On the commemoration day of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Primate of the Russian Church celebrates Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

DECR Communication Service, 08.10.2025. 

On October 8, 2025, the commemoration day of the repose of St. Sergius, Abbott of Radonezh and the Wonder-worker, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus' celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

Before the start of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was met at the entrance to the Dormition Cathedral by: Bishop Kirill of Sergiyev Posad and Dmitrov, Abbot of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy; Archimandrite Makary (Veretennikov), a resident of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Secretary to the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' for the City of Moscow; and O.V. Yerokhanova, Head of the Sergiyev Posad Urban District of Moscow Region.

During the Liturgy, His Holiness concelebrated assisted by: Metropolitan Yuvenaly (Poyarkov); Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk, Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, First Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' for the City of Moscow; Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Nikander of Vladimir and Suzdal, Chairman of the Financial and Economic Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Arseny of Lipetsk and Zadonsk; Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol; Metropolitan Iosif of Ivanovo-Voznesensk and Vichuga; Metropolitan Theognost of Kashira, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas; Metropolitan Panteleimon of Luhansk and Alchevsk; Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol; Metropolitan Feodosy of Samara and Novokuybyshevsk; Metropolitan Nikita of Krasnoyarsk and Achinsk; Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh; Metropolitan Matfei of Pskov and Porkhov; Metropolitan Arseny of Zvenigorod; Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, Chairman of the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechization; Archbishop Thomas of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Savva of Zelenograd, Deputy Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, Chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department; Bishop Siluan of Pavlovsky Posad, Deputy Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Agafangel of Norilsk and Turukhansk; Bishop Serafim of Istra, Chairman of the Synodal Youth Department; Bishop Alexy of Dzhankoy and Razdolnoye; Bishop Kirill of Sergiyev Posad and Dmitrov; Bishop Feodosy of Noyabrsk; Bishop Pavel of Troitsk and Yuzhnouralsk; Bishop Alexy of Ramensk, Personal Secretary to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Bishop Ioann of Bronnitsy; Archimandrite Makary (Veretennikov); Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov; Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, Advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'; Residents of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in holy orders; Clergy of Moscow.

Also among those concelebrating with His Holiness the Patriarch were representatives of Local Orthodox Churches: Bishop Stefan of Remesiana, Representative of the Serbian Patriarch; Archimandrite Serafim (Shemyatovsky), Representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America.

Also concelebrating with His Holiness were members of the delegation of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric: Metropolitan Petar of Prespa and Pelagonia, Spokesperson of the Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric; Bishop Nikolay of Velich, Vicar of the Prespa and Pelagonia Diocese; Hieromonk Afanasy (Arsosky), Head of the Publishing Department of the Skopje Diocese of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric.

Praying in the cathedral were bishops, abbesses of women's monasteries, clergy, monastics, and pilgrims who had arrived for the celebrations at the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

The wife of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tamara Vučić, attended the festive service.

Present at the service were: S.A. Pakhomov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; S.G. Malyshev, First Vice President – Chief Financial Officer, Member of the Board of Directors of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel; V.A. Levin, Acting General Director of KhPP Sofrino; S.Y. Rudov, Deputy Head of the World Russian People's Council; O.V. Yerokhanova, Head of the Sergiyev Posad Urban District of Moscow Region; M.N. Shuvalov, Acting Head of the Dmitrov Municipal District of Moscow Region; I.S. Kharkov, Head of the Apostol Jewelry and Art Workshop.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the brotherly choir of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius under the direction of Hieromonk Nestor (Volkov) and Reader Nikita Petrov.

A live broadcast of the Patriarchal service was aired on the Spas and Soyuz TV channels, as well as on the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarchia.ru.

During the augmented litany, special petitions were raised, and the Primate of the Russian Church read the prayer for Holy Rus'.

The sermon before Holy Communion was delivered by Hieromonk Nektary (Sokolov), a resident of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

In the altar, His Holiness met with the delegation of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated a moleben before the venerated icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Bishop Kirill of Sergiyev Posad and Dmitrov greeted His Holiness and presented His Holiness with a commemorative panagia.

The Primate of the Russian Church addressed the faithful with a Primatial word.

Subsequently, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill proceeded to the Trinity Cathedral, where he performed the glorification before the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

A meeting between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the wife of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tamara Vučić, took place in the Patriarchal Chambers of the Lavra.

Following this, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus' presented church awards to bishops, clergy, and residents of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, as well as to laypersons who had labored especially for the benefit of the Holy Church and were marking memorable dates.

On this day, according to tradition, hierarchical services were also held in other churches of the Lavra. The Divine Liturgy in the Trinity Cathedral was led by Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; in the St. Sergius Refectory Church – by Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Vicar of the Moscow Metropolitanate; in the Holy Spirit Church – by Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, Head of the Metropolitan District of Central Asia; in the Pokrov Academic Church – by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; and in the Chernigov Skete – by Metropolitan Nikon of Astrakhan and Kamysyak, according to the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'.