On the morning of 25 February 2026, Wednesday of the first week of Great Lent, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow prayed at the prescribed Lenten services in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Following the morning offices, the Patriarch celebrated the first Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts of the Lenten season this year.
The service coincided with a significant personal anniversary for the Patriarch, marking 35 years since his elevation to the rank of Metropolitan.
Concelebrating with Patriarch Kirill were Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate and First Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ for the city of Moscow; Bishop Alexy of Ramenskoye, personal secretary to His Holiness; Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, Dean of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour; along with clergy of the Moscow diocese.
During the fervent supplication, special petitions were offered, and the Patriarch read a prayer “for Holy Rus’,” invoking God’s mercy, peace, and spiritual strengthening for the people and the Church during this penitential period.
The sermon before Holy Communion was delivered by Priest Antoniy Obukhov, a clergyman of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, who reflected on the spiritual meaning of Great Lent and the call to repentance, humility, and renewed commitment to Christ.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Kirill addressed the faithful with a Primatial word, offering pastoral exhortation and blessings as the Church enters more deeply into the ascetic journey of the Great Fast.
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
