Bishop Matthew (Andreev)

Bishop Matthew (Andreev) (1971-____)

Gennady may be spelt Gennadiy, Gennadios.

Matthew may be spelt Matfey, Matfei.

Andreev may be spelt Andreyev.

Early life of Gennady Andreev

On 18 May, 1971, Gennady Andreev was born in Tambov, a city in the Tambov Oblast, 460 km (286 mi) southeast of Moscow, Russia. He was baptised in infancy, and he was raised in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church.

From 1978-1988, Gennady studied at Secondary School No. 8 in Tambov.

In 1991, he graduated from the Tambov Diocesan School.

Higher education

In 1991, Gennady passed an internship at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, England.

In 1993, Gennady graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Tambov State Paedagogical Institute. (He specialises in the English and French languages.)

From 1993 to 2009, he worked as a teacher of English and French in the high school of Bokino, (5 km/3 mi south of Tambov) in the Tambov County of the Tambov Oblast.

In 1997, Gennady completed a distance learning course at the University of Manchester in Manchester, England.

From 1991 to 1998, Gennady fulfilled the obedience of being an Altar-server (acolyte) and subdeacon in the Intercession of the Virgin Cathedral of Tambov.

Ordinations, 1998

On 1 March , 1998, Gennady Andreev was ordained as a celibate to the Holy Diaconate by Archbishop Evgeny (Zhdan) of Tambov and Michurin.

On 4 October, 1998, Deacon Gennady Andreev was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop Evgeny (Zhdan) of Tambov and Michurin.

Pastoral service

Priest Gennady Andreev served as the rector of the Church of Saint Nicholas of Myra in the village of Bokino, Tambov County (1998-2005).

He then served as a priest of the Kazan Monastery in Tambov (2005-2008).

He next served as a priest at the Intercession of the Holy Virgin Cathedral of Tambov (2008-2009).

Moscow Theological Academy : All-Church Post-Graduate and Doctoral Studies

From 1998 to 2009, Priest Gennady Andreev was assigned to serve as the head of the Department of Religious Education, Catechesis and Missionary Work of the Tambov diocese.

Between 2000 and 2005, Priest Gennady Andreev studied with the correspondence department of the Moscow Theological Seminary.

From 2005 to 2009, he was assigned to serve as Assistant Pro-Rector, and from 2008 to 2009, as first Pro-Rector of the Tambov Theological Seminary.

On 18 May, 2008, Bishop Theodosius (Vasnev) of Tambov and Michurin elevated Priest Gennady Andreev to the dignity of archpriest.

In 2008, Archpriest Gennady Andreev received the blessing to enter the Moscow Theological Academy, from where he was transferred to the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Institute of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Moscow, in 2011.

Move to Great Britain, 2009

By the decision of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on 27 July, 2009 (Journal No. 74), Archpriest Gennady Andreev was sent abroad, and he was assigned to undertake pastoral service in the Diocese of Sourozh in Great Britain. He served under the omophor of Bishop Elisey (Ganaba).

In 2009-2010, Archpriest Gennady Andreev served as the rector of the Parish of Saint Kentigern of Glasgow, and as dean of the diocesan districts of Scotland and Northern England.

From 2010, he was assigned to serve as the Sacristan of the Stavropegic Parish of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Manchester, England, as dean of the diocesan districts of Northern England and Wales, and as Head of the Missionary Service of the Diocese of Sourozh.

Monastic tonsure, 2015

On 24 October, 2015, in the Donskoy Stavropegic Monastery in Moscow, the abbot, Igumen Paramon (Golubka) tonsured Archpriest Gennady Andreev to be a monk. He was given the name Matthew in honour of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew.

On 27 October, 2015, in the Donskoy Monastery, Metropolitan Varsonofy (Sudakov) of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga, elevated Hieromonk Matthew (Andreev) to the dignity of archimandrite.

On 5 November, 2015 (Journal No. 64), by the decision of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, meeting in the Church of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God at the Patriarch’s Residence at Building No. 5, the patriarch's working residence in "Chisty" (Clean) Lane, Moscow, Archimandrite Gennady (Andreev) was elected to become a bishop.

Patriarchal working residence "Chisty" Lane, Moscow

Episcopal ordination, 2015

On 15 November, 2015, Archimandrite Matthew (Andreev) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate at the Primatial Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Kaliningrad. Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) of Moscow and All Russia presided at the Divine Services. He was assisted by Metropolitan Varsonofy (Sudakov) of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga ; Metropolitan Mark (Golovkov) of Ryazan and Saint Michael ; Bishop Serafim (Melkonyan) of Kaliningrad and the Baltic ; Bishop Ignatiy (Punin) of Vyborg and Priozersk ; Bishop Sergiy (Chashin) of Solnechnogorsk ; Bishop Dionysiy (Porubay) of Kasimov and Sasov.

Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Kaliningrad

Episcopal service

On 15 November, 2015, Bishop Matthew (Andreev) was assigned to serve as the Bishop of Skopin and Shatsk in the Ryazan Oblast.

Transfer to Italy, 2017

On 29 July, 2017, by the decision of the Holy Synod (Journal No. 52), Bishop Matthew (Andreev) was released from the administration of the Skopin diocese. He was assigned to serve as the Administrator of the Parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy as the Titular Bishop of Bogorodsk, and to serve as the rector of the Stavropegic Church of Saint Catherine the Great Martyr in Rome (constructed 2004).

Saint Catherine Temple, Rome

Transfer to London, England, 2017

On 28 December, 2017, by the decision of the Holy Synod (Journal No. 116), Bishop Matthew (Andreev) was released from the administration of the Parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy, and he was assigned to be the Ruling Bishop of the Diocese of Sourozh, with the diocesan centre in London, England. The episcopal seat is at Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral at 67 Ennismore Gardens, London SW7 1NH.

Dormition Russian Cathedral, London

Additional North American responsibilities, 2018

On 14 July, 2018, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) of Moscow and All Russia, taking place in the city of Ekaterinburg, Bishop Matthew (Andreev) of Sourozh was entrusted with the temporary administration of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada (Journal No. 66).

Bishop Matthew was given this interim responsibility after the transfer of Bishop Job (Smakouz) back to Ukraine, following his 14 years of service in Canada. In the summer of 2018, Bishop Job and Bishop Matthew served the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy together at Saint Barbara's Cathedral in Edmonton, Alberta. This service marked the farewell for Vladyka Job, and the welcome to Bishop Matthew, and it offered the opportunity for Bishop Job personally to introduce his successor to the parishioners. This feast-day also marks the anniversary of the sanctification of the Temple in 1902 by Saint Tikhon (Belavin).

Bishop Job and Bishop Matthew at Saint Barbara's Cathedral, Edmonton

On 14 October, 2018 (Journal no. 77), Bishop Matthew was given the additional responsibility of serving as the Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA after Bishop John (Roshchin) was transferred away to Europe.

On the Altar Feast-day of the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in New York City on 19 December, 2018, Bishop Matthew (Andreev) welcomed Metropolitan Tikhon (Mollard) of The Orthodox Church in America. Metropolitan Tikhon presided at the Primatial Divine Liturgy on this occasion.

Bishop Matthew greets Metropolitan Tikhon, New York

On 4 May, 2019, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh chaired the first meeting of the Bishop's Council for 2019 in Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

On 7 May, 2019, May 7, at the headquarters of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America in Englewood, New Jersey, Bishop Matthew met with Metropolitan Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui) and his administration. Accompanying Bishop Matthew were Sergey K Ovsyannikov, General Consul of the Russian Federation in New York ; Vicar General Archpriest Thomas Zain ; Priest Mark Rashkov (of Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York City) ; Aleksey Topolsky, Russian Federation Vice-Consul ; and Nikolai Trubnikov, personal secretary to Bishop Matthew.

On 29 May, 2019, Bishop Matthew attended a session of the regular meeting of the Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) at the chancellory offices of the OCA near Syosset, Long Island, New York. The first visit of Bishop Matthew to the OCA headquarters and to Metropolitan Tikhon had been in November, 2018, soon after he had received his assignment to care for the Russian Patriarchal Parishes in the USA.

Bishop Matthew returned to the USA later in the year, and on 19 December, 2019, following Divine Liturgy in Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh led the last meeting for 2019 of the Bishop's Council of the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA.

On 1 February, 2020, Bishop Matthew was in Moscow, Russia, for the services at Christ the Saviour Cathedral that marked the 11th Anniversary of the Enthronement of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev). Bishop Matthew, one of the vicar-bishops of the patriarch, was one of the concelebrants at the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on this occasion.

Covid-19 virus complications, 2020-2021

With the arrival and rapid spread of the Covid-19 virus in early 2021, there came severe limitations imposed by the government on the quantities of services that were permitted in churches everywhere, and on the numbers of persons who were permitted to attend. There were occasions on which no services were permitted. During the many months of the activity of this virus, both local and international travel were severely limited and sometimes prohibited. This situation disrupted the rhythm of pastoral visitation within all the territories of responsibility of Bishop Matthew. During this period, Vladyka Matthew was serving primarily at the cathedral in London.

On 20 June, 2021, the Feast of the Holy Trinity (the Feast of Pentecost), His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated the Festal Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Cathedral in London.

Serving in London