A press conference was held by the Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District dedicated to the holiday of Holy Easter (+VIDEO)

May 3, 2024. Alma-Ata. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan from his office in the spiritual, cultural and administrative center of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) held an online press conference dedicated to the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.

The Easter event, organized by the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, was held on the official page of the press center on the Facebook social network.

Participants in the virtual meeting included journalists from state and private media, representatives of news agencies and information and analytical portals, bloggers.

The speaker of the event was the director of the Interfax press center Zh.D. Zeyneshev.

The head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District told media representatives about the event of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the services of Holy Easter: “The main Christian holiday is approaching - the Holy Resurrection of Christ. On the night of May 4-5, Kazakhstan, together with the entire Orthodox world, will celebrate Holy Easter - the holiday of the Feast and Triumph of celebrations. In our country, people always celebrate Easter and Christmas, Nauryz and Kurban Ait together, and this is a good tradition of multinational and multi-religious Kazakhstan. Taking this opportunity, I wholeheartedly congratulate the participants of the press conference, the Orthodox Christians of our country and everyone who cherishes this bright day, on the upcoming great Celebration. The Resurrection of Christ gives us the strength to live fully and correctly - to love our neighbors and sincerely believe in God, to empathize with the sorrows of our neighbors and to work for the good of our native country.
For two thousand years, the good news of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead has served as the basis of our faith in the all-conquering power of God's love. The Creator of the universe, the Lord of glory, wanting to save His creation - man, comes not only to earth, but even descends to hell and, having crushed the gates of darkness, ascends victorious, resurrecting the human race with Himself. The risen Christ gives life to every believer. He addresses us in the Gospel: “I live and you will live.”
The Metropolitan called on the people of Kazakhstan to unite in the fight against the consequences of the spring floods and thanked everyone who is helping those affected by the natural disaster. “The spring of this year became a time of difficult trials for Kazakhstan - ten regions of the country suffered from unprecedented floods. Head of State Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev called the flood in the Republic the worst disaster in 80 years.

To overcome the consequences of the disaster, it is important for our multinational and multi-religious people to show their noble qualities - unity and cohesion. The clergy and laity of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan support the victims in every possible way, work in rescue teams and participate in the collection, and distribution of humanitarian aid.
In such times, it is necessary to remember the words of Christ: “Do not fear, only believe” and His promise to be with those who believe in Him until the end of time. Faith in God is a huge power that can transform a person, renew his soul, it inspires heroic deeds and strengthens him in everyday affairs.
I would like to express words of gratitude to everyone who is working to eliminate the consequences of the flood, volunteers and volunteers,” the hierarch said, in particular.
A separate topic of the archpastor’s speech was the arrival of the Holy Fire in the Republic: “The situation in the Middle East is now very difficult. The data on the number of dead, wounded and injured, on the destruction of houses and hospitals resonates with pain in the heart of each of us. As a result of the armed conflict, thousands of people have suffered and continue to suffer, many of whom are civilians, children, the elderly and the disabled. I received a question from several people: will the Holy Fire come down? Only God knows the answer. Of course, the Orthodox world awaits this blessing of God. Despite any circumstances, as in previous years, thanks to the assistance of the state leadership and the help of philanthropists, on Easter night the Holy Fire will be delivered to the Southern capital from the holy city of Jerusalem from the Holy Sepulcher. We will meet and preserve this shrine in a special unquenchable lamp, and then we will transfer the blessed fire to the churches of the Metropolitan District. On the evening of May 5 - on the day of Easter itself at 17 o'clock - the Holy Fire will be brought to the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty."

