The fortieth day of repose to the Lord of the abbess of the monastery in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost,” Abbess Raphaila (Vasilenko)

March 14, 2024 marked 40 days since the repose of the abbess of the convent of the city of Astana in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Recovery of the Lost,” Abbess Raphaila (Vasilenko).

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan performed a funeral litany for the newly deceased mother abbess at the Iveron-Seraphim home church of the metropolitan residence in Alma-Ata.

Praying during the service were the Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov with employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration.

Abbess Raphaila (Vasilenko) reposed in the Lord on February 4, 2024, at the age of 89. Mother was buried in the monastery necropolis, located in the city cemetery of Astana.

“Abbess Raphael lived a long life, filled with labors for the benefit of her native Orthodoxy, and reposed in the Lord on a special holiday, when the Holy Church glorifies the host of sufferers for the faith of Christ. The Lord vouchsafed her to receive saving spiritual lessons from pastors and monastics who passed through the crucible of trials during the years of hard times and did not betray the truth of the Gospel. Back in 1978, at the hands of the ever-memorable confessor of the faith, Archimandrite Kirill (Borodin), the future abbess took monastic vows. In those difficult times for the life of Orthodoxy, this was a brave, sacrificial act. Clothed in the “angelic image,” Mother Raphaila began to work with even greater zeal in her native Constantine and Helena Cathedral, fulfilling various church obediences with humility and meekness. She took part in the construction of the monastery church in honor of the Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky and the construction of the sister's building, organized repair and restoration work in the Constantine and Helena Cathedral, and prepared the necessary documents for registration of the monastic community. The deceased abbess, with gratitude to God and heartfelt joy, gave her strength, health and talents to the improvement of monastic life in the Tselinograd region.
In the monastery, Abbess Raphaila managed to create an atmosphere of Christian love and spiritual peace. The late worker did a lot to preserve monastic traditions in Kazakhstan, enhance the spiritual heritage and moral education of the younger generation. No matter what obedience the Lord called mother to, she invariably performed everything without laziness, with her characteristic zeal, heartfelt simplicity and sincerity. We often communicated with mother, discussing issues of monastic life. During conversations, she willingly shared with me her memories of Archimandrite Kirill (Borodin) and other devotees of faith and piety, and talked about the sorrowful life of the clergy and believers in the era of militant atheism.” From the words of Metropolitan Alexander in memory of Abbess Raphaila.