Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Southern capital with the participation of the monastics of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District

August 3, 2024 – celebration in honor of the uncovering of the relics of the holy blessed princess Anna of Kashin, the day of remembrance of the prophet of God Ezekiel.иля.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in the city of Almaty with the participation of the monastics of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: the rector of the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Uralsk, Archimandrite Feodosiy (Kuryanov), the dean of the Astana church district, Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev), the secretary of the Kostanay diocese, Hieromonk Gennady (Burduzha), the head of the public relations department of the Karaganda diocese, Hieromonk Moses (Patrikeev), Hierodeacon Afanasy (Kozel), Deacon John Churkin, Hierodeacon Sophonia (Mazurenko).

Praying in the altar were: Bishop Chrysanthus of Chimkent and Turkestan, Vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; Dean of the South Kazakhstan church district, Archimandrite Anthony (Solovyov).

The participants in the service were: Abbess of the Iversko-Seraphimovsky Convent, Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the sisters of the convent; Abbess of the Znamensko-Abalatsky Peter and Paul Convent in the city of Semipalatinsk, Abbess Marionilla (Pomelnikova), and Abbess of the Pokrovsky Convent in the city of Uralsk, Abbess Varvara (Morozova) (Ural Diocese); Abbess of the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery in Karaganda, Abbess Olympiada (Salopeko) (Karaganda Diocese), Abbess of the Monastery of the Icon of the Mother of God "Seeking the Lost" in Astana, Nun Sevastiana (Plotnikova), Abbess of the Peter and Paul Monastery in Pavlodar, Nun Seraphima (Bolibok) (Pavlodar Diocese), monastics of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District who arrived to participate in the educational conference; employees of the Almaty Diocesan Administration, parishioners of the church.

The chants of the Liturgy were performed by the choir of St. Sophia Cathedral under the direction of O. Usoltseva.

The sermon on the communion verse was delivered by Hieromonk Gennady (Burduzha).

At the end of the service, the Head of the Metropolitan District addressed the congregation with a word of instruction.

The hierarch sprinkled the believers with holy water.

“We know that eternal life is achieved through love for God and love for one’s neighbor, but the Lord Himself revealed to us another great truth: divine food leads a person to the Kingdom of Heaven – the holy life-giving Mysteries of Christ – the most pure Body and Blood of our Savior. Participation in the sacrament of Communion is a source of virtue and an effective means of deliverance from sin. The Lord Jesus Christ warns us: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). It is impossible, looking from the outside, to feel those gifts of grace, to perceive that consolation and help from the Lord, which are given to a believer by proper observance of the fast, frequent visits to the temple of God, and participation in the sacraments. Personal spiritual experience cannot be replaced by any effort of the mind, tension of the will or attention of the senses, for “what no eye has not seen, what no ear heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 39:9) – with the words of the Psalmist David, the Church of Christ calls us to partake of the real, genuine spiritual life.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.