The Secretary of the Metropolitan District O. N. Ovchinnikov took part in the Patriarchal Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow

On 2 December 2025, the commemoration day of Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.

Upon arriving at the cathedral before the beginning of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church venerated the shrine containing the relics of Saint Philaret.

During the Liturgy, the ordination of Archimandrite Meliton (Zybin) as Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk was performed. The newly ordained hierarch, elected to episcopal ministry by decision of the Holy Synod on 30 October of this year (Journal No. 90), became the ruling bishop of the Nizhny Tagil Diocese (Yekaterinburg Metropolia).

Final events of the Fourth Patriarchal International Festival of Sacred Music “The Light of Christ” are taking place today in Moscow. A combined choir comprising laureates of the festival participated in the service.

His Holiness was concelebrated by Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate and First Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus for the city of Moscow; Metropolitan Seraphim of the Baltic and Svetlogorsk, Patriarchal Exarch of the Kaliningrad Metropolia; Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashin, Chairman of the Synodal Commission on Divine Services and of the Church and Public Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus for the Development of Russian Church Singing; Metropolitan Eugene of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Religious Education and Catechesis; Archbishop Thomas of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Savva of Zelenograd, Chairman of the Synodal Mission Department and Deputy Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Philaret of Ufa and Bashkortostan; Bishop Theognost of Serov and Krasnoturyinsk; Bishop Methodius of Kamensk and Kamyshlov; Bishop Seraphim of Istra, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs; Bishop Alexy of Ramensk, Personal Secretary to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Bishop Sergius of Alapayevsk and Irbit; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Secretary to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus for the city of Moscow; Archpriest Michael Ryazantsev, Sacristan of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour; Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Chairman of the Church Educational Committee; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Adviser to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; Archpriest Alexander Dasaev, Dean of the Voskresensky Church District of Moscow; Archpriest Andrey Marushchak, Cleric of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour; Archpriest Kirill Sladkov, Chairman of the Department for Youth Affairs of the Moscow (City) Diocese; Hieromonk Misael (Sarafanov), Assistant to the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Priest Vladislav Mishin, Acting Chairman of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture, and Restoration; deans of the church districts of Moscow and clergy of the capital.

The Patriarchal service was attended by A. G. Yaroshuk, member of the Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Defence and Security; A. V. Potapov, Director General of “Uralvagonzavod”, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Science and Production Corporation “Uralvagonzavod”; V. Yu. Pinaev, Head of the city of Nizhny Tagil.

At the cathedral prayed: Abbess Iuliania (Kaleda), Deputy Chair of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism and Abbess of the Conception Stavropegic Convent; Abbess Faina (Kuleshova), Abbess of the Trinity–Odigitriev Stavropegic Convent of Zosima Hermitage; Abbess Elisaveta (Nikishina), Abbess of the John the Baptist Stavropegic Convent; Abbess Antonia (Minina), Abbess of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Stavropegic Convent; Abbess Elisaveta (Pozdnyakova), Abbess of the Stavropegic Convent of Mercy of the Marthe and Mary Monastery; Abbess Viktorina (Perminova), Abbess of the Nativity of the Mother of God Stavropegic Convent; nuns of the women’s monasteries of Moscow and numerous faithful.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the Grand Combined Choir of laureates of the Fourth Festival “The Light of Christ”, numbering more than one hundred singers. The choir consisted of six choral ensembles from dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church: the choir of the Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky; the Episcopal Choir of the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky in Volgograd; the Metropolitan Mixed Choir of the Annunciation Cathedral in Voronezh; the Episcopal Choir of the Pskov–Pechory Monastery; the Episcopal Choir of the Kostroma Metropolia; the Episcopal Men’s Choir of the Omsk Metropolia. Conducting was carried out by V. A. Volkova, Executive Secretary of the Church and Public Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing; A. A. Puzakov, Director of the Moscow Synodal Choir; and O. N. Ovchinnikov, Honoured Artist of Russia, choir director and Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, member of the Church and Public Council for the Development of Church Singing.

The Patriarchal service was broadcast live on the television channels “Soyuz” and “Spas” and on the official portal of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarchia.ru.

At the Lesser Entrance, in accordance with the decision of the Holy Synod of 30 October of this year (Journal No. 93), His Holiness elevated Bishop Philaret of Ufa and Bashkortostan to the rank of Metropolitan in connection with his appointment as head of the Bashkortostan Metropolia.

By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, and on the basis of the decision of the General Church Doctoral Dissertation Council of 18 June 2025 awarding the academic degree of Doctor of Church History, Archpriest Valery Lavrinov, cleric of the Church on the Blood in honour of All Saints who shone forth in the land of Russia (Yekaterinburg Diocese), was granted the right to wear the doctoral cross.

By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in recognition of his labours for the benefit of the Holy Church and in connection with the tenth anniversary of service within the Moscow Patriarchate, Priest Maxim Kuimov, Referent of the Chancellery of the Moscow Patriarchate and cleric of the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Yasenevo, Moscow, was granted the right to wear the epigonation.

At the augmented litany special petitions were offered, and the Primate of the Russian Church read a prayer for Holy Rus.

The sermon before Communion was delivered by Archpriest Andrey Orlov, Rector of the Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Rogozhskoye Cemetery in Moscow.

Upon conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness performed the service of glorification and read a prayer at the shrine with the relics of Saint Philaret.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill addressed Bishop Meliton with words of pastoral guidance and presented him with the bishop’s staff. In keeping with tradition, the newly ordained bishop gave the faithful his first archpastoral blessing.

The Primate of the Russian Church then addressed those present with a Primatial word.

His Holiness further presented a church award. In recognition of his assistance to the Kaliningrad Diocese and in connection with his sixtieth birthday, A. G. Yaroshuk, member of the Committee of the Federation Council on Defence and Security, was awarded the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Second Class.

At the conclusion of the service, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expressed gratitude to the combined choir of laureates of the Fourth Patriarchal International Festival of Sacred Music “The Light of Christ” for their participation in the Liturgy.