December 13, 2024 – The feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.
Concelebrating with His Eminence were the auxiliary bishops of the Astana Diocese: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Managing Director of the Kazakh Metropolis; Bishop Clavdian of Taldykorgan; and Bishop Benjamin of Talgar; Dean of the Astana Church District Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev); Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Protopriest Evgeny Vorobyov; Chairman of the Religious Education and Catechesis Department of the Kazakh Metropolis and Rector of the Pokrov Parish Protopriest Evgeny Bobylev; Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Metropolis’ Public Relations Department Protopriest Alexander Suvorov; Rector of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Almaty Protopriest Georgy Chistyakov; Cleric of the Ascension Cathedral Protopriest Alexander Ievlev; Sacristan of the Dormition Cathedral in Astana Protopriest Dmitry Baydek; Sacristan of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Astana Protopriest Sergius Kaliev; Deputy Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral Priest Andrey Shklyar; Head of the Metropolitan’s Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky); and Head of the Metropolitan’s Administrative Secretariat Priest Georgy Sidorov.
Also serving were Protodeacon Nikolay Grinkevich, Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Andrey Pleten, Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin, Hierodeacon Sophonius (Mazurenko), Deacon Alexander Piven, and Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov.
For the spiritual consolation and strengthening of the faithful, a reliquary containing relics of the Twelve Apostles of Christ was present in the main church of the Southern Capital.
The hymns were sung by the men’s choir of the Almaty Diocese under the direction of Igumen Philip (Moiseev).
After the Communion Verse, Priest Georgy Sidorov delivered a sermon.
The Liturgy concluded with glorification of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called before the reliquary containing the relics of the disciples of Christ.
Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the hierarchs, clergy, and laity on the feast of the first disciple of Christ and delivered a sermon.
“The feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew, called the First-Called, reminds every Orthodox Christian of the calling to apostolic ministry, of the necessity to follow Christ to the end of one’s days. All of us—hierarchs and clergy, monastics and laity—must be disciples of the Savior and proclaimers of the Gospel truth not only in name but in essence. As successors of the apostolic labor, we bear a special responsibility before God not only for the salvation of our own souls but also before the Creator for our relatives and loved ones. Through prayer, a kind word of admonition, and the example of a life lived according to the commandments of the Lord, we can and must contribute to the salvation of those who journey alongside us on the path of life.” – From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander on the Feast of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
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