On the 4th week of Lent, the Head of the Metropolitan District celebrated the Liturgy in the main church of the southern capital

April 14, 2024 - the 4th week of Great Lent, the day of remembrance of St. John Climacus, abbot of Mount Sinai.

The synaxarium (statutory teaching) for this Sunday says: “The entire course of St. John’s life was unceasing prayer and immeasurable love for God. Having labored so godly, John wrote a book called the Ladder, in which he set forth the doctrine of salvation, and, filled with grace, he died worthily in the Lord, leaving behind many other works.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

Before the start of the service, the Head of the Metropolitan District visited the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iversko-Seraphim Convent, where he performed a funeral litany for the newly deceased servant of God Nadezhda Trofimovna Eberle. Nadezhda Trofimovna carried out various obediences in the monastery for many years. The church worker died tragically on April 11.

The head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District was concelebrated by: confessor of the Alma-Ata diocese, Archimandrite John (Sazonov), acting rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, head of the information department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports, Hegumen Philip (Moiseev), Hieromonk Roman (Chistyakov), head of the Metropolitan Secretariat, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, cleric of the Nativity Church of the Southern Capital, Priest Maxim Idrisov, cleric Adriano-Natalievsky Church in the village of Otegen, batyr priest John Konoplev; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin, Deacon Alexander Piven, Deacon Sergiy Slesarchuk.

The chants were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District (regent - Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, choirmaster - V. Dudareva) and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral (regent - N. Zubrevich).

The sermon on the sacramental verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeniy Ivanov.

Numerous communicants began to partake of the holy Mysteries of Christ.

The liturgy ended with the glorification of the abbot of Mount Sinai, after which the hierarch congratulated the clergy and believers on Sunday and the memory of St. John Climacus.

For the upcoming holiday of Holy Easter, Metropolitan Alexander awarded the clergy of the Alma-Ata diocese with liturgical and hierarchical awards:

• cleric of the Nativity Church of the Southern Capital, Priest Maxim Idrisov - the right to wear a kamilavka;

• cleric of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church in the village of Otegen Batyr Priest Ioann Konoplev - the right to wear a legguard and kamilavka.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan warmly congratulated his subdeacon Nazariy Bityukov on his birthday and presented him with a holy prosphora, wishing him God’s mercy, mental and physical health and diligent service to the Church of Christ.

“The Church of Christ dedicates the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent to the memory of St. John Climacus. The Monk John, abbot of Mount Sinai, showed us a high example of fasting life and left us a work amazing in its impact on the soul - a book called “The Ladder” or “Spiritual Tablets”, which contains the teaching of man’s ascent to the Lord - spiritual guidance on the journey from earth to Heaven, from temporary to eternal, from the depths of sin to the heights of God’s love and union with Him. “The Ladder” consists of thirty words, which are like steps. The monk considers the first step to be renunciation of earthly attachments. Then follow: obedience, repentance, memory of death, crying over sins, meekness. Next, the reader is revealed the causes of sin - passion - and given effective instructions for combating them. This work also depicts the path of virtues, the mother of which is “sacred and blessed” prayer. And “The Ladder” ends with a description of the three main Christian virtues - faith, hope and love. The Holy Church calls us on this day to learn to accomplish the main task of our life - the salvation of our soul - ascending step by step along the ladder of virtues and overcoming passions and vices.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.