Week of the Holy Forefathers. Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the Church of the Representative Office of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District in Moscow

December 29, 2024 – Week of the Holy Forefathers.

On this day, the face of the Holy Forefathers is prayerfully glorified – patriarchs, prophets, kings and priests who lived in Old Testament times, who were saved by faith in the coming Messiah-Christ. The remembrance of the Holy Forefathers precedes the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, when the coming of the Son of God into the world, expected by the Old Testament humanity, took place.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia at the Patriarchal Metochion of the City of Moscow – Representative Office of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

His Eminence was assisted by: Acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, Head of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; Key keeper of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia, Hieromonk Anthony (Drobiazko), Vice-Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Candidate of Theology, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Hegumen Agafangel (Gagua);
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseyev), Hieromonk Daniil (Makagon), Deacon Anatoly Ledenev and Deacon Roman Frolov.

The church choir and pupils of the parish Sunday school sang under the direction of Anna Rozhnova.

Praying at the service were: Chairman of the Orthodox Society "Skinia", church and public figure A.V. Bugaevsky, co-chairman of the International Charitable Christian Public Foundation "Triumph of the Heart" F.N. Morulev, surgeon, associate professor of the Department of Faculty Surgery No. 1 of the Institute of Clinical Medicine named after N.V. Sklifosovsky (First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov) M.B. Saliba, employees of the Representative Office and parishioners of the church.

At the funeral litany, the confessor of the faith, Metropolitan Joseph of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan (Chernov, †1975), whose name day is celebrated on the week of the Holy Forefathers, was remembered.

The sermon on the communion verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov.
At the end of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the clergy and believers on Sunday and the celebration in honor of the Holy Forefathers.

After the service, a meeting was held in the Representative Office building between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and surgeon, associate professor of the Department of Faculty Surgery No. 1 of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute of Clinical Medicine (I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University) M.B. Saliba.

“Today’s Sunday encourages us to imitate the faith and virtues of the Old Testament saints. Each of us can find good examples, saving lessons and correct answers to a wide variety of everyday and ideological questions on the pages of the Holy Scriptures, therefore one of the integral parts of our spiritual life should be regular reading and tireless study of the word of God, based on the works of the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church. Let us try, having delved into the lives and deeds of the holy Forefathers, to fruitfully spend the remaining time of Lent, so that we can worthily prepare ourselves for the approaching great feast of the Nativity of Christ." From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.