Greeting of the Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District on the Day of Gratitude

On 1 March, the Republic of Kazakhstan celebrates the Day of Gratitude. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, addressed a congratulatory message to the people of Kazakhstan:

Esteemed citizens of Kazakhstan! Dear brothers and sisters!

I congratulate you on a special holiday of our country – the Day of Gratitude!

This feast holds great significance for all who live on the blessed land of Kazakhstan, for it awakens in the souls of our fellow citizens the noblest sentiments – love for one’s neighbor, gratitude and mercy. It is precisely these sentiments that unite representatives of diverse ethnic groups and religious traditions. The unity and harmony of our people are the most precious treasures of the Great Steppe, bequeathed to us by our forebears.

As we mark the Day of Gratitude, we express deep respect and sincere appreciation to the indigenous people of the country – the Kazakhs – who showed compassion and received as their own, during a tragic time of trial, a great number of repressed deportees, among whom were many representatives of the Orthodox Church – hierarchs, priests, monastics and laypeople. We preserve in our hearts boundless gratitude to the residents of Kazakhstan – for by offering assistance to exiled clergy and believers, they helped to preserve not only countless human lives, but also the Orthodox faith, making an immense and invaluable contribution to the spiritual renewal of the people throughout the post-Soviet space.

May the celebration of the Day of Gratitude, filled with such profound meaning, continue to contribute to the strengthening of peace and harmony in society, the unity of our people and the flourishing of Kazakhstan.

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan sent greetings on the Day of Gratitude to the President of the country, K.-J.K. Tokayev, to state leaders, members of Parliament and the akims of regions and cities.