On the Feast of All Saints, the Head of the Metropolitan District Celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Annunciation Church in Almaty

June 15, 2025 – the first Sunday after Pentecost, the feast of All Saints who from ages past have been well-pleasing to God.

The Synaxarion of the Pentecostarion explains the establishment of this feast in the following way:

“The Holy Fathers appointed this feast to be celebrated after the descent of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate the fruits of His coming through the apostles – how the Holy Spirit sanctified our nature, enlightened it, raised it to the rank of the angels, and brought it to God: crowning some for their martyrdom, and others for their virtuous lives… In the assembly of All Saints, who have been glorified in diverse ways, human nature now offers its first fruits to God.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Alatau district of Almaty, home to the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar, both vicars of the Astana Diocese; Protopriest Yevgeny Vorobyov, rector of the Almaty church dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”; Protopriest Yevgeny Bobylev, head of the Metropolitan District’s Department of Education and Catechesis and rector of the churches of the Protection of the Mother of God and the Synaxis of the Theotokos in the Southern Capital; Protopriest Yevgeny Ivanov, rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and head of the Metropolitan District’s Information and Publishing Department; Igumen Gavriil (Tutberidze); Protopriest Alexander Zyryanov, dean of the Ili Church District; Protopriest Vladimir Glukhikh; Protopriest Valery Shavrin, rector of the Theophany Church; Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky), head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the administrative secretariat of the Metropolitan District; Priest Nikolai Matlashov; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of the Metropolitan’s protocol service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; and Deacon Rustik Yakupov.

The choir of the Church of Christ the Savior in Almaty, directed by Y. Skorova, sang the liturgical responses.

The faithful in attendance included Orthodox residents of the Alatau district and believers from nearby areas.

The sermon after the Communion hymn was delivered by Protopriest Yevgeny Ivanov.

Following the Liturgy, hymns of praise were sung to all the saints who from ages past were well-pleasing to God.

A Polychronion (Many Years) was proclaimed for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, the Head and episcopate of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, the President, government, armed forces, and all the people of Kazakhstan.

Metropolitan Alexander then addressed the faithful with an archpastoral homily:

“Every day of the Church calendar commemorates one or another servant of God – a martyr or a righteous one, a bishop or a monastic. But today we remember in prayer all the saints, from ages past well-pleasing to God. We celebrate all those who, through their righteous lives, ascetic struggles, and labors, received from the Lord the glory of being numbered among the angelic hosts and honored to stand before His throne in Heaven.

The history of the Church is, first and foremost, the history of holiness – the history of people who acquired divine grace, of Christians who fulfilled the Gospel commandments not only in word, but in life. ‘Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us’ (Eph. 5:1), exhorts the Apostle Paul. The ranks of the saints teach us how to imitate God, how to be faithful children of His in the various circumstances of life, how to fulfill His saving will.

Each of them has something to teach us: one instructs in prayer, another in humility and meekness, another imparts heavenly wisdom, yet another shows how to overcome passions and weaknesses. We know well that we are not alone on the path to salvation, for the saints strengthen us through their intercession. It is important to often turn to them for their protection, to remember the examples of their lives, and to follow their counsel.

Every Christian needs much love and patience, strength and courage to guard oneself, one’s children and grandchildren from the corrupting influence of sin and vice reigning in today’s world, and to live in righteousness and piety. All of this the Lord generously grants us when we firmly hold in mind and heart the truths of Orthodoxy, remain within the saving bounds of the Church, and commune with God and His saints through the Sacraments and prayer.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.