Metropolitan Alexander also informed journalists that the current year is marked for the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese: “On May 19, we will celebrate a special historical date. A quarter of a century ago, in 1999, by decision of the Holy Synod, a new canonical structure was formed on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese. The diocese united the new capital of the country - the city of Astana, the second most important political and economic center of the Republic - the city of Alma-Ata and the historical region of Semirechye - the territory of the Alma-Ata region.
This event became significant and fateful, since it was then that the vector of development of church work in the two main Kazakh metropolises was determined. The capital, as a political and economic center, sets the tone and pace of life throughout Kazakhstan. This rule also applies to the capital diocese, which is the flagship for the other dioceses of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District in the development of spiritual enlightenment and education, charity and youth work, church building and perpetuating the memory of new martyrs and confessors.
Today, the Orthodox Church occupies an important place in the life of Kazakh society, contributing to the creation of peace and harmony, the establishment of traditional moral values among people and the preservation of the rich historical and cultural heritage of multinational and multi-religious Kazakhstan. This fact is invariably noted by President Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev.”

“In the St. Nicholas Cathedral on this day, May 19, an open-air Easter Liturgy will take place with the participation of all Kazakh hierarchs and foreign guest archpastors. At the end of the service, an exhibition dedicated to the memorable date will open,” the Metropolitan said.

The head of the Metropolitan District spoke about the main event that will take place as part of the celebration of the memorable date - the arrival in Alma-Ata of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Healer”: “The Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan has developed a good tradition - bringing especially revered shrines for prayerful worship and spiritual strengthening of people. Our country was visited by arks containing the relics of famous saints and miraculous icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This year, during Easter, a special gift awaits us. From May 18 to 21 of this year, Alma-Ata will be visited by a well-known shrine in the Christian world - the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Healer”. Through prayers in front of this shrine, many people were granted relief from physical and mental illnesses, received help and consolation. Bringing the shrine to the southern capital will be a significant event in the spiritual and cultural life of Kazakhstan. The Blessed Virgin Mary is revered not only by Christians, but also by Muslims, and Her ancient image, which will visit our city, is of special historical and artistic value.”

The head of the Metropolitan District made a short historical excursion for the conference participants: “The ancient image of the Queen of Heaven “Healer” currently resides in the Alekseevsky Stauropegic Convent in Moscow. Pilgrims from all over the world flock to the monastery to venerate the shrine, ask the Most Blessed Lady for mental and physical health, and pray for the healing of family and friends. The image of the Mother of God with the name “Healer” was first mentioned in the 4th century. The icon that visits Kazakhstan depicts the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos healing a seriously ill man. This event, which became the basis of the iconographic plot, was described in his book “Irrigated Fleece” by St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, in the 17th century. An ancient legend tells how the Queen of Heaven Herself appeared at the bedside of a suffering clergyman and, in response to his fervent prayers, granted him complete recovery. The healed man, who was a well-known person in the city, immediately rose from his bed, went to the temple and began to chant prayers, glorifying the Most Holy Theotokos, which amazed all the townspeople. I would like to especially note this fact - for the first time in the history of its existence, the miraculous icon left the Alekseevsky Monastery in order to travel to the borders of Kazakhstan. The relevance of bringing the “Healer” icon is also due to the fact that many people are still experiencing the severe consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.”

“On May 18, 20 - 21, the miraculous icon “Healer” will be in the Iversko-Seraphim Monastery. On May 19, the shrine will remain in St. Nicholas Cathedral.
I invite you all to a meeting of the shrine - on May 18 at 9 a.m. at the Iversko-Seraphim Monastery,” the archpastor informed media representatives.

At the end of the press conference, the Bishop thanked the leadership of the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency and the meeting participants and congratulated everyone on the upcoming holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, wishing them health, prosperity, peace and God’s mercy.

“Easter is a very special holiday, it is celebrated by the Church for forty days. It was precisely this period of time, before His Ascension into Heaven, that the Risen Christ spent together with his disciples, instructing them and revealing to them the secrets of the Kingdom of God. “Easter is deliverance from sorrow” - this is what the great teacher of the Church, the Monk John of Damascus, who lived in the 8th century, called this holy holiday. Let us also increase the joy of the Resurrection of Christ with deeds of love and mercy. How many people these days are waiting for a person who would make their life more joyful. With Easter greetings, let us bring consolation to the suffering, peace to those at war, help to the needy, joy to the despondent, and to Christ our souls enlightened by love and goodness,” said the archpastor.