Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated the Liturgy in the Church of the Intercession of the Most Mother of God in Manchester »

On May 18, 2025, on the 5th Sunday after Easter, of the Samaritan woman, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, as part of his visit to the diocesan district of Northern England, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God in Manchester.

During Easter, according to tradition, while making episcopal visits to parishes, the Archpastor shared the joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ with the clergy of the Sourozh Diocese and the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church living in various cities of Great Britain.

His Grace was assisted at the Liturgy by Secretary of the Diocese of Sourozh, Dean of the Diocesan District of Northern England, Sacristan of the Church of the Intercession in Manchester, Archpriest Dimitry Nedostupenko, Rector of the Parishes of Blessed Xenia of St.Petersburg in Leeds, of the Meeting of the Lord in Bradford, of Saints Constantine and Helena in York and of the Nativity of Christ in Kingston-upon-Hull, Priest Anatoly Vikhrov, Rector of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of the diocesan communities of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne in Durham and of St. Ninian of Whithorn in Carlisle, Priest Victor Akhryapin, cleric of the Dormition Cathedral in London, Protodeacon Vadim Santsevitch, and cleric of the Church of All Saints whobshone in the Land of Britain and Ireland in Birmingham, Deacon Sergiy Sokolovsky.

The liturgical chants were performed by the choir of the Intercession Church in Manchester under the direction of choirmaster Appolinaria Postlethwaite.

At the litany of fervent supplication, petitions were offered for the health of His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, who is celebrating his 54th birthday today.

Archpriest Dimitry Nedostupenko offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, for the blessings bestowed upon the now celebrated His Grace Bishop Matthew. 

Foloweing the prayer after the communion, the Right Reverend Vladyka and the concelebrating clergy performed a litiya for the ever-memorable Archbishop Anatoly (Kuznetsov) and the churchwarden Marianne Greenan, through whose efforts the Church of the Intercession was built and the foundations of Orthodox parish life in Manchester were laid. The service was attended by Marianne Greenan's husband, the honorary choirmaster of the church, Anthony Thomas Greenan.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy, Archpriest Dimitry Nedostupenko addressed the Right Reverend Archpastor with a welcoming speech. On behalf of the concelebrating clergy, church activists and parishioners present at the divine service, Father Dimitry warmly congratulated the Archpastor on his birthday and thanked him for coming and for the opportunity to share this memorable day with his parish family. As a token of his gratitude, Fr. Dimitry presented Bishop Matthew with a bouquet of flowers and a memorable gift. Then 'many years' was proclaimed for Vladyka.

Then Bishop Matthew addressed the participants in the divine service with words of sermon and spiritual edification. Simultaneous translation into English was provided by Protodeacon Vadim Santsevitch.

In turn, Bishop Matthew warmly congratulated Archpriest Dmitry Nedostupenko on the 27th anniversary of his service in the holy orders, celebrated by the Secretary of the diocese on this day, and presented Father Dmitry with a bouquet of flowers. In consideration of his diligent pastoral work and on the 65th anniversary of his birth, Priest Viktor Akhryapin was awarded the Patriarchal Certificate. The Bishop also presented flowers to the wife of Senior Subdeacon Vadim Polischuk, Irina Polischuk, congratulating her on her name day and the anniversary of her birthday that had taken place the day before. 

All parishioners were given wall calendars published by the publishing house of the Dormition Cathedral in London. 

After the service, a festive meal was held, at the end of which selected biographical photos and video materials from the life of the late churchwarden Marianne Grinnan (+ 15.05.2024) were shown. 

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