The Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. The Head of the Metropolitan District celebrated the Liturgy in the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern Capital (+VIDEO)

March 9, 2025 – the first week of Great Lent, the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

The establishment of the holiday is associated with the events of the Council of Constantinople in 843, convened by Empress Theodora to restore the veneration of icons in the Byzantine Empire, and marks the triumph of the Church over all false teachings and schisms that have ever existed.

The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the Ascension Cathedral of Alma-Ata.

His Eminence was assisted by: the dean of the churches of Alma-Ata, the rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, confessor of the Almaty Diocese Archimandrite John (Sazonov), member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports Hegumen Philip (Moiseyev), key keeper of the Assumption Cathedral in Astana Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek), acting rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary, head of the information department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; key keeper of the Peter and Paul Church Archpriest Kirill Shklyar, vice-rector for educational work of the Almaty Theological Seminary Priest John Livinsky, head of the Metropolitan's secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin, Deacon Alexander Piven, Deacon John Zhuchkov and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

The chants were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral under the direction of E. Boguslavets.

The following prayed at the Liturgy: employees of the Alma-Ata Diocesan Administration, students of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Cossacks, Sunday school students and parishioners of the cathedral.

The sermon on the communion verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov.

After the Liturgy, the Metropolitan presided over the "Rite of the Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy" - a special prayer service for the triumph of the Orthodox faith and for the guidance of all those who have fallen away from the Church of Christ onto the true path.

In accordance with the rite, at the festive prayer service an anathematization was proclaimed against "those who do not accept the grace of redemption preached by the Gospel, as our only means of justification before God; those who reject the councils of the Holy Fathers and their traditions, consistent with Divine Revelation, and piously preserved by the Orthodox Catholic Church; those who reject the immortality of the soul, the end of the age, the future judgment and eternal retribution for virtues in heaven, and condemnation for sins."

"Eternal Memory" was proclaimed for the preachers and defenders of the Orthodox faith; to the hierarchs, pastors and laity who labored for Orthodoxy in the land of Kazakhstan.

Solemn many years were proclaimed to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'; to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches; to the Head and Episcopate of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; to the Most Reverend Archpastors, pastors and all faithful children of the Church of Christ; to the President, authorities, army and people of Kazakhstan.

The rite of the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" ended with the singing of the hymn "We Praise Thee, God", authored by Saint Ambrose of Milan.

At the end of the service, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated the clergy and parishioners on the holiday and addressed all those present with a word of edification.

The video recording of the service was carried out by the television studio of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan "Semirechye" (director - honored cultural worker Victoria Posadneva, cameraman A. Schmidt); photo recording - employee of the information department A. Shcheglov.

A live broadcast of the entire festive service took place on the YouTube channel "Proobraz" with the support of the public fund "Eleos" (director - V.M. Kapsamun).

"The Church calls the first Sunday of Great Lent the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. On this holiday, all of us who profess the holy Orthodox faith pay tribute to the memory and respect of all those who have affirmed it over the course of two thousand years of history. Through the exploits of the saints, the prayers of the saints, the labors of the equal-to-the-apostles, the blood of the martyrs and the testimony of confessors, the saving faith of Christ has been preserved throughout the centuries. And we, having received this treasure from our pious ancestors, now have the opportunity to participate in the saving Sacraments of the Church, in which we are given Divine grace, strengthening us on the path to salvation. Celebrating the Rite of the Triumph of Orthodoxy today, we remember with grateful hearts all those who served to spread the faith of Christ in the world and on our land. We offered fervent prayers that the Lord would strengthen us all in the firm confession of Orthodoxy, and also that those who were deprived of the joy of being within the fold of the Holy Church would come to the knowledge of the Truth, would realize the necessity of trusting in God, and that we would be able with one mouth and one heart to glorify our Lord and Savior." From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.