HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia (secular name Vladimir M. Gundyaev) was born on November 20, 1946, in Leningrad. His father, Rev. Mikhail V. Gundyaev, died in 1974. His mother, Raisa V. Gundyaeva, a teacher of German, died in 1984. His elder brother, Archpriest Nikolay Gundyaev, is a professor at St. Petersburg Theological Academy and rector of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg. His grandfather, Rev. Vasily S. Gundyaev, a Solovki prisoner, was imprisoned and exiled in the 20s, 30s and 40s for his church activity and struggle against Renovationism.
After finishing the secondary school eighth grade, Vladimir Gundyaev got a job in the Leningrad Geological Expedition and worked for it from 1962 to 1965 as cartographer, combining work with studies at secondary school.
After graduation from school, he entered the Leningrad Seminary and later the Leningrad Theological Academy, from which he graduated cum laude in 1970.
On April 3, 1969, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod tonsured him with the name of Kirill and on April 7 ordained him as hierodeacon and on June 1 as hieromonk.
From 1970 to 1971 Father Kirill taught Dogmatic Theology and acted as rector’s assistant for students’ affairs at the Leningrad Theological Schools and at the same time worked as personal secretary to Metropolitan Nikodim and supervising instructor of the first-grade seminarians.
He was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite on September 12, 1971.
From 1971 to 1974, he was Moscow Patriarchate representative at the World Council of Churches in Geneva.
From December 26, 1974, to December 26, 1984, he was rector of the Leningrad Seminary and Theological Academy.
On March 14, 1976, Archimandrite Kirill was consecrated Bishop of Vyborg, Vicar of the Leningrad Diocese.
On September 2, 1977, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop.
From December 26, 1984, he was appointed as Archbishop of Smolensk and Vyazma.
From 1986 – Administrator of the Parishes in the Kaliningrad Region.
From 1988 he became the Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.
On November 13, 1989, he was appointed the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations and a Permanent Member of the Holy Synod.
On February 25, 1991, Archbishop Kirill was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
On January 27, 2009, the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church elected him Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was enthroned on February 1, 2009.
BISHOP MATTHEW OF SOUROZH, AN INTERIM ADMINISTRATOR OF THE PATRIARCHAL PARISHES IN CANADA
In secul. Gennady Andreev, born 18.05.1971
Namesday 29th November. Consecrated 15.11.2015
BIOGRAPHY
He was born on May 18, 1971 in Tambov. Baptized in infancy. From 1978-1988 he studied at the secondary school No. 8 in Tambov.
In 1991 he graduated from the Tambov Diocesan School.
In 1993 he graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Tambov State Pedagogical Institute (specializing in English and French). From 1993 to 2009 he worked as a teacher of English and French in the high school of Bokino, Tambov district, Tambov region.
In 1991 he passed an internship at the University of Northumbria (Newcastle, Great Britain). In 1997, he completed a distance learning course at the University of Manchester.
From 1991 to 1998 he carried out the obedience of an altar server and subdeacon in the Intercession of the Virgin Cathedral of Tambov.
On March 1, 1998, he was ordained deacon by His Eminence Evgeny (Zhdan), Archbishop of Tambov and Michurinsky and on October 4, 1998, to the rank of Priest. He served as Rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in the village of Bokino, Tambov district (1998-2005), as a clergyman of the Kazan monastery in Tambov (2005-2008), and as a clergyman of the Intercession of the Virgin Cathedral of Tambov (2008-2009).
From 2000 to 2005 he studied at the correspondence department of the Moscow Theological Seminary.
From 1998 to 2009 – Head of the department of religious education, catechesis and missionary work of the Tambov diocese. From 2005 to 2009, he was the Assistant Pro-Rector, and from 2008 to 2009 – the first Pro-Rector of the Tambov Theological Seminary.
On May 18, 2008, Bishop Theodosius of Tambov and Michurin elevated him to the rank of archpriest.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 27, 2009 (Journal No. 74) he was sent to carry out pastoral service in the Diocese of Sourozh.
2009-2010 – Rector of the Parish of St. Kentigern of Glasgow, Dean of the diocesan districts of Scotland and Northern England. From 2010 – Sacristan of the Stavropegic Parish of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Manchester, Dean of the diocesan districts of Northern England and Wales, Head of the Missionary Service of the Diocese of Sourozh.
In 2008, he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from where he transferred to the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctorate Institute of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 2011.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of October 22, 2015 (Journal No. 64) he was elected Bishop of Skopin and Shatsk.
On October 24, 2015 in the Donskoy Stavropegic Monastery in Moscow Abbot Paramon (Golubka) tonsured him as a monk with the name of Matthew in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew.
On October 27, 2015 in the Donskoy monastery His Eminence Varsonofy, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, elevated him to the rank of archimandrite.
He was nominated as bishop on November 5, 2015 in the Church of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God at the Patriarch’s Residence in Chisty Lane, Moscow. He was consecrated on November 15 at the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Kaliningrad. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia headed the Divine Services.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 29, 2017 (Journal No. 52), he was appointed the Administrator of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy with the title “Bogorodsky” and Rector of the Stavropegic Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr in Rome and relaesed from the administration of the Skopin diocese.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 28, 2017 (Journal No. 116), he was released from the administration of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy and appointed as Ruling Bishop of the Diocese of Sourozh.
On July 14, 2018, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, taking place in the city of Ekaterinburg, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh was entrusted with the temporary administration of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada.