Celebrations dedicated to the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity took place in the southern capital

July 13, 2024. Alma-Ata. At the end of the Liturgy in the church in honor of the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was headed by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, awards were given to large families of the southern capital.

The event took place as part of the celebration of the memory of the faithful Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom, the patrons of Orthodox marriage.

Honoring parents with many children on the days of great church holidays is a good long-term tradition of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District.

The Head of the Metropolitan District awarded a high award to the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan - the Order of Parental Glory:
• rector of the Church in honor of the Epiphany of the Lord in the village of Malovodnoye, Archpriest Nikolai Tkachenko and mother Lyubov Tkachenko (9 children);
• the rector of the Elias Church in the village of Karaoi, Archpriest Georgy Lagovsky and Mother Tatiana Lagovsky (5 children);
• the rector of the Dimitrievsky Church in the village of Baiserke, priest Vladimir Shishlov and mother Varvara Shishlova (5 children).

At the end of the solemn act, in the lower church in the name of the righteous Joachim and Anna, the large families of believers of the southern capital were honored.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the award ceremony was led by the vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop Benjamin of Talgar.

The event was attended by: the head of the department of education and catechesis of the Metropolitan District, the rector of the Church of the Intercession and the temple in honor of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archpriest Evgeny Bobylev, the clergy of the churches of the Alma-Ata diocese, the head of the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Kazakhstan M.S. Simakova, head of the educational projects department of Rossotrudnichestvo T.V. Zubkova, parishioners of the temple.

Parents who raised five or more children are nominated for awards from the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District. Their families are an example of pious marriage, a model of spiritual, moral and patriotic education of the younger generation.

Before the ceremony, Bishop Veniamin addressed those awarded and those present with a word about the importance of preserving family values. “In the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, there is a tradition of officially honoring large families - presenting church signs of attention to people who embody in their lives the ideals of a strong Christian family. The purpose of these celebrations is to attract public attention to the issues of preserving and enhancing traditional family values. True love is not an abstract, theoretical, but an active feeling. According to the wise saying of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus': “This is the talent of giving, the talent of dedication, the ability to give goodness to one’s neighbor. It is also the ability to sacrifice one’s selfish desires for the sake of another person’s happiness.” Those who decided to create a large family made a good choice not in favor of expensive things, but in favor of dear people - in favor of parental happiness, in favor of fatherhood and motherhood, in favor of filial and daughterly love, in favor of those riches that do not decay, but only multiply over time,” said, in particular, the hierarch.

The highest award of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan - the medal "Parental Glory" was awarded to:
• Khazhaliev Abu Kasim Aidrusovich and Khastaeva Raisa Umarovna;
• Shirling Alexey Andreevich and Shirling Elena Yurievna;
• Astafurov Alexander Mikhailovich and Astafurova Olesya Viktorovna.

The vicar of the Astana diocese presented a total of 30 medals to large families of believers in the southern capital.

At the end of the solemn act, a concert of classical music was performed by the orchestra of the akim of Almaty under the direction of conductor and chief artistic director M. Serkebaev.

Master classes by famous Kazakh artists were organized for young and adult participants of the holiday: “Beadwork and weaving crafts from ribbons”, “Traditions of Slavic dolls”, “Ceramics and clay therapy”, “Center of the Universe of Dolls”.

A charity fair was held on the territory of the temple. Guests were treated to tea, pastries and kvass made according to ancient recipes.

A group photo was taken to commemorate the event.