The former rector of the Ascension Cathedral of Alma-Ata, Archpriest Vasily Zaliznyak, reposed in the Lord

May 1, 2024. As a result of illness, in the 67th year of his life, mitred Archpriest Vasily Zaliznyak, cleric of the Dzhankoy diocese, dean of the Razdolnensky church district, reposed in the Lord.

From 2003 to 2009, Archpriest Vasily served as the rector of the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

The deceased shepherd was born in 1957 in Ukraine in the Ternopil region. From a young age, he was raised by pious parents and relatives in the Orthodox faith and love for the Church of Christ. He graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy, received holy orders from the hands of Bishop Methodius of Irkutsk and Chita (now Metropolitan of Perm and Kungur). For twenty years he labored in the Voronezh diocese.

Father Vasily came to the city of Alma-Ata in 2003 together with Metropolitan Methodius, who was appointed to the Astana and Alma-Ata Sees. Here he proved himself to be an active and proactive leader who managed to gather around him people who were ready to work for the good of the Church of Christ. With the blessing of the hierarchy, Archpriest Vasily became rector of the Ascension Cathedral. Thanks to his activities, the cathedral was decorated with a new carved iconostasis and replenished with utensils and icons.

Father Vasily stood at the origins of the construction of the architectural complex of the Iversko-Seraphim convent. He laid the first stones in the foundation of the Matroninsky Church and St. Sophia Cathedral of the monastery.

In the historical place of the archpastoral labors and exploits of the ever-memorable Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), Archpriest Vasily reconstructed and expanded the residence of the administrator of the Alma-Ata diocese, building a house church in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God and the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov.

Archpriest Vasily had remarkable organizational qualities and was a principled and demanding leader. Fellow clergy and parishioners remembered him as a man who completely devoted himself to serving God and people. He made a significant contribution to the work of temple construction and the organization of parish life on Kazakhstani soil.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, the sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, the clergy and parishioners express sincere condolences to the family, relatives and friends of the deceased shepherd.
Eternal and grateful memory to Archpriest Vasily!