Born on March 9, 1983 in Balti, Republic of Moldova, in a family of workers. Baptized in infancy.
From the age of 10 he served as an altar boy in the Assumption Church. Moara de Piatra in the Drochievo region of Moldova, then in the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Balti.
In 1990-2000 studied at secondary school No. 4 in Balti. After graduating from school, he moved to, where he worked as a laborer and prepared to enter the seminary, studying at catechetical courses at the Peter and Paul Lavra's courtyard.
From March 2007 to July 2008, he served as sacristan and cell attendant of the Lavra confessor, Abbot Vissarion (Ostapenko, +2015). On July 21, 2008, he was appointed secretary-referent of the governor of the Lavra.
In 2007, he graduated from the seminary, defending his thesis on the topic “The situation of the Orthodox Church in Moldova from 1924 to 1941.”
In 2008 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 2010.
On April 22, 2008, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad was tonsured into the ryassophore, leaving the name Vadim.
On January 22, 2009, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Theognost of Sergiev Posad was ordained a hierodeacon, and on April 10, 2009, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, he was tonsured into the mantle with the name Thomas in honor of St. Thomas, Apostle from the 12th.
On February 27, 2011, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad ordained him a hieromonk.
On October 19, 2012, he was sent to Moscow and appointed acting housekeeper of the monastery. On April 8, 2013, he was accepted into the monastery brethren and confirmed in the position of housekeeper.
On January 22, 2015, he was appointed senior priest of the Church of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God attached to the Donskoy Monastery under the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Economic Security and Anti-Corruption in Moscow.
On December 17, 2015, he was appointed assistant to the governor of the Donskoy Monastery for liturgical and administrative matters.
On May 10, 2017, in the Church of All Saints, in the Russian Land of the Shining Ones, the Patriarchal Residence in Moscow, the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate was promoted to the rank of archimandrite.
By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated February 28, 2019, he was appointed manager of the Northern and Northwestern Vicariates of Moscow. On March 12, he was released from the management of the Northern Vicariate.
By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated July 16, 2019, the manager of the Southern Vicariate with the resignation of the manager of the North-Western Vicariate of Moscow.
By decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of July 23, 2019, acting. First Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate. By order of His Holiness dated July 24, he was appointed to the position of curator of the Program for the Construction of Orthodox Churches in Moscow.
Name day on the day of Antipascha (Sunday of the Apostle Thomas).
Education:2007 - Moscow Theological Seminary.
2010 - Moscow Theological Academy.
Place of work: Commission under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' on the bringing of sacred objects (Chairman) Diocese: Moscow diocese (urban) (Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus') Place of work: Donskoy stauropegial monastery (Vicar) Place of work: Financial and Economic Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate (Acting First Deputy Chairman)Drochievo district of Moldova, then in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the city of Balti.
In 1990-2000 he studied at secondary school No. 4 in Balti. After graduating from school, he moved to the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, where he worked as a laborer and prepared to enter the seminary, studying at catechetical courses at the Peter and Paul Lavra's courtyard.
On August 13, 2002, he was enrolled in the first year of the Moscow Theological Seminary and appointed to serve as subdeacon of the rector of the MDA, Archbishop Eugene of Vereisky.
On February 27, 2007, he was accepted into the brethren of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.
From March 2007 to July 2008, he served as sacristan and cell attendant of the Lavra confessor, Abbot Vissarion (Ostapenko). On July 21, 2008, he was appointed secretary-referent of the Viceroy of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad.
In 2007, he graduated from the seminary, defending his thesis on the topic “The situation of the Orthodox Church in Moldova from 1924 to 1941.”
In 2008 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 2010.
On April 22, 2008, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad was tonsured into the cassock, leaving the name Vadim. On January 22, 2009, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad ordained him a hierodeacon. On April 10, 2009, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Theognostus of Sergiev Posad, among ten monks of the Lavra, was tonsured into a mantle with the name Thomas in honor of the Apostle Thomas. On February 27, 2011, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad ordained him a hieromonk.
On October 19, 2012, he was sent to the Donskoy Stavropegic Monastery and appointed temporary acting housekeeper of the monastery. On April 8, 2013, he was accepted into the brethren of the monastery with confirmation in the position of housekeeper.
On January 22, 2015, he was appointed senior priest of the Church of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God attached to the Donskoy Monastery at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Economic Security and Anti-Corruption in Moscow.
On December 17, 2015, he was appointed assistant to the governor of the Donskoy Monastery for liturgical and administrative matters.
