Memory of all the reverend fathers who shone in feat. Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the home church of the metropolitan residence in Almaty

March 16, 2024 – Saturday of Cheese Week; Day of remembrance of all the reverend fathers who shone in feat.

In the synaxar (statutory liturgical teaching) of Cheese Saturday it is said that “just as the leaders before the militia army, already standing in the ranks, speak about the exploits of the ancient men and thereby encourage the soldiers, so the holy fathers who enter into fasting point to the holy men who have shone in fasting, and they teach that fasting consists not only in the abstinence of food (refusal of food), but also in curbing the tongue, heart and eyes.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Iveron-Seraphim home church of the metropolitan residence in Almaty.

His Eminence was served by: the head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), the head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, the cleric of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the southern capital, Hierodeacon Afanasy (Kozel) and the cleric of the Ascension Cathedral, Deacon Sergius Slesarchuk.

The men's choir of the Alma-Ata diocese under the direction of Deacon Alexander Pivny sang.

Praying during the service were the Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov with employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration.

At the funeral litany, prayers were offered for the repose of the newly departed His Holiness Patriarch Neophytos of Bulgaria, Bishop Anthony of Moravich, the representative of the Patriarch of Serbia to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne and the abbess of the Astana Monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Recovery of the Lost” Abbess Raphaila (Vasilenko).

At the end of the Liturgy, glorification of the venerable fathers, who shone in feat, took place.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan addressed those gathered with a word of teaching.
“On the last Saturday before Great Lent, the Church calls on Orthodox Christians to honor “the divine fathers who shone forth in their labors, who carried away every place, city and country.” As a parting word before undergoing the feat of fasting, we are invited to remember the lives of all those who “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24), entered the “paradise of sweetness” and are now in the Heavenly Kingdom. This ancient holiday united the memories of many saints from different countries and peoples, ancient and close to us in time, well known or completely unknown. For some saints, this holiday remained the only day of their public church commemoration. With various examples of fasters, prayer books and ascetics, the Church strengthens us for the upcoming spiritual labors, reminding us that both holy ascetics and ascetics were by nature ordinary people, clothed with weak flesh, in need of food and drink, clothing and a roof over their heads. And therefore, each of us can learn the necessary moral lesson from the life of one or another reverend father, find answers to life’s questions, receive spiritual consolation and strengthening in the fight against passions and following the gospel commandments.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.