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Apr262025

On the Eve of St.Thomas Sunday, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh Celebrated the All-Night Vigil at the Dormition Cathedral in London »

Date26-04-2025
On the evening of April 26, 2025, the eve of the Second Sunday after Pentecost (the Sunday of the Holy Apostle Thomas), His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated the All-Night Vigil at the Dormition Cathedral in London.  
His Grace was assisted by Archpriest Vitaly Polishchuk, Dean of the Diocesan District of South-East England; Archpriest Dimitry Nedostupenko, Secretary of the Sourozh Diocese; Archpriest Nikita Kozlov; Priest Alexander Kapustin; Protodeacon Vadim Santsevitch; and Protodeacon Ioann Sylnik.  
The liturgical hymns were performed by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Dmitry Tugarinov.  
During Matins, after the reading of the Gospel, Bishop Matthew anointed the clergy and worshippers with consecrated oil. Artos (blessed leavened bread) was distributed to all parishioners, with the prayer for its fragmentation having been recited at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning.  

The tradition of using artos dates back to apostolic times. On the fortieth day after His Resurrection, when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, His disciples and followers found solace in remembering their Teacher—recalling His every word and deed. Gathering for communal prayer, they partook of the Body and Blood of Christ in remembrance of the Last Supper. During shared meals, they would leave the first seat at the table for their Lord, who they believed was invisibly present among them, and place a loaf of bread there.
  
Continuing this apostolic tradition, the early pastors of the Church established the custom of placing bread in the church on the feast of Christ’s Resurrection as a visible expression that the Savior, who suffered for us, became for us the true Bread of Life. To this day, artos symbolizes the invisible presence of Jesus Christ in our lives.  

Artos, alongside holy water, is regarded as one of the holy items of the Orthodox Church, possessing special sanctity. It is used to strengthen both physical and spiritual well-being.