In March 2017, “by the call of the patriarch, the head was appointed. office of the Pskov Metropolis."
Bishopric
On May 10, 2017, in the Church of All Saints who shone forth in the Russian Land (Patriarchal and Synodal residence of the Danilov Stavropegic Monastery), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Barsanuphius (Sudakov) was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
On June 3, 2017, in the throne room of the patriarchal chambers of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' led the ceremony of naming Archimandrite Thomas (Demchuk) Bishop of Gdov, vicar of the Pskov diocese.
On July 2, 2017, in the newly consecrated Church of St. Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, Patriarchal Compound in Kotlovka, Moscow, his episcopal consecration took place, which was performed by: Patriarch Kirill, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga
Drochievo district of Moldova, then in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the city of Balti.
In 1990-2000 he studied at secondary school No. 4 in Balti. After graduating from school, he moved to the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, where he worked as a laborer and prepared to enter the seminary, studying at catechetical courses at the Peter and Paul Lavra's courtyard.
On August 13, 2002, he was enrolled in the first year of the Moscow Theological Seminary and appointed to serve as subdeacon of the rector of the MDA, Archbishop Eugene of Vereisky.
On February 27, 2007, he was accepted into the brethren of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.
From March 2007 to July 2008, he served as sacristan and cell attendant of the Lavra confessor, Abbot Vissarion (Ostapenko). On July 21, 2008, he was appointed secretary-referent of the Viceroy of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad.
In 2007, he graduated from the seminary, defending his thesis on the topic “The situation of the Orthodox Church in Moldova from 1924 to 1941.”
In 2008 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 2010.
On April 22, 2008, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad was tonsured into the cassock, leaving the name Vadim. On January 22, 2009, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad ordained him a hierodeacon. On April 10, 2009, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Bishop Theognostus of Sergiev Posad, among ten monks of the Lavra, was tonsured into a mantle with the name Thomas in honor of the Apostle Thomas. On February 27, 2011, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra, Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad ordained him a hieromonk.
On October 19, 2012, he was sent to the Donskoy Stavropegic Monastery and appointed temporary acting housekeeper of the monastery. On April 8, 2013, he was accepted into the brethren of the monastery with confirmation in the position of housekeeper.
On January 22, 2015, he was appointed senior priest of the Church of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God attached to the Donskoy Monastery at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Economic Security and Anti-Corruption in Moscow.
On December 17, 2015, he was appointed assistant to the governor of the Donskoy Monastery for liturgical and administrative matters.
In March 2017, “by the call of the patriarch, the head was appointed. office of the Pskov Metropolis."
Bishopric
On May 10, 2017, in the Church of All Saints who shone forth in the Russian Land (Patriarchal and Synodal residence of the Danilov Stavropegic Monastery), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Barsanuphius (Sudakov) was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
On June 3, 2017, in the throne room of the patriarchal chambers of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' led the ceremony of naming Archimandrite Thomas (Demchuk) Bishop of Gdov, vicar of the Pskov diocese.
On July 2, 2017, in the newly consecrated Church of St. Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, Patriarchal Compound in Kotlovka, Moscow, his episcopal consecration took place, which was performed by: Patriarch Kirill, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga
On July 2, 2017, on the 4th Sunday after Pentecost, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed the rite of great consecration of the Church of the Venerable Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, the Patriarchal Metochion in Kotlovka, Moscow and the Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated church, followed by the Primate of the Russian The Orthodox Church led the consecration of Archimandrite Thomas (Demchuk) as Bishop of Gdov, vicar of the Pskov diocese.
During the consecration of the temple and during the Liturgy, His Holiness was concelebrated by: Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Barsanuphius, administrator of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, vicar of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism; Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Theophylact of Dmitrov, abbot of the St. Andrew's Stavropegic Monastery, administrator of the South-Western Moscow Vicariate; Bishop of Velikoluksky and Nevelsky Sergius; Bishop Paramon of Bronnitsky, abbot of the Donskoy stauropegial monastery; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for Moscow; Archimandrite Tikhon (Secretaryov), abbot of the Assumption Pskov-Pechersky Monastery; Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' in the Belarusian Exarchate; Abbot Peter (Eremeev), abbot of the Vysoko-Petrovsky stauropegial monastery; Archpriest Nikolai Karasev, dean of the Andreevsky district of Moscow, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Starye Cheryomushki; Hieromonk Claudian (Safonov), rector of the Church of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow in Kotlovka; clergy of Moscow.
