Head of the Metropolitan District Celebrates Lenten Liturgy at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Astana

March 28, 2025 – Friday of the Fourth Week of Great Lent; commemoration of the Holy Martyr Agapius.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, located at the Convent in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Seeking of the Lost” in the city of Astana.

Concelebrating with the Archpastor were: Dean of the parishes of the capital Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev); spiritual father of the convent Hieromonk Modest (Drozdov); sacristan of the Dormition Cathedral of Astana Hieromonk Dimitry (Baydek); Head of the Metropolitan’s Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Ioann Churkin; Deacon Alexander Piven; and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

The choir of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral of the capital, directed by N. V. Mazurina, chanted the hymns of the service.

Praying at the Liturgy were the Abbess of the Convent in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Seeking of the Lost,” Hegumenia Sevastiana (Plotnikova), with the sisters of the monastery; staff of the diocesan administration, pilgrims, and parishioners of the church.

The homily after the Communion verse was delivered by Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky).

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the Archpastor addressed the faithful with a sermon:

“Two thousand years ago, on the Cross, our Lord Jesus Christ willingly endured cruel and shameful suffering for our salvation and ‘by death He trampled down death.’ Stained with the blood of the Savior and sanctified by His sufferings, the Cross became the altar of God’s love for mankind and the sign of eternal victory over sin, the curse, and death. The Precious Wood of the Cross has always been the invincible weapon of Christians in their struggle against visible and invisible enemies, for through it the power of the devil was overthrown. One of the Church hymns proclaims: ‘O Lord, You have given us Your Cross as a weapon against the devil: for he trembles and quakes, unable to bear the sight of its power.’ ‘The boundless power of God dwells in the Cross,’ teaches Venerable Isaac the Syrian. Through the Cross, the All-Merciful Lord grants people healing from many afflictions—both physical and spiritual—as well as deliverance from passions, sinful inclinations, and vices. The grace that flows from the Holy Cross is so great that it not only heals diseases, but—as Church history testifies—can even raise the dead. As we venerate the Life-Giving Wood, let us pray to the Lord to protect us by the power of His Precious and Life-Giving Cross, to strengthen our frail forces, and to sanctify our minds and hearts, so that we may bear our own cross in this life with dignity and righteousness.” — From the homily of Metropolitan Alexander.