« The annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Cedd in Lastingham took place »
08-11-2026 
On Saturday, November 7, 2026, clergy and laity of the Diocese of Sourozh made the seventh traditional pilgrimage to Lastingham (North Yorkshire) to the resting place of Saint Cedd, Bishop of Lastingham.
The pilgrimage was led by Priest Anatoly Vikhrov, head of the diocesan Pilgrimage Department.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the ancient Church of the Holy Mother of God in Lastingham, beneath the altar of which lies a unique ancient crypt dating back to the 7th century. According to church tradition, it is here that the holy relics of Saint Cedd, who reposed in the Lord during the plague of 664, rest.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Priest Anatoly Vikhrov. He was assisted by Archpriest Joseph Skinner, Dean of the Diocesan District of South West England, and Archpriest Gregory Butler, Rector of the Church of Sts. Aidan and Chad in Nottingham.
Pilgrims from various parishes of the North English Deanery—York, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Kingston upon Hull, as well as believers from London and Nottingham—came to share in the joy of communal prayer.
The combined choir of the deanery's parishes, under the direction of Mother Sarah Skinner, performed the liturgical hymns.
The presentation of 20th-century Orthodox relics provided a special spiritual consolation for the worshippers that day. The epitrachelion of St. John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (kindly provided by the Trinity Parish of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bradford), as well as a venerated icon of St. John containing a particle of his holy relics, permanently housed in the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Manchester, were brought to the crypt for prayerful veneration. This icon had previously been donated to the parish by His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, who had brought it from San Francisco.
Following the dismissal of the Liturgy, Priest Anatoly Vikhrov addressed the concelebrating clergy and pilgrims with a word of pastoral edification. Father Anatoly warmly thanked the clergy, altar servers, choir members, and all those present for their assistance in organizing and conducting the pilgrimage.
On behalf of the clergy and laity of the diocese, Father Anatoly also expressed deep gratitude to the rector and congregation of the Anglican parish of St. Mary the Virgin in Lastingham for the opportunity to celebrate Orthodox worship, their comprehensive support, and their warm welcome.
At the end of the memorable day, the clergy and parishioners continued their fellowship over a fraternal meal.