction in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs; Mr. Vladimir I. Resin, a deputy of the State Duma, advisor to the mayor of Moscow, advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' on construction and curator of the Programme for the construction of Orthodox churches in Moscow; Mr. Nikita Y. Chaplin, a deputy of the State Duma, warden of the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition of the Moscow Kremlin; and Mr. Vladimir A. Levin, acting general director of the ‘Sofrino’ art production enterprise of the Russian Orthodox Church.

A delegation of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, which arrived in Russia for the feast of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, was present at the church. The delegation includes Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Demetrios of the Delhi diocese, president of the Department of Ecumenical Relations of the Malankara Church; Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Yulios of the Kunnamkulam diocese; and Priest Ashwin Fernandis, executive director of the Department of Ecumenical Relations of the Malankara Church.

Among those praying at the divine service were hegumeness Feofania (Miskina), the abbess of the Pokrovsky stavropegic convent, the sisters, girls from the convent-run orphanage, benefactors, and numerous worshippers.

The liturgical chants were sung by the Pokrovsky convent choir conducted by Ms. O. Yegorova.

The Liturgy was broadcast live on the ‘Soyuz’ and ‘Spas’ TV channels, and on Patriarchia.ru, official website of the Russian Orthodox Church. Also, the divine service was broadcast on large screens installed on the convent territory.

Special petitions were offered during the Litany of Fervent Supplication, and the Primate of the Russian Church read a prayer for Holy Rus'.

During the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill elevated deacon Vitaly Terentyev, a cleric of the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Patriarchal Metochion in Biryulevo district of Moscow, to the rank of presbyter.

The sermon before Holy Communion was delivered by Priest Alexei Arefyev, a cleric of the Pokrovsky stavropegic convent.

The glorification of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow was celebrated.

At the end of the Liturgy, hegumeness Feofania greeted His Holiness the Patriarch and presented him with an icon of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow.

The Primate of the Russian Church addressed the worshippers with a primatial homily.

Also, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill greeted the delegation of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, saying "I would like to cordially welcome our highly esteemed guests from India, who represent the Malankara Church, with which I have close ties, because, as the rector of the Theological Academy, I took part in the education of many representatives of this Church, including the bishops. I am glad to see you, my dear, and happy to know that you are worthily carrying out your ministry wh ere St. Thomas the Apostle preached Christ to the Indian people."

His Holiness congratulated hegumeness Feofania on the 30^th anniversary of her ministry as the abbess of the Pokrovsky convent and presented her with a cross with decorations.

The Primate of the Russian Church presented the convent with ‘The Sign’ icon of the Mother of God and with his book entitled "Imitate Your Mentors".

In conclusion, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said: "My dear, once again I congratulate you all on the feast, and mother hegumeness in particular on the 30^th anniversary of her stay in this wonderful place as the abbess of the holy convent. I wish you strength and God's help in governing this famed sisterhood for a very long time to the glory of God."

Photos by Patriarchal Press Service