On the Saturday of the Akathist, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in Kostanay

April 5, 2025 – The Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (Saturday of the Akathist); the commemoration of Saint Nikon, Hegumen of the Kiev Caves.

As the Synaxarion (the liturgical homily for the day) proclaims: “We celebrate today’s feast in honor of all the wondrous miracles of the Most Pure Mother of God.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom at the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen – the main church of the Kostanay Diocese.

His Eminence was concelebrated by: the Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese, Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha); the cathedral’s Dean, Protopriest Vasily Korolev; the cleric of the cathedral, Igumen Innokenty (Pomogalov); the Dean of the Lisakovsk Church District and Rector of the Church of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt in the city of Lisakovsk, Protopriest Oleg Kalmykov; the Spiritual Father of the Kostanay Diocese, Protopriest Andrey Korchazhnikov; the Dean of the Sarykol Church District, cleric of the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen, Protopriest Vitaly Kleba; the Dean of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kostanay, Protopriest Vitaly Gutsan; the Dean of the Dormition Cathedral in Astana, Hieromonk Dimitry (Baydek); the cleric of the Church of Saint Seraphim of Sarov in Astana, Hieromonk Silouan (Sinegubov); the Dean of the Kostanay Church District and Rector of the Kazan Church in the town of Tobyl, Priest Andrey Krutin; clergy of the Kostanay Diocese; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Eleazar Aitbakin, Deacon Alexander Piven, and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

Praying at the service were the sisters of the Iveron-Petropavlovsk Women’s Monastery led by Hegumeness Nika (Otroshchenko); staff members of the diocesan administration; and parishioners of the main church of Kostanay.

The choir of the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen, conducted by T. Zhebrak, chanted during the service.

The sermon after the Communion hymn was delivered by Protopriest Vitaly Kleba.

The Liturgy concluded with a magnification to the Mother of God. Metropolitan Alexander then congratulated the faithful on the feast of the Queen of Heaven – the Saturday of the Akathist – and offered a homily.

In honor of the upcoming feast of Holy Pascha, several clergy of the Kostanay Diocese were awarded liturgical and hierarchical distinctions:

• The right to wear the pectoral cross: Hieromonk Nikon (Kostin), Rector of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Presnogorkovka, and Hieromonk Methodius (Chulkov), cleric of the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in Kostanay.

• The right to wear the epigonation: Priest Georgy Chernykh, cleric of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kostanay.

After presenting the ecclesiastical honors, His Eminence offered words of congratulations to the awardees and wished them God’s help in their continued service for the benefit of Christ’s Church in the land of Kazakhstan.