Anniversary of the Priestly Ordination of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan

August 2, 2025 – on the feast day of the Holy Prophet Elijah, marks the 42nd anniversary of the priestly ordination of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The episcopate, clergy, monastics, and laity of the Kazakh Metropolitan District extend their heartfelt congratulations to the hierarch on this sacred occasion:

Your Eminence, beloved Vladyka,

On the feast day of the great saint – the fiery charioteer and unconsumed heavenly man, the Prophet of God Elijah – in the church dedicated to the Life-Giving Trinity in the ancient Vyatka village of Volkovo, your priestly ordination was performed. Christ the Chief Shepherd called you to become His minister and steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1), to be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1 Tim. 4:12). The Lord called you to priestly ministry, and later to archpastoral service, at a historic and fateful time for Orthodoxy.

At the dawn of change, you began to use every opportunity to improve and develop various aspects of church life. The years that passed from your ordination to the priesthood to your elevation to the episcopacy became in many ways formative for your entire subsequent life. Your reverent attitude toward spiritual heritage and ancient church traditions, your humble fulfillment of assigned obediences, and your longing for even greater labors for the glory of the name of God (Ps. 78:9), have shaped your character – that of a reverent celebrant of the Mysteries of Christ, a caring father to your flock, a bright preacher, and a wise administrator.

Now, serving as the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, as a permanent member of the Holy Synod, a hierarch entrusted with a special measure of responsibility, you continue to be a loving father to your flock, warming them with prayer and active pastoral care; within you do not fade those qualities so dear to the Orthodox people which distinguish a true good shepherd.

We see and know how deeply you love Kazakhstan, how you grieve over the disorders happening in the world, and how earnestly you worry for those who stray from the true path.

You received the grace of ministry to the Creator and Giver of all good things on the feast days of two great saints. Your diaconal ordination took place under the prayerful intercession of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, and your ordination to the priesthood – on the feast of the Prophet of God Elijah. You draw inspiration from their examples. In your apostolic service, love for prayer and active concern for people – as seen in the holy elder of Sarov – are combined with the fiery zeal for the glory of God, characteristic of the ancient prophet who ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire.

On this special day for you, we pray for you and sincerely wish you new blessed successes and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ in your labors for the benefit of the Orthodox Church and your native Kazakhstan.