Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Offers Commemoration for “Those Who Labored for the Sake of Victory”

May 9, 2025 – the 80th anniversary of our people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, offered a glorification of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ, a thanksgiving moleben to the Lord God for the granting of victory in the Great Patriotic War, and a memorial litia for all the departed who labored for the sake of Victory.

Special commemoration was offered for “the leaders and warriors who laid down their lives on the field of battle, who died from wounds and hunger, who were innocently tortured and slain in captivity and bitter labor.”

“As we remember the Victory in the bloody struggle to save humanity from total enslavement, we lift up a memorial prayer for all who fell in battle on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, who died from wounds and starvation, who perished during the blockade, who were tortured and slain in captivity. Our heartfelt gratitude, words of recognition, and prayers of blessing are extended to the veterans and home front workers who gave an example of self-sacrificial service to the people. By honoring all who labored for the sake of Victory, we lay a firm foundation for our connection with future generations. It is important that the memory of the tragic and glorious days of the Great Patriotic War not be reduced to the external celebration of calendar dates. In his address on May 9, 1945, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I emphasized that Victory ‘brings a sense of obligation, a sense of duty, a sense of responsibility for the present and the future.’

New generations must worthily preserve the legacy of brotherhood sealed with the blood spilled on the battlefields, and no matter how many years may pass since those distant times, the memory of them must live on in the heart of the people – so that our children and grandchildren may live in peace, harmony, and friendship. We must all learn loyalty and courage from those who endured all the hardships and trials of war and secured peace for the whole world.” — From the homily of Metropolitan Alexander.