On Bright Thursday, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the church in honor of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Almaty

May 9, 2024 – Thursday of Holy Week; 79th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan performed the Divine Liturgy in the church in honor of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos in Almaty.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was co-served by: vicars of the Astana diocese - Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Benjamin of Talgar; dean of Almaty churches, rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, head of the Department of Education and Catechesis of the Metropolitan District, rector of the Intercession Church and the Church in honor of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archpriest Evgeny Bobylev; sacristan of the Nativity of Christ Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Gaichenya; Rector of the Paraskevinsky Church and the Alexander Nevsky Church Archpriest John Lopatin, Rector of the Epiphany Church Archpriest Valery Shavrin, Dean of the Ili Church District Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, Rector of the Cosmo-Damian Church of Alma-Ata, Georgy Chistyakov, Priest Alexy Muraev, Head of the personal secretariat of Metropolitan Irumons ( Endovitsky), head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, cleric of the St. John the Theological Church, Hieromonk Gennady (Soloviev), head of the correspondence department of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, Priest Daniil Bobylev, clergyman of the Kazan Cathedral of Alma-Ata, Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, head of the Metropolitan's protocol service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon John Churkin, Deacon Sergiy Slesarchuk.

For the festive Liturgy, an ark containing part of the stone from the Holy Sepulcher was brought to the temple. At the request of Metropolitan Alexander, the keeper of the keys of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, Sheikh Wajih Nusseibeh, gave the shrine as a gift to the Orthodox people of Kazakhstan, with the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem.

The chants were performed by the men's choir of the Alma-Ata diocese under the direction of Deacon Alexander Pivny.

The following people prayed during the service: teachers and students of the theological and missionary faculty of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, teachers and students of the parish Sunday school named after the Apostle John the Theologian and parishioners of the temple.

On Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, in accordance with the Determination of the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994, a special commemoration of the deceased took place. Metropolitan Alexander and the clergy prayed for the repose of “the leaders and warriors who laid down their lives on the battlefield, who died from wounds and hunger, who innocently suffered and were killed in captivity and bitter labor, and all who labored for the Victory.”

Using the communion verse, Priest Georgy Sidorov read out the Easter message of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

At the end of the Liturgy, glorification of the bright Resurrection of Christ took place.

The archpastor sprinkled the believers with holy water and spoke a word of teaching.

The head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District congratulated Deacon Alexander Piven on his birth anniversary. The Metropolitan presented Father Deacon with a holy prosphora and wished him health, longevity and God’s help in serving the Church of Christ.

At the end of the service, His Eminence attended a concert dedicated to the holiday in the Great Patriotic War. The event was prepared by students of the parish Sunday school named after the Apostle John the Theologian. The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated the creative teams and concert listeners on the holiday of the Great Victory.