On Sunday, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty

September 7, 2025 – the 13th Sunday after Pentecost; the feast of the Translation of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew; the commemoration of the Synaxis of the Moscow Saints.

By decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (Synodal Journal No. 41 of July 13, 2015), the first Sunday of September is designated as the annual day of special prayer for God’s creation, with the established rite of prayer service for the preservation of God’s creation.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Almaty.

His Eminence was concelebrated by: Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov), spiritual father of the Almaty diocese; Protopriest Alexander Suvorov, keyholder of the Ascension Cathedral and head of the Metropolis’ public relations department; Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov, rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and head of the information and publishing department of the Metropolis; Protopriest Alexander Zyryanov, dean of the Ili deanery; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the metropolitan’s personal secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the metropolitan’s administrative secretariat; Priest Kirill Freigang, rector of St. Nicholas Church in Talgar; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, keyholder of the Kazan Cathedral; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of the metropolitan’s protocol service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko; and Deacon Daniil Pasyuk.

Hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolis (conductor – Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, choirmaster – V. Dudareva) and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral (conductor – E. Boguslavets).

Present at the service were: V.M. Kapsamun, president of the public foundation ELEOS-MEIRIM; staff of the Almaty diocesan administration; benefactors of the diocese; and numerous parishioners.

The Head of the Metropolis offered a prayer for the preservation of God’s creation.

After the Eucharistic Canon, Metropolitan Alexander performed the ordination of Vladimir Yudin, a graduate of the Almaty Theological Seminary, to the diaconate.

The homily after the Communion hymn was delivered by Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, His Eminence celebrated the prayer service for the preservation of God’s creation. Following the service, the archpastor congratulated those gathered on the Sunday and delivered words of spiritual edification. The hierarch sprinkled the faithful with holy water.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan warmly congratulated his subdeacon, Ilya Yatsenko, on his birthday, presenting him with holy prosphora and wishing him God’s mercy, good health of soul and body, and zealous service to the Church of Christ.

«Today is Sunday – a little Pascha, when we recall Christ’s victory over death. Fulfilling the divine commandment: ‘Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God,’ we have gathered in the church today to become participants in the Divine Liturgy, the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for the whole world, for the salvation of the living and those who came before us. Every Divine Liturgy is a feast of the human soul, a celebration of Christ. In the Divine Liturgy, we are offered the holy Gospel – the words of eternal life, the glad tidings of God. It is Christ Himself conversing with every human soul, and in the word of God we find answers to all the questions of our hearts: how to live, how to act, what to do to be saved and inherit eternal life. When the service ends, the candles are extinguished, the lamps go out, and we leave the church for our homes and families, may the spiritual fire with which the Lord has illumined us help us love both those near and far, avoid sin, live in Christ, and strive for holiness and virtue.»

From the homily of Metropolitan Alexander.