Metropolitan Alexander Held a Prayer Service to the Heavenly Patrons of Kazakhstan – Hieromartyrs Seraphim and Theognost of Almaty

On July 16, 2025 – the feast in honor of the uncovering of the relics of the Holy Hieromartyrs Seraphim and Theognost of Almaty and Aksai, heavenly patrons of the Southern capital and the Semirechye region – Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan served a prayer service to the Aksai passion-bearers of Christ at the Alexander Nevsky Chapel of the Spiritual and Cultural Center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) in Almaty.

Attending the service were: the dean of the city churches and rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral Protopriest Valery Zakharov; the rector of the Almaty church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Protopriest Evgeny Vorobyov; the head of the Religious Education and Catechization Department of the Metropolitan District and rector of the Protection Church and the church in honor of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Southern capital Protopriest Evgeny Bobylev; acting rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov; Protopriest Alexander Sokolov; head of the personal secretariat of the metropolitan Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov; deputy head of the Information and Publishing Department of the District Priest Kirill Konoplev; Priest Andrey Ivashinin; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Bogdan Boyko; Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon Roman Karaman, and staff members of the diocesan administration.

A reliquary containing relics of the Holy Hieromartyrs Seraphim and Theognost was brought for veneration during the prayer service.

The male choir of the Almaty Diocese sang during the service.

At the conclusion of the prayer service, the archpastor offered a prayer to the two especially venerated ascetics of the Kazakh land, and then addressed the faithful with a brief word:

“When we speak about the feats of the New Martyrs and Confessors, we understand that they endured far greater hardships than we do. Today, no one threatens us with death, torture, imprisonment, or exile for our faith in Christ. Yet therein lies the tragedy – that now, without any external coercion, some people stop living a spiritual life and abandon the faith. Others unleash malicious attacks on the Church in which they were baptized and raised, nitpicking at its shortcomings or, more often, spreading outright lies.

The prophetic words of the Gospel are being fulfilled: ‘Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold’ (cf. Matthew 24:12). Indeed, this holy feeling is fading in people – both toward God and toward neighbor. What, then, can save our society from these temptations and delusions? Certainly, it is strong faith, and the remembrance of the New Martyrs and Confessors who, even in the face of death, did not renounce God or abandon the saving enclosure of the Church.

They have departed to God – their names are already part of history – yet the entire assembly of these sufferers lives on and continues to fulfill their high mission. The New Martyrs and Confessors have become sources of grace-filled light for our people, the glory and adornment of the Church.”