The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the Adrian-Natalia Church in the village of Otegen Batyr

September 5, 2024 - the aftermath of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos; the day of celebration in honor of the new martyrs of Akmola.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia in the village of Otegen Batyr in the suburbs of the southern capital, a metochion of the Chimkent and Turkestan diocese.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: Bishop Chrysanthus of Chimkent and Turkestan; Vicar of the Astana diocese Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; Dean of the churches of Almaty, rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral Archpriest Valery Zakharov; Rector of the Almaty Church in Honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Yevgeny Vorobyov, Rector of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the village of Guldala Archpriest Georgy Kharlov, Head of the Metropolitan's Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Cleric of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church in the village of Otegen Batyr Priest Vyacheslav Sidorovsky, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, Key Bearer of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Key Bearer of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church Priest John Konoplev; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky.

The chants were performed by the male choir of the Alma-Ata diocese under the direction of Deacon Alexander Pivnya.

The following prayed at the service: employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration, parishioners of the Adriano-Natalievsky church.

The funeral litany commemorated the outstanding hierarch of the 20th century, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod, who departed to the Lord on September 5, 1978.

The sermon on the communion verse was delivered by Priest Georgy Rublinsky.

The liturgy ended with the glorification of the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which Metropolitan Alexander addressed the worshipers with words of instruction.

At the end of the service, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan presented Priest John Konoplev with a holy prosphora and presented him with a pectoral cross. His Eminence wished Father John strength of soul and body and God's help in his pastoral work.

"Today in the churches the marvelous words were heard: "The Mother of God who never sleeps in prayers, and in intercessions the unwavering hope, the grave and death did not hold back." There are no barriers to the motherly love of the Most Holy Mother of God for the human race. All forces hostile to people, and even death itself, retreat before her almighty intercession. The Mother of God "did not abandon the world in her Dormition" and became a constant Intercessor for us before the throne of the Almighty. No one should be discouraged, having in her person constant care, immeasurable mercy and eternal intercession. She cannot but answer our prayers, her children, she cannot leave us without her motherly care. The Apostle of the Great Steppe, the elder-saint Archbishop Sofonia (Sokolsky), spoke about the celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the following way: “Worthy praise of the God-glorified One consists not in beautiful words, but in pious deeds, not in the enumeration of Her holy virtues, but in the imitation of Her holy life.” Glorifying the Queen of Heaven and earth daily in prayer, let us diligently learn from Her love, wisdom, piety and Christian virtues, let us pray to the Mother of our Savior and our Mother that She may remain with us until the end of time, as She promised the holy apostles, appearing to them in a gracious radiance after Her Dormition. With all our hearts, let us turn to the Most Holy Theotokos with the words that the disciples of Christ exclaimed, contemplating Her heavenly glory that day: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us!” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.