On December 2, 2024, the day of the commemoration of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.
Before the beginning of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church bowed to the relics of St. Filaret.
Ahead of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church bowed to the relics of St. Filaret.
After the Liturgy, archimandrite Sergius (Zaichikov) was consecrated Bishop of Alapaevsk and Irbit. The newly ordained hierarch, elected to episcopal ministry by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of October 24, 2024 (Journal No. 112), became the ruling bishop of the Alapaevsk dioceseEkaterinburg Metropolitan Church.
Alapaevsk dioceseEkaterinburg Metropolitan Church.
Today Moscow hosts the final stage of the III Patriarchal International Festival of Spiritual Music «Light of Christ». The combined choir of the festival laureates took part in the service.
Holy Patriarch Kirill was accompanied at the Liturgy by: Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church; Metropolitan Amvrosy of Tver and Kashin, chairman of the Synodal Liturgical Commission and the Church Public Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the Development of Russian Church Singing; Metropolitan Sergius of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia; Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol; Metropolitan Seraphim of Penza and Nizhnelomovsk; Metropolitan Evgeny of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Religious Education and Catechesis; Archbishop Savva of Zelenograd, deputy administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Theodosius of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk; Bishop Theognost of Serov and Krasnoturyinsk; Bishop Feognost of Kamensk and Kamyshlov Methodius; Bishop Pavel of Vladivostok and Primorsky Krai; Bishop Leontii of Voronezh and Liskinsky; Bishop Alexis of Ramensk, personal secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for Moscow; Protopriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, Clerk of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior; Protopriest Nikolai Balashov, rector of the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhok in Moscow, advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow. Moscow, advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Andrei Marushchak, cleric of Christ the Savior Cathedral; Archimandrite Melchizedek (Artyukhin), press secretary of Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, abbot of the Moscow suburbs of Vvedensky Stavropigial Optina Desert Monastery; Hieromonk Misail (Sarafanov), assistant to the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate; Hieromonk Misail (Sarafanov), assistant to the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate; href="http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/6078172.html">priest Vladislav Mishin, acting chairman of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration; clergy.
The service was attended by: Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Science, Education and Culture L.S. Gumerova; Deputy Head of the Administration of the Eastern Administrative District of the Sverdlovsk region K.A. Nekrasov; President of PJSC «Pacific Investment Group» S.M. Darkin; Head of the jewelry and art workshop «Apostol» I.S. Kharkov.
In the temple prayed nuns of nunneries in Moscow and many believers.
The liturgical hymns were performed by the combined choir of laureates of the III Patriarchal International Festival of Spiritual Music «Light of Christ». The choir was managed by: V.A. Volkova, executive secretary of the Church Social Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the development of Russian church singing; A.A. Puzakov, director of the Moscow Synodal Choir; A.K. Mayorov, senior regent of The Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhov in Moscow; O.N. Ovchinnikov, regent of the choir and secretary of The Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhov in Moscow; O.N. Ovchinnikov, regent of the choir and secretary of the Moscow Synodal Choir. href="http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1231147.html">Kazakhstan Metropolitan District.
The patriarchal service was broadcast live on «Soyuz» and «Spas», as well as on the official portal of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarchy.ru.
At the small entrance, His Holiness elevated to the rank of metropolitan: Bishop Leontii of Voronezh and Liskinsky — in connection with his appointment as head of Voronezh Metropolis; Bishop Pavel of Vladivostok and Primorsky Krai — in connection with his appointment as head of the Primorsky Metropolis.
In recognition of his work for the benefit of the Holy Church and in connection with his 50th birthday, Acting Chairman of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration, Priest Vladislav Mishin was awarded the right to wear a pectoral cross with decorations.
At the Litany of Liturgy, special petitions were offered, and the Primate of the Russian Church recited a prayer for Holy Russia.
The sermon before Communion was delivered by Priest Svyatoslav Volkovinsky, clergyman of the Church of the Blessed Princes Boris and Gleb in Degunin, Moscow.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness celebrated the glorification and read the praying at the reliquary with the relics of St. Philaret.
Holy Patriarch Kirill honored Bishop Sergius of Alapaevsk and Irbit for his ministry and presented him with the bishop's baton. By tradition, the newly ordained bishop gave the faithful his first archpastoral blessing.
The bishop's first archpastoral blessing.
Afterward, the Primate addressed the participants of the divine service with Presbyteral words.
Holy Vladyka presented church awards.
- in consideration of zealous archpastoral works and in connection with his 75th anniversary Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk — the Order of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, I degree;
- in consideration of the assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church and in connection with his 60th birthday, President of PJSC «Pacific Investment Group» S.M. Darkin — Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1st degree;
- In consideration of the contribution to the development of church-state relations, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture L.S. Gumerova — Order of Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga of the III degree;
- in consideration of the assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church and in connection with the anniversary of the birth of the Director of the Protocol and Coordination Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Zh.V. Guseva — Order of the Venerable Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, II degree;
- in attention to the assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church Honored Artist of the Russian Federation LD Belobrova — Order of the Venerable Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, III degree;
The Primate of the Russian Church addressed the participants of the III Patriarchal International Festival of Spiritual Music «Light of Christ»:
«I would like once again to greet cordially all of you, my dear lords, fathers and brothers, but especially the participants of the festival of church music, who so beautifully represent our choirs.
It is well known that in the Orthodox Church there are no musical instruments to accompany the divine service, and it seemed to many, especially outside the Eastern cultural area, that the divine service without musical instruments cannot be solemn, festive, strongly influencing the consciousness and feelings of people. But here it turned out that church music, especially Russian church music, really fully compensates for the absence of any musical instruments. More than that, church music has become a very important part of our national culture, and the best composers have created music for worship services.
And especially my soul rejoices when on this day I hear the combined choir performing our liturgical hymns wonderfully. I am glad to see a large number of young people who are studying church music today, getting acquainted with it, and then begin to work on a professional level, praising the Lord in the temples through participation in liturgical singing.
I cordially greet you, my dear participants of the festival. God grant that zeal for church singing may always be accompanied by zeal for the Lord. I remember the times when choirs also sang well in the Soviet Union, but they were mostly composed, especially in cities such as Moscow and Leningrad, of people who either did not believe at all or had little faith. I remember how burdensome the service itself was for some of these choristers. They would step from foot to foot, waiting to leave as soon as possible, and when they came out — someone would immediately smoke, someone else would do something else… And today we have Orthodox people singing in churches. Many of them are high professionals, but this does not prevent them from singing and praying, and the singing in our temples has become completely different!
So in your face, my dear participants of the current service in this temple, I would like to thank all those who, through their singing, adorn the Orthodox divine service, help people in prayer, and who, no doubt, bring a gift to God themselves through this prayer. I thank you once again for your labors and invoke God's blessing.
At the conclusion, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia admonished all the participants of the service: «May God protect all of us — our people, our Government, our Orthodox President Vladimir Vladimirovich, our army and all those who by word, deed and even by their sacrificial service protect the Motherland today and strengthen our national life. Amen».
Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
