On the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated an all-night vigil in the main church of the southern capital

On February 14, 2024, in the evening, on the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated an all-night vigil in the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was co-served by: the confessor of the Alma-Ata diocese, Archimandrite John (Sazonov) and the cathedral clergy.

The chants were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District (regent - Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, choirmaster - V. Dudareva) and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral (regent - N. Zubrevich).

At Great Vespers, according to the Church Charter, a lithia (intensified prayer) was performed with the consecration of bread, wine, wheat and oil.

At Candlemas Matins, after reading the Gospel conception (Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 25 to 32), which tells about the bringing of the Divine Infant Christ by the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem and His meeting with the righteous Simeon, Metropolitan Alexander addressed the believers with a sermon on the spiritual essence Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

During the execution of the canon “I dry up the deep earth,” the believers, venerating the icon of the holiday, were anointed with consecrated oil.

A special feature of this festive all-night vigil is the choir’s performance at the 9th ode of the canon of special refrains: “O Virgin Mary, the hope of the Christian, cover, protect and save those who trust in You,” composed by the outstanding Byzantine hymnographer - Venerable Cosmas of Mayum in the 8th century.

On the feast of the Presentation itself, Metropolitan Alexander will lead the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty. The service begins at 8:30.