Patriarchal Message on the 100th Anniversary of the Blessed Repose of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia issued a message on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the blessed repose of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Your Eminences and Graces,

Venerable Fathers,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The year 2025 is a particularly memorable one for the Russian Orthodox Church, as we prayerfully commemorate the 100th anniversary of the repose in the Lord of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia — the Primate who, by divine lot, was entrusted with guiding the Church through the severe trials of revolutionary upheaval, civil war, and the onset of brutal persecutions against the faith.

Ascending the cathedra of the First Hierarchs of Moscow, Saint Tikhon foresaw the enormous weight of the cross laid upon him — a burden reflected in his own words: how many tears must be swallowed, how many groans uttered in the forthcoming patriarchal ministry! (From the address of Metropolitan Tikhon upon receiving the news of his election). Indeed, all this came to pass, and the Primatial ministry truly became for him the scroll of the prophet, inscribed with “lamentation, and mourning, and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10).

The restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian Church in the autumn of 1917 coincided with the rise to power of militant atheists whose goal was the complete eradication of religious faith among the people, and who launched unprecedented persecutions against the Church of Christ. Boldly denouncing the crimes of the Bolsheviks and their bloody reprisals, Saint Tikhon nevertheless testified: “The Church does not bind itself forever to any specific form of governance, for such arrangements have only relative historical significance. The Church bears another ministry – she is and must be the conscience of the state” (Sermon on the commemoration of the Hieromartyr Patriarch Hermogenes, March 2, 1919).

With humility and meekness, united with zeal for the work of God and fervor of spirit, His Holiness Tikhon carried out the ministry entrusted to him, earnestly entreating his flock not to stray from the path of the Cross and to remain faithful to the Orthodox Church.

Only the Lord knows the heavy thoughts and heartfelt pain endured by Patriarch Tikhon as he witnessed the collapse of old Russia and the destruction of Orthodox shrines. Only the Lord beheld the fervent prayers offered by the saint for his entrusted flock while imprisoned in the Donskoy Monastery, effectively cut off from the governance of the Church. Yet in all things showing himself as a servant of God — “in much patience, in tribulations, in necessities, in distresses, in labors, in purity, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love” (2 Cor. 6:4–6) — the hierarch was crowned with a confessor’s crown and became an example of courage and spiritual strength.

With deep reverence, the Orthodox faithful draw near to the holy relics of Saint Tikhon, which are brought to towns and villages across Holy Rus’. This contact with the sacred offers us strength in faith and hope in the powerful intercession of Saint Tikhon before the face of God for our homeland and our people. We believe and hope that Saint Tikhon will answer the supplications of the faithful children of the Russian Church, for whom he cared unceasingly during his earthly life and, now standing before the throne of the Almighty, continues to intercede for us.

Let us therefore raise our fervent prayers to Saint Tikhon, that faith in our people may not diminish, and that the Lord — through the intercessions of His glorious saint and guardian of apostolic traditions — may bless our Church and our land with divine peace and tranquility (as the troparion to the saint proclaims), strengthening us in the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments and in courageous discipleship in following Christ the Savior.

Through the intercessions of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, may the Merciful Lord preserve all of you, my beloved!

+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA