DIOCESAN HIERARCH
BISHOP MATTHEW OF SOUROZH
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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.