On the Sunday Marked by the Celebration in Honor of the Astana-Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrated the Liturgy at the Representation of the Metropolis in Moscow

July 6, 2025 – the 4th Sunday after Pentecost; feast day in honor of the Vladimir and Astana-Pochaev Icons of the Mother of God.

The Astana-Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is a copy of the miraculous Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God – a revered shrine of the Orthodox world and the Russian Orthodox Church. A copy of the Pochaev image was brought from Pochaev in the early 1960s by Protopriest Nikolay Ivanenko, rector of the Church of Constantine and Helen in the city of Tselinograd (now Astana). In the early 1970s, the tradition of veneration of the holy icon was continued by the outstanding pastor and confessor of the faith, Archimandrite Kirill (Borodin). On June 4, 2011, at a meeting of the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, chaired by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, it was established that the feast day of the Astana Icon of the Mother of God would be celebrated annually on July 6 (New Calendar).

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia at the Patriarchal Metochion in Moscow – the Representation of the Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were: Vice-Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary, Candidate of Theology, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Hegumen Agafangel (Gagua); Sacristan of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia, Hieromonk Antony (Drobyazko); and the clergy of the Metochion.

The choir of the church sang under the direction of Anna Rozhnova.

Praying during the service were: Secretary of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Choir Director of the Metropolis of Kazakhstan, and member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing, O.N. Ovchinnikov; staff of the Representation, patrons of the Patriarchal Metochion, and parishioners of the church.

The Liturgy concluded with a magnification to the Most Holy Theotokos, after which Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the parishioners on the Sunday, on the celebration of the revered icons of the Queen of Heaven, and addressed those gathered with words of spiritual edification.

“The lessons of the past teach us, Orthodox Christians of the 21st century: a truly believing person, on the path of earthly life, however difficult it may be, is called to preserve in their soul ‘faith and hope in God’ (1 Peter 1:21) – a priceless spiritual treasure which inspired the apostles, strengthened the martyrs and confessors, multiplied the strength of the hierarchs, and moved the monastics to ascetic life. The Most Holy Mother of God Herself serves as an example of Christian life for us – Who, in the words of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, ‘was always joyful in persecutions and sorrows, did not grieve in hardships and poverty, did not become angry with those who offended Her, but even did good to them; was meek in prosperity, merciful to the poor and helped them as much as She could; was a guide in piety and in every good deed.’ May the mercy of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos abide with all of us who venerate Her miraculous icons and worship Her with faith – the Mother of our Lord and our loving Mother, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, at every time and every hour.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander