Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Kostanay

October 13, 2024 – the 16th week after Pentecost, the day of remembrance of St. Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'.

A festive Divine Liturgy was held in the main church of the Kostanay diocese – the Constantine and Helen Cathedral in the city of Kostanay on the occasion of the bringing of the ark with the relics of the blessed nun Matrona of Moscow.

The service was led by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: the rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Yevgeny Vorobyov, the secretary of the Kostanay Diocese Hieromonk Gennady (Burduzha), the rector of the Mikhailovskaya Church in the village of Kachar in the Kostanay region Archpriest Vasily Korolev, a cleric of the main church of the diocese Hegumen Innokenty (Pomogalov), the rector of the Church in the name of St. Righteous John of Kronstadt in the city of Lisakovsk Archpriest Oleg Kalmykov, a cleric of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral Archpriest Andrei Korchazhnikov, the rector of the Michael the Archangel Church in the city of Kostanay Archpriest Vitaly Kleba, the rector of the Nikolsky Church in the city of Kostanay Archpriest Vitaly Gutsan, the rector of the parish in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of the village of Fyodorovka, Kostanay Region, Archpriest Alexei Mostovshchikov, Head of the Metropolitan's Secretariat, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; Rector of the Church of Our Lady of Kazan in the village of Zatobolsk, Priest Andrei Krutin, Priest Alexei Kovalev, Priest Sergiy Neverov, Priest Georgy Chernykh, Hieromonk Methodius (Chulkov); Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Eliazar Aitbakin, Deacon John Churkin.

The choir of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral of the city of Kostanay sang under the direction of T. Zhebrak.

The following prayed at the service: the abbess of the Iversko-Petropavlovsky Convent in the village of Oktyabrsky, nun Nika (Otroshchenko) with the nuns of the convent; Cossacks, pupils of Sunday schools, parishioners of churches in the city of Kostanay, pilgrims from surrounding settlements.

After the communion verse, priest Georgy Sidorov read out the address of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan on the occasion of the bringing of the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow to Kazakhstan.

At the end of the Liturgy, the glorification of the blessed nun Matrona took place before the ark with her relics, after which Metropolitan Alexander elevated nun Nika (Otroshchenko) to the dignity of abbess with the laying on of a pectoral cross and the presentation of an abbess' staff. As a blessing for her work, His Eminence presented nun with an icon containing a particle of the relics of the holy martyr Nika of Corinth, the heavenly patroness of the abbess of the Iversky-Petropavlovsky Convent.

The head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District thanked all the participants of the service for their common prayer and congratulated them on the bringing of the relics of the saint of God, revered in the Orthodox world, to Kostanay. Then the archpastor sprinkled the worshipers with holy water and delivered a sermon.

After the service, the worship of the relics of the blessed nun Matrona began. Residents and guests of the city of Kostanay, a large number of pilgrims from nearby towns and villages gathered to offer prayers to the great saint.