In the Ascension Cathedral of Almaty, the Head of the Metropolitan District officiated the Great Vespers with the Rite of Forgiveness

On March 2, 2025, on the eve of Great Lent, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan officiated the Great Vespers with the Rite of Forgiveness in the Ascension Cathedral of Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: the vicars of the Astana Diocese – Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, and Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan; the Dean of the parishes of the Southern Capital, Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Protopriest Valery Zakharov; the Spiritual Father of the Almaty Diocese, Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov); the Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral, Head of the Metropolitan District’s Public Relations Department, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov; and the clergy of the cathedral.

Praying at the service were clergy from the churches of Almaty and the Almaty region, staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration, the faculty and students of the Almaty Theological Seminary.

According to established tradition, parishioners of the churches of the Southern Capital gathered to receive the archpastoral blessing for the observance of Great Lent.

After the chanting of the Great Prokeimenon, “Do not turn Your face away from Your servant, for I am in distress,” and the closing of the Royal Doors, the clergy changed into dark Lenten vestments; the Holy Altar’s Throne and Table of Oblation were covered with dark veils. At the Litany of Supplication, for the first time, the petitions “Lord, have mercy” and “Grant this, O Lord” were sung with the Lenten chant.

The Address of the Head of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan before the beginning of Great Lent was proclaimed by Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov.

At the conclusion of Vespers, Metropolitan Alexander read prayers for the beginning of the Holy Forty Days, delivered a pastoral exhortation, and, having made a prostration, was the first to ask forgiveness from the archpastors, clergy, and Orthodox flock of the city.

*“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matt. 6:14) – these are the words, beloved Prelates, venerable Fathers, brothers and sisters in Christ, that we hear today from the Holy Gospel. With these words, our Lord Jesus Christ addresses us as we stand on the threshold of the Holy Forty Days.

The Savior helps a person overcome all obstacles if only he strives for the good. Our Heavenly Father forgives us and desires that we also forgive. Anyone who wishes to be worthy of God’s love must manifest his love for others and embody it in deeds.

Let us be filled with love for our neighbors, remember those who have offended us or whom we have wronged, and let us reconcile with God and, through Him, with those around us – in our families, at work, in society.

On this sacred evening, granted to us by God, as we gather in the temple to seek His blessing and to forgive one another, I bow the knees of my heart before you and humbly ask for forgiveness from the depths of my soul for all my voluntary and involuntary sins – in deed, in word, and in thought. I feel my guilt before you because I have not fully carried out what I am commanded to do by God’s will – I have failed to properly manifest to you the image of an archpastor of Christ’s Church, I have been negligent, I have not shown due love to those who turned to me, I have not been able to help everyone as I should. I, by God’s mercy, your archpastor and father, who dares to call all of you to peace, love, and mutual reconciliation, am the first who needs your condescension and forgiveness, your love and prayers.

As we enter Great Lent, I ask the Creator and Giver of all blessings to grant His mercy, His heavenly blessing, and His forgiveness to all of you,”* said, in particular, Metropolitan Alexander.

As the penitential stichera and troparia were sung, along with the traditional Paschal hymns, the clergy and laity asked forgiveness from the Metropolitan, the Bishops, and one another.

The Great Vespers service marked the beginning of the cycle of Lenten services, distinguished by the use of dark-colored vestments, the performance of full prostrations with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, and special deeply moving Lenten chants.

At the Great Compline on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan will read the Great Canon of Repentance of Saint Andrew of Crete in the Ascension Cathedral of Almaty. The services will begin at 6:00 PM.

The official YouTube channel of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, Semirechie, will provide a live broadcast of the reading of the Great Canon of Repentance.

«As we journey through the path of Great Lent, exercising ourselves in abstinence, prayer, and the doing of good deeds, it is essential to remember the most important thing – love is the highest good of Christian life.

In the Book of Isaiah the Prophet, we hear the voice of those murmuring against God: «Why have we fasted, and You do not see? Why have we humbled our souls, and You do not notice?» And the Lord responds: «Behold, on the day of your fast you do as you please and oppress all your laborers. Behold, you fast for strife and contention and to strike with a wicked fist» (Isa. 58:3-4).

Prayer, fasting, and ascetic labors will have no value in the sight of God unless they are united with love for one’s neighbor. The first step toward acquiring this supreme virtue, and at the same time a necessary condition for entering into the Lenten season, is reconciliation with those around us.

This is why the Sunday that marks the beginning of the Holy Forty Days is called Forgiveness Sunday. Each of us, heeding the Gospel’s call, «forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Heavenly Father may also forgive you your sins» (Mark 11:25), is obliged to remember those whom we have offended, those whom we have grieved, those whom we have failed to help in a difficult moment of life, and not merely formally, but with all our heart, ask for forgiveness, and likewise, sincerely forgive our neighbor.»

From the homily of Metropolitan Alexander.