Present at the service were: Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation A.Yu. Ivanov; Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District N.P. Ovsienko; Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow Government for housing and communal services and improvement P.P. Biryukov; Head of the Moscow Department of Regional Security and Anti-Corruption V.V. Chernikov; Prefect of the South-Western Administrative District of Moscow O.A. Volkov; head of the Kotlovka district administration V.Yu. Promyslov; Chairman of the Board of the Charitable Public Foundation named after Grand Duchess Evdokia of Moscow L.S. Akelina; Rector of Moscow University of Finance and Law A.G. Zabelin.
Among those praying were: the abbess of the Moscow Conception Stavropegic Monastery, deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Monastery Affairs, Abbess Juliania (Kaleda); abbess of a number of convents; delegation of clergy and laity of the Pskov Metropolis; members of the youth club “Evdokia” at the Church of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow; students of Moscow University of Finance and Law.
Liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Church of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow in Kotlovka (regent I.A. Milkina).
The Patriarchal service was broadcast live on the Soyuz TV channel. The believers, who were not able to accommodate the temple, watched the broadcast on a large screen installed at the western gate of the church.
After the special litany, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church offered a prayer for peace in Ukraine.
During the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill ordained Deacon Andrei Matveev, clergyman of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Karacharovo, to the rank of priest.
The sermon before communion was delivered by priest Sergius Vyazmin, cleric of the Church of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow in Kotlovka.
At the end of the Liturgy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill admonished His Grace Thomas, Bishop of Gdov, vicar of the Pskov diocese, to the service and handed him the bishop’s staff:
“Reverend Bishop Thomas!
By the election and temptation of the most God-loving bishops― members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, by the power, action and influx of the Holy Comforter Spirit, you have now been elevated to the rank of bishop. During the celebration of the Sacrament of ordination, through the prayers of the Church, Divine grace rested on you, always the weak healer and the impoverished replenisher. And now you stand before the Almighty Lord and us, awaiting Patriarchal instruction and the presentation of the bishop’s staff.
Until this day and hour, you have followed the path destined for you from above: you were raised in faith and piety, received theological knowledge, gained experience in pastoral service and administrative work. But all these important stages of your biography were only preparation for the most important task of your entire subsequent life - episcopal labors in the field of Christ.
What does the Church expect from you? What and how should you do in order to justify the high trust placed in you by the Hierarchy?
The synodal decree determined that you be a vicar of the Pskov diocese and work under the leadership of Metropolitan Eusebius.
Remember: to properly fulfill your calling means to constantly respond to God’s call, for by this call you have now been drawn to the altar of the Lord by the laying of the bishop’s hands on you during your consecration. And this call is now addressed to you. Therefore, heed my instructions and try to strictly carry out everything that I now tell you about.
The first and most important thing is reverent service, prayerful standing before God and offering Him the Bloodless Sacrifice of Thanksgiving - the Holy Eucharist. With ardent faith and unshakable hope, always turn to the Almighty, and you will experience how the Lord is generous and merciful(Ps. 102:8), and you will see in your life this Divine generosity and mercy, which gives strength, intelligence, and knowledge for the proper fulfillment of the responsible obedience entrusted to you.
If the Church were only a human organization, if She only united like-minded people, just as various communities unite people, then they would have been talking about it long ago in the past tense.
But the Church will remain all the days until the end of the age(Matthew 28:20), for Her Creator and Head is Christ. According to the word of the Savior, She is invincible and the gates of hell will not prevail against her(Matt. 16:18). Not because we are so strong - we are weak and feeble, perhaps much weaker than those organized in other human communities. But the Holy Spirit acts in us and through us, through the Church of God. He makes up for our weakness, He acts where we lack strength and understanding, He protects the Church when He could most significant forces, many times greater than the power and influence of the Church, are trying to destroy it. The past century clearly confirms that The justice of the Lord endures forever(Ps. 110:3) and His word is truth.
Today, when a lot has changed in life nor our country and society, when the Church received the opportunity to freely carry out its saving mission, who else but us should have tireless concern for the spiritual and moral state of the people, for the education and upbringing of people, especially young people? Who else if not we are called to clearly and convincingly testify to our contemporaries about God and our Savior - Christ Crucified and Risen? Who else but us is responsible for the present and future of our Church?
As a bishop and first assistant to the Pskov archpastor, you must always remember that the field of your activity is not only churches and monasteries, not only parishes and groups of like-minded people, but the whole people. Together with Metropolitan Eusebius, you must make efforts to ensure that the number of those saved by the Church increases, that through participation in the Sacraments, human souls are sanctified and transformed, so that the Gospel ideals are decisive both in the words and in the deeds of people.
