On the day of remembrance of the Venerable Sergius and Herman of Valaam, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy at the Epiphany Church in the southern capital

July 11, 2024 is the day of remembrance of Saints Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonderworkers; celebration in honor of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Three Hands”.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Epiphany Church in Almaty.

His Eminence was co-served by: the dean of Alma-Ata churches, the 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, rector of the Paraskevi Church and Alexander Nevsky Church Archpriest Ioann Lopatin, rector of the Epiphany Church Archpriest Valery Shavrin, priest Alexander Triandofilov, head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky ), cleric of the Epiphany Church, Priest Evgeny Kozlov, cleric of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church, Priest John Konoplev; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Deacon John Churkin, Deacon Alexander Piven.

Liturgical chants were performed by the choir of the Epiphany Church under the direction of Maria Trifonova.

The sermon on the sacramental verse was delivered by Priest Evgeniy Kozlov.

The Liturgy ended with the glorification of St. Sergius and Herman, the Valaam wonderworkers, after which Metropolitan Alexander addressed the clergy and worshipers with words of teaching.

His Eminence expressed gratitude to the rector, Archpriest Valery Shavrin, who worked hard in organizing the process of painting the Epiphany Church and creating the temple iconostasis.

“Reverend Ephraim the Syrian has these words: “First you need to work hard and receive the crown of achievement in order to taste Divine grace.” Today we remember the memory of the saints who, filled with a thirst for Divine grace, rushed to harsh feats on a remote, deserted island surrounded by the icy waters of Lake Ladoga. Saints Sergius and Herman, undoubtedly, could have labored in one of the many monasteries of Rus', but the search for the only thing needed - the salvation of the soul, the desire for the special gifts of the Holy Spirit and filial closeness to Christ inspired them to special labors. Driven by love for God, two monks arrived on the rocky, barren lands of Valaam, with simple tools, with a small supply of food, without material resources and household items. According to the reasoning of the human mind, certain death awaited them - from cold, hunger, wild animals, attacks by robbers or cruel pagan tribes, but by the power of prayer and humble hope in the mercy of God, Sergius and Herman were able to conquer the formidable northern nature step by step, transform the inhospitable island, and sanctify these places, having established a monastery here for monks, which became famous in the history of our Church and the Fatherland. Their works are obvious evidence of what a person whose heart is filled with faith in the Lord can do, what accomplishments people are capable of, strengthened by the grace of God. In the lives of true believers, the Savior’s promise is fulfilled: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Not only the work of monastic hermits and ascetics is dear to God. Every good and honest deed that a person does for the sake of his neighbors, for the sake of his family, for the sake of society and country, has great value in the eyes of the Creator. If we combine prayer with the performance of our daily duties, if our work is sanctified by invoking God’s blessings, then, undoubtedly, we receive, according to the word of St. Ephraim the Syrian, the crown of achievement and partake of Divine grace.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.