The Feast Day of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker – Patronal Feast of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty

On December 19, 2024, the feast day of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the oldest churches in the city of Almaty, St. Nicholas Cathedral, hosted patronal celebrations.

By the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Metropolis of Kazakhstan, presided over the festive service. Serving with His Grace were Protopriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of Almaty parishes and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Protopriest Evgeny Vorobyov, Rector of the Church of the Joy of All Who Sorrow; Protopriest Valery Shavrin, Rector of the Epiphany Church of Almaty; Protopriest Nikolai Tkachenko, Rector of the Church of the Theophany in the village of Malovodnoe; Priest Ioann Livinsky, Vice-Rector for Spiritual Affairs; Priest Oleg Nasymov; Priest Dimitri Kaplin, Rector of the Church of Prophet Elijah in Zharkent; Hierodeacon Athanasius (Kozel); Deacon Ioann Churkin.

Before the service, the reliquary containing relics of St. Nicholas, which is kept in the cathedral’s altar, was brought out for veneration by the faithful. This relic of the Myra of Lycia Hierarch was a gift to St. Nicholas Cathedral from Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

Among those present at the service were O.N. Ovchinnikov, Honored Artist of Russia and a member of the Church-Public Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the Development of Russian Church Singing; staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration; teachers and students of the Central Sunday School of the Southern Capital, led by its director, G.V. Cherepanova; and numerous parishioners.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral, conducted by Olga Berekesheva.

During the memorial litany, prayers were offered for the repose of Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov, †1975), a confessor of the faith; Archimandrite Isaac (Vinogradov), a companion and spiritual son of Metropolitan Nicholas (Mogilevsky); the builders of the cathedral and those who revived its liturgical life; as well as departed clergy and parishioners.

After the Eucharistic Canon, Bishop Gennady performed the diaconal ordination of Reader Georgy Tkachenko, a graduate of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a glorification service was held before the icon and relics of St. Nicholas, followed by the proclamation of Many Years to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; the Bishops, clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church; the President, authorities, armed forces, and people of Kazakhstan; and to all those celebrating their namesday.

Bishop Gennady congratulated the clergy and faithful on the patronal feast and delivered a homily.

Students of the Central Sunday School (director G.V. Cherepanova) presented a literary and poetic performance about the life and miracles of St. Nicholas. His Grace thanked the performers and distributed sweet gifts.

On the eve of the feast, a vigil service with the reading of the Akathist Hymn to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was held in St. Nicholas Cathedral.