Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to the City of Bari Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty

May 22, 2025 – the feast day commemorating the translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to the city of Bari.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty, which was observing its patronal feast.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were the vicars of the Astana Diocese – Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; protopriest Valery Zakharov – Dean of the Almaty City Churches and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; protopriest Yevgeny Bobylev – Head of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Metropolitan District and Rector of the Protection Church and the Church of the Synaxis of the Theotokos in Almaty; protopriest Ioann Lopatin – Rector of St. Paraskeva and St. Alexander Nevsky Churches; protopriest Alexander Suvorov – Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Metropolitan District’s Public Relations Office; protopriest Valery Shavrin – Rector of the Theophany Church; protopriest Anatoly Izmerov – Chair of the Society of Orthodox Physicians of Kazakhstan; protopriest Vladimir Volkov; protopriest Kirill Shklyar – Sacristan of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul; protopriest Georgy Kharlov – Rector of the Church of St. John the Forerunner in the village of Guldala; priest Ioann Livinsky – Vice-Rector for Student Life of the Almaty Seminary; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky) – Head of the Metropolitan’s Private Secretariat; priest Georgy Sidorov – Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Metropolitan District; priest Roman Burdukov – Sacristan of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross; priest Petr Bakhtiyarov – Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Almaty Theological Seminary; Hieromonk Kheruvin (Levin); priest Ioann Konoplev – Sacristan of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church; priest Georgy Rublinsky – Sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin – Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Hierodeacon Athanasius (Kozel); Deacon Ioann Churkin; Deacon Alexiy Kanushin; Deacon Alexander Voronin; and Deacon Alexander Piven.

Before the beginning of the service, a reliquary containing relics of St. Nicholas – a gift to the cathedral from Metropolitan Alexander – was brought out from the altar for the prayerful veneration of the faithful.

Among those present at the Liturgy were V.M. Kapsamun, Director of the Eleos Charitable Foundation; staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration; teachers and students of the Central Sunday School of Almaty, headed by Director G.V. Cherepanova; and numerous parishioners.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral under the direction of O. Berekesheva and the parish choir conducted by O. Solomonova.

During the memorial litany, prayers were offered for the repose of the confessor of the faith Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov, †1975); Archimandrite Isaakiy (Vinogradov), a companion and spiritual son of Metropolitan Nicholas (Mogilevsky); the builders of the cathedral and restorers of church life; departed clergy; and parishioners of the cathedral.

The homily following the Communion hymn was delivered by Priest Ioann Livinsky.

At the conclusion of the service, students of the Central Sunday School presented a literary and poetic program recounting the life and miracles of St. Nicholas. His Eminence Metropolitan Alexander thanked the performers and distributed sweet gifts.

A festive procession followed the Divine Liturgy, after which a glorification was sung before the icon and reliquary of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the clergy and faithful on the patronal feast of the cathedral and addressed those gathered with an archpastoral message.

The hierarch then blessed the faithful with holy water.