Head of the Metropolis celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos in Almaty

September 13, 2025 – commemoration of the Placement of the Precious Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Blachernae Church of Constantinople.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos in Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolis were: the vicars of the Astana Diocese – Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; Archpriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the Almaty churches and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”; Archpriest Evgeny Bobylev, Head of the Department of Education and Catechization of the Metropolis, Rector of the Pokrovsky Church and the Church of the Synaxis of the Theotokos; Archpriest Alexander Gaychenya, Keykeeper of the Nativity of Christ Cathedral; Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, Dean of the Ili District; Archpriest Valery Shavrin, Rector of the Epiphany Church; Priest Alexey Murayev; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Metropolitan District’s administrative secretariat; Hieromonk Gennady (Soloviev), cleric of St. John the Theologian Church; Priest Daniil Bobylev, Head of the Correspondence Department of the Almaty Seminary; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Keykeeper of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty; Priest Ioann Konoplev, Keykeeper of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church. The diaconal rank was headed by Protodeacon Nikolay Grinkevich, serving with Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Rustik Yakupov, and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

By the beginning of the service, the reliquary containing a relic of the Precious Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, kept in the house chapel of the Iveron-Seraphim Church at the metropolitan residence in Almaty, was brought to the church for the prayerful veneration of the faithful.

Praying at the Liturgy were professors and students of the theological and missionary faculty of the Almaty Seminary, teachers and pupils of the parish Sunday school of St. John the Theologian, and parishioners of the church.

Liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of the Church of the Synaxis of the Theotokos under the direction of O. Kartauzova.

The homily after the Communion verse was delivered by Priest Alexey Murayev.

The service concluded with the magnification to the Most Holy Theotokos before the reliquary with Her Precious Belt. Metropolitan Alexander thanked the concelebrating hierarchs and clergy for the joy of their common Eucharistic prayer at the Holy Altar and addressed the faithful with a word of edification.

The hierarch sprinkled the gathered worshippers with holy water.