On the last day of the feast of the Entry of the Virgin Mary into the Temple, the Head of the Metropolitan District performed the Liturgy in the main church of Astana

December 8, 2024 – the 24th week after Pentecost; the last day of the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Clement of Rome.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan led the Divine Liturgy in the main church of the Republic of Kazakhstan – the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Astana.

The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District was assisted by: Archbishop Amfilohiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Vicar of the Astana Diocese Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan; Dean of the capital's parishes Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev), key keeper of the Assumption Cathedral Archpriest Dimitry Baidek, cleric of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Astana Hieromonk Silouan (Sinegubov), head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Priest Sergiy Lubnevsky, head of the Orthodox youth movement of the Astana deanery Priest Grigory Kulikov, key keeper of the Kazan Cathedral in Alma-Ata Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Priest Sergiy Dianov; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Secretary of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Diocese Deacon Ilya Kvan, Deacon Ilya Davydov, Deacon Mikhail Chumakov, Deacon John Churkin, Deacon Rustik Yakubov, Deacon Yaroslav Vokhmentsev.

A reliquary with a particle of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria was brought to the main church of the capital for the service.

The following prayed at the Liturgy: the abbess of the monastery in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Seeking the Lost" of the city of Astana, Abbess Sevastiana (Plotnikova) with the nuns of the monastery; employees of the diocesan administration, pilgrims and parishioners of the church.

The choir of the Assumption Cathedral of Astana sang under the direction of Olga Varentsova.

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

The liturgy ended with the glorification of the feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated the hierarchs, clergy and parishioners on Sunday, the end of the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple and the joy of the presence in Astana of the ark with the relics of the saint revered by the Orthodox world - the Great Martyr Catherine, after which he addressed those present with a sermon.

At the end of the service, the Metropolitan presented awards to those who worked for the good of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan:

• in recognition of the work for the good of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and in connection with the 40th anniversary of his birth, the Order of the Holy Martyr Pimen of Verny and Semirechensk was awarded to Deacon Ilya Davydov;
• in recognition of his work for the benefit of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and in connection with the 10th anniversary of his deacon's ordination, priest Sergiy Dianov was awarded the Order of "Enbek Ushin" (For Work).