In Alma-Ata, the day of remembrance of Blessed Matrona of Moscow was prayerfully honored

May 2, 2025 is the day of remembrance of Blessed Matrona of Moscow.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the Easter rite in the Matroninsky Church of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in the city of Alma-Ata, which is celebrating its patronal feast.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: Dean of the parishes of Astana Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev), Head of the Personal Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Hieromonk Cherubim (Levin), Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary Priest Petr Bakhtiyarov, Head of the Chancellery of the Theological School Priest Alexander Shishlov, Deacon John Churkin, Deacon Bogdan Boyko, Deacon Ilya Vorobyov. Praying at the service were: Abbess of the Iversko-Seraphimovsky Convent Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the sisters of the monastery; Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation N.V. Parshikova; Head of the Educational Projects Department of Rossotrudnichestvo T.V. Zubkova; employees of the Alma-Ata Diocesan Administration; students of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary.

For the prayerful worship of the faithful, a reliquary with a particle of the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow was brought to the church.

The choir of the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iversko-Seraphimovsky Monastery sang under the direction of O. Usoltseva.

During the service, the Head of the Metropolitan District offered up special prayers for the repose of the newly departed Archbishop Anthony (Moskalenko).

The sermon on the verse after communion was delivered by Hieromonk Cherubim (Levin).

The Liturgy ended with the glorification of the Bright Resurrection of Christ and the Blessed Elder Matrona, after which the Metropolitan pronounced the exclamation "Christ is risen!" in various languages, ancient and modern.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated the clergy and parishioners on the patronal feast and addressed the worshipers with a word of edification.

At the end of the service, the archpastor sprinkled the believers with holy water.