And in order for this to be so, you yourself must set an example of zealous service: tirelessly preach the Gospel of Christ, instruct and exhort with patience, show active concern not only for the shepherds and flock, but also for those who are still outside the saving fence of the Church. May love not become scarce in your heart. Responding to the needs and aspirations of people, always find the opportunity to console and support them in trials, give the right advice and guide them on the right path, help with encouraging words and good deeds. You are needed where there is sin and unbelief; you are needed where there is loneliness and poverty; you are needed where there is pain and suffering; you are needed where hope has dried up and love has faded - all these are the most important components of the episcopal work. And if a bishop avoids being in solidarity with suffering people, he loses the power of his calling.
Today you accepted a high hierarchical rank, promising to faithfully serve the Lord. Serve Him until your last breath, bring the living word of the Gospel to people, pray fervently with them, cry with them and rejoice with them, and then the people will never turn away from the Church of God, or from you - the spiritual mentor and caring archpastor.
The path leading to the Kingdom of Heaven is not easy and narrow, but only it is saving, and therefore vital. Encouraging us, Saint Philaret of Moscow says: “And the Lord sends difficulties for our good, although we often do not see what good and how they will bring”(Letter to mother. October 22, 1882). But time passes, and many things become clear.
Believe, firmly believe that the Chief Shepherd Christ, in response to your efforts, will not leave you without help, will assist you in every work you do for the glory of His name, for the benefit of the Church and for the salvation of those entrusted to your care. people And yes the grace of the Holy Spirit will be with you, the same that on the day of Pentecost the Almighty Lord in a vision of a fiery tongue, the disciples and apostles sent down from heaven to the saints(dismissal of the Pentecost service).
Now, having received the bishop’s staff from my hands, raise it above the people of God and give a blessing to everyone, here to those who come and pray. Amen".
According to tradition, the newly ordained hierarch gave the believers the first archpastoral blessing.
On behalf of the clergy and parishioners of the temple, Hieromonk Claudian (Safonov) greeted His Holiness and presented His Holiness with an icon of the holy noble princes Demetrius of Donskoy and Euphrosyne of Moscow.
The Primate of the Russian Church addressed the believers with the Primate’s word:
“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The fourth Sunday after Pentecost is dedicated to the wonderful Gospel story of how the Lord healed the centurion's servant, a Roman officer who, of course, was a pagan (Matthew 8:5-13). In all likelihood, the centurion took pity on his servant and turned to the Savior with a request for healing. The Lord was ready to go to the centurion’s house, but the pagan unexpectedly showed the amazing power of faith in the Lord and Savior, knowing that He was able to heal his servant. The centurion said: “You don’t have to go, just say the word.” After all, I also have people under my command and I say to the warrior “go,” and he goes. I say to my servant, “Do it,” and he does it.” Struck by the faith of the pagan, the Lord says: “And in Israel, that is, among people who believe in the One God, I did not find such faith.” And then he pronounces words that have meaning not only for that era, not only for that people, but for all eras, for all peoples. He says that in the Kingdom of Heaven those who come from the east and from the west will lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and the sons of the Kingdom, that is, those who were chosen by God for true worship of God, will be cast out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Of course, in the literal sense, these words referred to the Pharisees, the lawyers, who had lost their sincere faith in the One God, who buried this faith under many different kinds of prescriptions of a petty, everyday nature. It is in order to expose this deepest delusion that the Lord says that other people will come, from the east and the west, and lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What kind of people are these? These, according to the Savior, are those who will not lose true faith in God, who will never replace it with petty prescriptions, external expressions of their religiosity, who will retain faith in their hearts - ardent, strong faith.
The question arises: in what way should this faith be manifested, which will lead us, people from the East and West, to the eternal Kingdom of Divine glory, where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dwell with the righteous? In today's apostolic reading from Romans (Rom. 6:18-23), the Apostle Paul teaches us that there are two freedoms - freedom from sin and freedom from righteousness. Freedom from sin is the ability of a person, regardless of the influence of the environment, of the stereotypes of thinking and mode of action imposed on him, to maintain the strength to oppose himself to sin. This is truly the greatest freedom, because sin is attractive and if someone gives in to sin, he ceases to be free.
Well, what is freedom from righteousness? And this is the very freedom that is very easy to achieve. A person’s instinctive beginning seems to push him towards this freedom: do what you want, there are no taboos, live the way you want, all restrictions are conditional, don’t listen to anyone, liberate your instincts, live freely. Isn’t this what they teach today in one way or another, seemingly more intelligent, but carrying the same meaning? And we see what is happening in the world: even legislation condones freedom from righteousness, and less and less external circumstances contribute to a person maintaining freedom from sin.
