The oldest resident of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in the Southern capital, Schema-Nun Irina (Lyubitskaya), was awarded a high Patriarchal award on the 100th anniversary of her birth

April 22, 2025. Alma-Ata. At the end of the festive service in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent, which is celebrating its patronal feast day, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan presented the oldest resident of the convent, World War II veteran Schema-Nun Irina (Lyubitskaya) with a high Patriarchal award.

By the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', Mother Irina, in recognition of her merits and labors for the good of the Orthodox Church, in connection with the 100th anniversary of her birth and the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, was awarded the highest female award of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Order of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga of the 1st degree.

The solemn ceremony was headed by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The event was attended by: vicars of the Astana diocese - Administrator of the Affairs of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; dean of the churches of the southern capital, rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral Archpriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov; Archpriest Alexander Gaichenya, key-keeper of the Nativity of Christ Cathedral; Archpriest Valery Shavrin, rector of the Epiphany Church; Archpriest John Lopatin, rector of the Paraskevino Church; Archpriest Kirill Shklyar, key-keeper of the Peter and Paul Church; ordained heads of departments and commissions of the Metropolitan District, deans of church districts of the Almaty Diocese, rectors and clergy of churches in the Southern capital; Abbess of the Iversko-Seraphimovsky Convent, Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the nuns of the convent.

Presenting the Patriarchal award, the Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, in particular, noted: "I cordially congratulate you, dear Mother Irina, on a special date in your life - the 100th anniversary of your birth, which you recently celebrated, and on the upcoming significant anniversary for all of us - the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Celebrating this glorious anniversary, we gratefully remember all who brought Victory Day closer with their military feat on the battlefield and tireless labor in the rear. In those distant war years, which have already become history, you gave all your strength, caring for the wounded and the infirm. The Church of Christ has always treated with deep respect the feat of soldiers who defended the Fatherland on the battlefield, highly valued the work of workers and farmers who labored day and night in the rear, and gratefully testified to the service of doctors and nurses. In the Holy Gospel we hear the words of the Savior: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." The years go by, but the glory of the feats of those who defended our country and the whole world from the fascist plague does not fade. We, living in the 21st century, must sacredly remember the names of the sons and daughters of our people who forged the Victory in the Great Patriotic War on the fronts and in the rear, who held on with all their strength, but survived the difficult struggle with the terrible enemy. A deep bow to you, Mother Irina, and in your person to all the heroes and participants of the war, home front workers, for your sacrificial, unparalleled feat."

The Metropolitan wished Schema-Nun Irina spiritual and physical health and God's help in monastic work and carrying out church obediences, and presented a bouquet of flowers.

Mother expressed gratitude to the Head of the Metropolitan District for the high award and asked to convey words of gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. Schema-nun Irina noted that together with the sisters of the monastery she daily prays for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Schema-nun Irina was born in the Orenburg region, in the village of Besedeno on April 18, 1925.

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, she worked for the coming Victory in the rear. From 1942 to 1945, she worked in evacuation hospitals opened in Tajikistan to accommodate soldiers wounded in battle, and in the evenings she studied at a medical technical school in the paramedic department. For her selfless work for the good of the Motherland during the hard times of war, she was awarded the title of "Rear Front Worker". In 1947-1981, she worked as a paramedic in an ambulance in the city of Alma-Ata.

In 1948, soon after the appointment of the confessor of the faith, Bishop Nikolai (Mogilevsky), to the archpastoral cathedra in Alma-Ata, she began to work as a singer in the left choir of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Alma-Ata. On August 23, 1952, with the blessing of Metropolitan Nikolai, Archimandrite Isaac (Vinogradov), an outstanding church figure of the mid-20th century, tonsured her into monasticism. Until 1981, nun Irina carried out various obediences in the Alma-Ata diocesan administration, combining this with work in the hospital; for many years (more than 60 years) she worked as a singer in the choir.

With the revival of the Iversky-Seraphimovsky Monastery in the southern capital of Kazakhstan, she became its inhabitant in 2009. On April 12, 2011, she took the great schema.