Address by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan at the Consecration of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Astana

September 18, 2025. Astana. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ performed the rite of consecration of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. At the conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan addressed the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church with the following words of greeting:

Your Holiness!

Today in the capital of Kazakhstan — Astana — we celebrate a special spiritual triumph. We have become witnesses and participants of a historic event: the consecration of a newly built church dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh, the “Abbot of the Russian Land.”

On March 3, 2022, Your Holiness bestowed your Primatial blessing for the establishment in Astana of a spiritual, cultural, and educational center of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan, dedicated to All Saints who have shone forth on this land. And now you have personally performed the consecration of the first church of the future multifunctional educational complex, calling down the grace of the Holy Spirit upon the newly erected church and God’s mercy upon the donors, builders, and beautifiers.

This large-scale project received the approval of the President of our country, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev. The Head of State greatly values the historic role of Orthodoxy and consistently emphasizes its significance in strengthening the unity of our people, mutual understanding, and harmony in society. The construction of mosques and Orthodox churches is a visible embodiment of the most important achievements of sovereign Kazakhstan — interethnic peace, national concord, and respect for the centuries-old history and rich culture of the Great Steppe.

Thanks to your paternal support and the kind participation of benefactors, the construction of the spiritual and educational center is actively continuing today. The consecration of the Church of St. Sergius, performed by Your Holiness, is undoubtedly a pledge of the successful completion of this significant project. I would like to recall your deeply meaningful words: “Those who build churches enter into history — not only human history. The names of such people are inscribed in the Book of Life in a special way.”

Taking this good opportunity, I express my profound gratitude to the Head of our State for his active concern for the Orthodox Church. I also thank the Akim of Astana, Zhenis Makhmudovich Kassymbek, who has responded to the needs of the Orthodox residents of the capital.

Your Holiness, I sincerely hope that in the very near future you will once again come to Astana to perform the consecration of the newly built spiritual and educational complex and to inaugurate its activity for the benefit of God’s people and the land of Kazakhstan.