At the end of this part of his narrative, the Apostle Paul, addressing the Romans, says that as a result of sin, as a result of a life free from righteousness, death occurs, and as a result of a life free from sin, eternal life occurs. These are not human words, these are God speaking to the whole world through the Apostle Paul. He does not speak with human power - He speaks to us in His Divine wisdom and each of us is free to take these words seriously or brush them aside, to become free from sin or free from righteousness. And the result will be exactly what God tells us about: freedom from sin is eternal life, and freedom from righteousness is death.
Many people experience the power of these words throughout their lives. Most often, this happens with age, when a lot of life experience accumulates, when a person has gone through a lot, experienced, suffered, and understood from his own experience how great and terrible the Divine word is in its truth, how pointless it is to contradict it in thoughts, words, and even more so in actions. . But people just starting life, especially those for whom everything is going relatively well, who have not yet come into contact with grief, illness, or suffering, often do not understand the meaning of these words, especially being under the influence of the information that is falling today per person. And the task of the Church is to turn to those who are young, and to those who are in adulthood, and to those who are approaching the end of their lives, and to say that Divine words are indisputable and are always fulfilled.
And may the Lord help us to understand that not only by the external manifestations of our religiosity we must trust in the mercy of God, for through them we will not lie down with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, but that the path to the Divine Kingdom opens before every person then, when he lives according to God's truth, when he lives according to the Divine law and resists sin.
In different eras people lived this way. And today, consecrating the temple of the holy blessed venerable princess Euphrosyne, in the world of Evdokia, wife of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who defeated the Mongol-Tatars on the Kulikovo field, we remember the life of this holy woman, who also faced many temptations. She was at the pinnacle of power, but she did not enjoy this power, she lived according to the law of God, she did works of mercy, she shared his life with her husband, being a faithful wife and a good mother. This holy temple is dedicated to the wonderful ruler of our land, a wonderful Russian woman who took monastic vows and became a saint, which became a monument both for her husband, the blessed Prince Dmitry Donskoy, and for herself. Through their prayers may the Lord protect the Russian land. Amen".
As a gift to the newly consecrated church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill donated the icon of the Mother of God “Quench My Sorrows.”
Then the presentation of church awards took place. In recognition of their assistance in the construction of the Church of St. Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow, the Patriarchal Compound in Kotlovka, Moscow, the following were awarded:
- Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow Government for housing and communal services and improvement P.P. Biryukov - Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, II degree;
- E.N. Fuer - Order of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, III degree;
- Chairman of the Board of the Charitable Public Foundation named after Grand Duchess Evdokia of Moscow L.S. Akelina - Order of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, III degree;
- Head of the Moscow Department of Regional Security and Anti-Corruption V.V. Chernikov - Patriarchal charter;
- Rector of Moscow University of Finance and Law A.G. Zabelin - medal of St. Sergius of Radonezh;
- Head of the Electronic Media Department of the Moscow Department of Media and Advertising N.E. Borisov - medal of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow;
- General Director of OJSC Center for the Development of Space Activities S.M. Biryukov - Patriarchal charter.
At the end of the service, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill talked with Vanya Litvinov and his mother Yuli Stanislavovna Litvinova from Dnepr (Ukraine). Vanya is 14 years old, he has cancer and is currently undergoing treatment at the Dmitry Rogachev Federal Scientific Clinical Center in Moscow. Vanya’s long-standing dream was to meet His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
The boy told His Holiness that he would be a sexton in the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in the city of Dnepr and asked him to pray for the children who were being treated in the Rogachev center.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill blessed Vanya and his mother and, as a souvenir of the meeting, gave them an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the book “The Patriarch and Youth: Conversation Without Diplomacy.”
“The most important thing is to keep faith in your heart, pray. You have a wonderful mom!” - said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, noting that he regularly visits medical institutions where every possible effort is made to help sick children, and often the combination of these efforts - medical and spiritual, prayer - makes the disease recede.
The Church of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow in Kotlovka was built in 2002-2012. The place for the temple was not chosen by chance - on the territory of the modern Kotlovka district there was an estate of the Grand Duchess Evdokia of Moscow (in monasticism Euphrosyne) called Kotly. In Kotly, the princess, together with her son Vasily, received Metropolitan Cyprian, who was later canonized, and persuaded him to stay in Moscow.
The upper church was consecrated in honor of the Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow, the lower one in honor of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Moscow and All Rus'.
Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
