Metropolitan Alexander held a meeting with newly appointed abbesses of monasteries of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan

August 3, 2024. Alma-Ata. In the fireplace hall of the spiritual and cultural center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), a meeting was held between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the newly appointed abbesses of the monasteries - Abbess Olympiada (Salopeko) and nun Sevastiana (Plotnikova).

The meeting was attended by: Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov; Acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Metropolitan's Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin.

The Head of the Metropolitan District congratulated the mothers on their appointment to responsible and high church obedience. His Eminence noted that the new abbesses face the task of increasing the number of inhabitants of the monasteries and preserving the ancient traditions of piety bequeathed by the founders of the monasteries - the Venerable Sebastian, the elder of Karaganda and the ever-memorable Archimandrite Kirill (Borodin).

Metropolitan Alexander especially emphasized the need to care for prayerful work, which, according to the words of the Venerable John Climacus, is the mother of all virtues. "It is very important for monastics to attend the Liturgy every day, to pray both in the church and in their cells. The performance of any obedience must be accompanied and sanctified by prayer, living in the mind and heart. It is the love of the monastics for the divine services that determines the correct arrangement of the monastery,” said the archpastor. “Continuously remaining in prayer, standing before God at the divine services is not an easy matter. How can one not lose the fire of zeal and love for prayer? Are there means for this? The Holy Fathers and teachers say that there are. The more the monastics learn obedience, which in its inner essence is the cutting off of one’s own will and the fulfillment of the will of God, accomplished with joy, in a peaceful spirit, for the sake of love for Christ, the more continuous and fervent the prayer becomes,” the hierarch emphasized in his speech.

The nuns thanked the Head of the Metropolitan District for his words of encouragement and asked for the archpastoral prayers for the sending of strengthening, gracious help from God in the abbot’s service.

As a blessing for their work, the Metropolitan presented the newly appointed abbesses with icons of the Prophet of God Elijah, wishing them strength, zeal in prayer and the fulfillment of new obediences.