On Sunday, marked in memory of the unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the main church of Alma-Ata

July 14, 2024 is the 3rd week after Pentecost, the day of remembrance of the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Rome, righteous Angelina, Despotissa of Serbia and the venerable fathers of the Pskov-Pechersk.

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

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archbishop of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk Amfilohiy, vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop of Talgar Benjamin; dean of Almaty churches, rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the Alma-Ata Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, confessor of the Alma-Ata diocese Archimandrite John (Sazonov), clergyman of the Ascension Cathedral, head of the Metropolitan District public relations department Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox 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), Archpriest Alexander Ievlev, head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the administrative secretariat of the Chapter Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, sacristan of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church, Priest John Konoplev; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Andrey Pleten, Secretary of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Diocese Deacon Ilya Kvan, Deacon Alexander Piven.

At the beginning of the service, for prayerful worship and spiritual strengthening of believers, an ark with a particle of the relics of the unmercenary and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian of Rome, stored
house Iveron-Seraphim Church of the Metropolitan residence in Alma-Ata.

Those who prayed during the Liturgy were employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration, Sunday school students and parishioners of the cathedral.

Liturgical chants were performed by the choir of the main temple of the southern capital under the direction of N. Zubrevich.

The sermon on the sacramental verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeniy Ivanov.
The liturgy ended with glorification in front of the ark with the relics of the holy mercenary doctors and martyrs, after which the Metropolitan congratulated the hierarchs, clergy and laity on Sunday - Little Easter and pronounced a word of teaching.

At the end of the service, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan presented Archbishop Amphilohiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk with the Order of “Algys” (Gratitude).