Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Almaty Church Dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”

May 23, 2025 – the feast day of the Holy Apostle Simon the Zealot.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: protopriest Valery Zakharov – Dean of the Churches of the Southern Capital and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; protopriest Yevgeny Vorobyev – Rector of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Church; protopriest Valery Shavrin – Rector of the Theophany Church in Almaty; protopriest Igor Svetlichny – Sacristan of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Hieromonk Kheruvim (Levin); protopriest Sergy Desyatov – Cleric of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Church; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky) – Head of the Metropolitan’s Private Secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov – Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Metropolitan District; Priest Ioann Konoplev – Sacristan of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church; Priest Georgy Rublinsky – Sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Ioann Churkin; and Deacon Alexander Piven.

For the prayerful veneration and spiritual strengthening of the faithful, a reliquary containing a fragment of the Stone from the Lord’s Tomb was brought to the church for the celebration.

The choir of the church sang under the direction of O. Solomonova.

The homily before Communion was delivered by Priest Georgy Sidorov.

The Liturgy concluded with a glorification of the feast of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ – the clergy and choir sang the Paschal stichera, after which the Head of the Metropolitan District exchanged the Paschal greeting “Christ is Risen!” with the clergy and faithful in various languages.

The archpastor then addressed those gathered with words of spiritual instruction.

Metropolitan Alexander congratulated Priest Georgy Rublinsky on the anniversary of his priestly ordination, presented him with a prosphora, thanked him for his dedicated service, and wished him the grace of God in his continued ministry to the Holy Church.