March 28, 2024 - Thursday of the 2nd week of Great Lent, the day of remembrance of the martyr Agapius.
Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the church in the name of the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia in the village of Otegen Batyr in the suburbs of Almaty, the metochion of the Chimkent and Turkestan diocese.
Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: the vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan, Bishop Chrysanf of Chimkent and Turkestan; dean of the parishes of Almaty, rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, mitered archpriest Valery Zakharov; dean of the capital's parishes Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev), rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, rector of the St. John the Baptist Church of the village of Guldala Archpriest Georgy Kharlov, cleric of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church of the village of Otegen batyr priest Evgeny Bessonov , head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, Priest John Konoplev; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, head of the Metropolitan's protocol service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Sergius Slesarchuk.
For prayerful worship and spiritual strengthening of believers, an ark with a gospel shrine - a thorn from the Savior's Crown of Thorns, kept in the Ascension Cathedral of the southern capital - was brought to the church for the Liturgy.
The men's choir of the Alma-Ata diocese under the direction of Deacon Alexander Pivny sang.
The sermon before communion was delivered by Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev).
The service ended with the veneration of part of the Crown of Thorns of the Lord Jesus Christ, after which Metropolitan Alexander addressed those gathered with words of teaching.f
