A diocesan meeting of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese dedicated to the results of 2023 was held in Almaty

December 13, 2023. Alma-Ata. On the day of remembrance of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, in accordance with the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, a diocesan meeting of the clergy of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District was held in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iversko-Seraphim Convent.

The meeting was preceded by the service of the Divine Liturgy in the Ascension Cathedral, which was performed by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, co-served by clergy of the diocese.

The annual diocesan meeting, chaired by the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, was attended by: vicars of the Astana diocese - the manager of the affairs of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Benjamin of Talgar; members of the diocesan council, deans, chairmen and secretaries of diocesan departments, secretaries of diocesan commissions, rectors of monasteries and parishes, assistant rectors, key clerks; Secretary of the Metropolitan District O.N. Ovchinnikov, members of parish councils, employees of the diocesan administration.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan made a report on the results of the outgoing year to the clergy and laity.

The Metropolitan presented statistical data on the number of clergy and parishes; the number of services performed, ordinations and monastic tonsures; consecration and construction of new churches.

The meeting participants sang “Eternal Memory” to the clergy of the diocese who died in 2023.

The archpastor reminded those present about the main events in the life of the diocese in 2023: “The passing year in the life of the Astana diocese was full of many significant events. The most important of them are the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Metropolitan District on the territory of the Republic and the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the celebration in honor of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan. The names of Hiero-Confessor Nicholas, Metropolitan of Alma-Ata, Hieromartyr Pimen, Bishop of Vernensky, Rev. Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda and many other sufferers for the name of Christ are inscribed in golden letters in the history of Orthodoxy. This year, exhibitions dedicated to the memory of those who suffered for Christ were held in the spiritual and cultural centers of the Astana and Alma-Almaty diocese; work has been completed to create an electronic database of all repressed clergy and laity of the Orthodox Church, whose destinies are connected with Kazakhstan and Central Asia - “Turkestan Golgotha”. As part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Metropolitan District with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and with the good consent of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokaev in Almaty, the opening and consecration of the monument to the blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky took place.”

According to the Head of the Metropolitan District, among the significant events of the diocese dedicated to memorable dates, a special place is occupied by the completion of the full-scale restoration of the oldest church in Almaty - the Cathedral in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, carried out with the support of the Apostle public foundation: “As a result of the restoration works, the historical appearance and architectural details, lost during the years of persecution of faith, were returned to the temple. The reconstruction of the shrine was preceded by a large scientific effort to search and study archival materials in Kazakhstan and Russia. At the Kazan Cathedral, a chapel was opened in the name of the Venerable Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda, in which a font was created for performing the sacrament of holy Baptism by full immersion, and reservoirs were equipped for the rite of consecrating water and distributing it to believers.”

Metropolitan Alexander told those present about the consecration of new buildings of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary and the reorganization of the activities of the regency department. “The theological school received new premises thanks to the support of philanthropists who responded to the call of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and supported the development of theological education in the Metropolitan District. The seminary building is located next to the cultural, educational and administrative center of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) and the Iversko-Seraphim Monastery. This year, a decision was made to reorganize the activities of the regency department. The department is switching to a three-year form of education. As part of the reorganization of the regency department of the theological school, a program for training parish catechists was opened. Completing the course involves an in-depth three-year study of the Holy Scriptures and basic theological disciplines. Graduates of the catechist department will be able to carry out educational and pedagogical work in the churches of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, becoming parish consultants, teachers of parochial schools, and youth workers.”

A special topic of the report was the message about the visit to Almaty to the great shrine of Orthodoxy - the miraculous image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The hierarch shared his impressions of the meeting with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokayev, during which a wide range of issues related to church-state interaction, as well as the mission of the Church in modern Kazakh society were discussed.

In his speech, Metropolitan Alexander informed the audience about the significant memorable dates that mark the coming year 2024 - the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese; 785th anniversary of the appearance of the Theodore Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos; 225th anniversary of the birth of the first hierarch of the land of Kazakhstan, Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky); The 145th anniversary of the birth of the holy martyr Pimen (Belolikov), Bishop of Vernensky and Semirechensky, and the 140th anniversary of the birth of the venerable confessor Sebastian, the elder of Karaganda.

The head of the Metropolitan District thanked the suffragan bishops, members of the diocesan council, deans and heads of diocesan departments and commissions for the work done during the past year, and the parish clergy for their pastoral efforts.

At the end of the meeting, Metropolitan Alexander gave a blessing to everyone present and congratulated them on the upcoming Christmas and New Year.

On behalf of those present, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen thanked the Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District for his archpastoral efforts.

All meeting participants were presented with: the Orthodox church calendar of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District for 2024 and the Christmas message of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.