On Friday of the Week of the Veneration of the Cross during Great Lent, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at Dormition Cathedral in London. »
20-03-2026 
On March 20, 2026, Friday of the 4th Week of Great Lent, the Week of the Veneration of the Cross, the feast day of the holy martyrs of Chersonesos: Basil, Ephraim, Kapiton, Eugenius, Etherius, Elpidius, and Agathodorus (IV), His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at Dormition Cathedral in London.
His Grace was assisted by Secretary of the Diocese of Sourozh Archpriest Dimitry Nedostupenko and Protodeacon Vadim Santsevitch.
The liturgical hymns were performed by the Dormition Cathedral Choir under the direction of Dmitry Tugarinov.
Following the dismissal of the Liturgy, a lithia was celebrated, during which Bishop Matthew offered a prayer for the repose of the souls of the newly departed His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia (+17 March 2026) and the ever-memorable Archbishop Evgeny (Zhdan) of Tambov and Michurinsk (+13 March 2002). Bishop Matthew's spiritual father, Archbishop Evgeny (Zhdan), whose name is remembered on the feast day of the holy martyrs in Kherson, ordained Bishop Matthew to the diaconate and priesthood in 1998.
After the lithia, the Archpastor performed the rite of veneration of the Cross and brought the Holy Cross into the cathedral altar.
At the conclusion of the service, Bishop Matthew addressed the clergy and parishioners with words of sermon and spiritual edification. Simultaneous translation into English was provided by Archdeacon Vadim Santsevitch.