On Monday of Holy Week, April 14, 2025, in the Small Cathedral of the Donskoy Stavropol Monastery in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated a prayer service for the beginning of the rite of the World.
His Holiness was co-served by: Metropolitan Theognost of Kashira, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, Vicar of the Donskoy Monastery; Archbishop Thomas of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Alexy of Ramenskoye, personal Secretary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Protopresbyter Vladimir Divakov, Secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for Moscow; Archpriest Alexander Farkovets, Dean of the Donskoy Church district of the Moscow (city) diocese.
The service was also attended by residents of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra and the Donskoy Monastery in holy orders, as well as Moscow clergy.
The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Donskoy Monastery (regent — P.V. Muntyan).
After the minor water consecration, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church sprinkled consecrated water on the stove, cauldron, vessels with spices, wine and oil. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill blessed the ingredients for the preparation of holy myrrh, holy water, wine, oil and spices were poured into the cauldron. After that, taking the trikiri, His Holiness ignited special firewood in a brazier.
Then the Primate read the beginning of the 1st Gospel according to Matthew. While reading the Gospel, two deacons ascended to a platform by a cauldron with special paddles for mixing the ingredients of the world and began the healing of the world.
The rite of World illumination, during which the Fourth Gospel will be continuously read, will end on Holy Thursday with the consecration of peace in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
This year, about 300 liters of myrrh are being prepared for the performance of the sacrament of Chrismation, the consecration of temples and antimins, which consists of various vegetable oils, fragrant herbs and aromatic resins (more than 100 components in total).