Metropolitan Alexander met with students who entered the Alma-Ata Seminary this year

September 6, 2024. Alma-Ata. In the throne hall of the administrative and spiritual-cultural center named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), a meeting was held between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and students of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, enrolled based on the results of entrance exams for the 1st year of the pastoral and choir departments.

The meeting was attended by: Acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Yevgeny Ivanov; Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; Vice-Rector for Educational Work Priest John Livinsky; Vice-Rector for Academic Work Priest Pyotr Bakhtiyarov; Head of the Biblical and Theological Department, Candidate of Theology Priest Oleg Lisin; Inspector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary Priest Evgeny Bessonov; Head of the Metropolitan's Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov; Head of the Chancellery of the Theological School Priest Alexander Shishlov; Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Vice-Rector for Research, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences A.P. Soloviev; Head of the Regency Department of the APDS L.E. Goricheva; members of the teaching corporation.

Speaking to the participants of the meeting, the Metropolitan congratulated the students on their admission to the theological school, made a short excursion into the history of the seminary and shared his thoughts on the peculiarities of receiving a theological education in multinational and multi-confessional Kazakhstan.

An important topic that the Head of the Metropolitan District outlined in his talk was preparation for pastoral service. Addressing the students, Metropolitan Alexander, in particular, noted: "The years of study at the seminary allow a young person who wants to devote himself to serving the Church of Christ to comprehensively prepare for pastoral work, help the student create a good foundation for further intellectual and spiritual development. This time for each of you should be filled not only with diligent comprehension of various theological and secular sciences, but also with the acquisition of spiritual experience - through prayer, participation in the sacraments, through an internal, deep experience of the Holy Eucharist. Receiving this invaluable experience at a young age, a person gains inner strength and the ability to calmly and convincingly answer the questions of contemporaries, boldly testify to those near and far about the greatness and beauty of Orthodoxy. It is necessary to broaden your horizons daily, study the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, dogmatics, history, literature, foreign languages and musical disciplines. But at the same time, the temple of God is always the “number one audience” for a seminarian. I would like to wish that such a wise arrangement of your life – the harmonious development of spiritual and intellectual principles – will help you become worthy workers in the field of Christ, capable of influencing the world around you, speaking vividly and inspiredly to modern society about God and His Kingdom that has come in power. The level of your preparation in the foreseeable future will largely determine whether people will strive to go to churches, whether they will find answers to vital questions in sermons, whether they will find in the church the love that the Lord commanded us in the Gospel. Obtaining an education is always synergy, collaboration between teachers and students, the common work of management, mentors, and students. Be united in this noble work, do not forget about the measure of responsibility placed on you by the Chief Shepherd Christ."

After finishing his speech, Metropolitan Alexander wished those gathered God's help in all good deeds and undertakings. "May the All-Good God grant you fiery zeal for the worthy education of future servants of the altar of the Lord and active laymen who sincerely love their native faith. Be, according to the word of the supreme apostle, an example for students in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Tim. 4:12)."

In memory of the meeting, the bishop gave each student a Gospel, his book "The most important thing in us is the soul", a collection of sermons by Archbishop Sophonia (Sokolsky) "The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom" and music CDs.