ORTHODOX CHURСH OF KAZAKHSTAN

ORTHODOX CHURСH OF KAZAKHSTAN

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Church life
27.09.2025, 19:00

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Main Cathedral of Almaty

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Main Cathedral of Almaty

On September 27, 2025 – the Great Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross is a special day in the life of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan – thirty-six years ago, at the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo, Moscow, the episcopal consecration of His Eminence took place. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, the consecration was presided over by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Vladimir of Rostov and Novocherkassk (later the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church).

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

Serving with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Dean of Almaty parishes and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; Dean of Astana parishes Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev); Rector of the Church of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon of the Mother of God in Almaty, Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov; spiritual father of the Almaty Diocese Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov); sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov; assistant sacristan of the Cathedral Priest Andrey Shklyar; Head of the Personal Secretariat of the Metropolitan Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov; sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Head of the Protocol Service of the Metropolitan Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Andrey Pleten, Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin, Deacon Alexander Piven, Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov, Deacon Georgy Tkachenko, and Deacon Daniil Pasyuk.

On the analogion in the center of the church rested the Cross brought out the evening before – a gift from the ever-memorable Beatitude Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem, containing particles of the Life-Giving Wood of the Lord’s Cross.

Liturgical hymns were chanted by the choir of the Metropolitan District (conductor – Honored Artist of Russia O. N. Ovchinnikov; choir director – V. Dudareva) and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral (conductor – E. Boguslavets).

In accordance with the Typikon, instead of the Trisagion hymn, the sticheron “We bow down before Thy Cross, O Master, and we glorify Thy holy Resurrection” was sung during the Liturgy.

Special commemorations were offered during the service for His Holiness Patriarch Pimen and the departed hierarchs who participated in the episcopal consecration of Metropolitan Alexander – His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan), Metropolitan Chrysanf (Chepil), and Metropolitan Isidor (Kirichenko); the spiritual mentor Archbishop Meliton (Solovyov); the ever-memorable hierarchs of Kazakhstan – Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) and Archbishop Sophonius (Sokolsky); and all who labored for the strengthening of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan.

The sermon following the Communion verse was delivered by Priest Georgy Sidorov.

The Divine Liturgy concluded with a doxology before the Cross of the Lord – the clergy, choir, and faithful chanted the troparion, kontakion, and magnification of the feast, as well as the sticheron “We bow down before Thy Cross, O Master…”

A Polychronion (Many Years) was intoned for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’; for the Head and the Right Reverend Hierarchs of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; for the President of the country K.-Zh.K. Tokayev; and for the authorities, the armed forces, and all the people of Kazakhstan.

On behalf of the clergy and flock of the Almaty Diocese, Bishop Gennady addressed the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan with words of congratulation on the anniversary of his episcopal consecration.

Metropolitan Alexander expressed words of gratitude for the good wishes and asked all those gathered in the church for fervent prayers that God’s grace-filled help might be granted in his service to the Church of Christ. He then offered congratulations to the clergy and the faithful on the feast of the Exaltation and delivered a sermon.

Video recording of the divine service was carried out by the Orthodox television studio “Semirechye” (director – Honored Worker of Culture V. Posadneva; cameraman – A. Schmidt); photography – A. Shcheglov.

“Two thousand years ago, on the Cross, our Lord Jesus Christ willingly endured cruel and shameful torments for our salvation and ‘by death He trampled down death.’ Stained with the Savior’s Blood, sanctified by His sufferings, the Cross became the altar of God’s love for mankind and the sign of eternal victory over sin, curse, and death.

The great teacher of the Church, Saint John Chrysostom, speaks thus of the Tree of the Cross: ‘The Cross is a feast and a spiritual triumph. It has become the source of countless blessings for us: it has delivered us from delusion, enlightened those sitting in darkness, reconciled us with God.’

Through the Cross, the All-Merciful Lord grants healing from many ailments – both physical and spiritual – deliverance from passions, sinful inclinations, and vices. The grace that flows from the Holy Cross is so great that it can not only heal illnesses but, as Church history testifies, even raise the dead.

With what thoughts, then, with what disposition should we approach the Cross, and offer veneration to the Life-Giving Tree?

One must not venerate the Cross while harboring malice or evil thoughts about others.

Approaching this chief Shrine of all creation, it is important to ask the Lord for the strength not to do evil – to cast out resentment and hostility from the heart. Then the divine grace – the love of Christ – will enter our hearts.

It is important that each one of us, while praying before the Cross of Christ, follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ – in patience and forgiveness, in love and mercy.

It is necessary that, imitating the Lord, who uttered a prayer for His crucifiers – ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Lk. 23:34) – the Christian sincerely forgive all those who have wronged or opposed him.

Kissing the Life-Giving Tree, let us pray to the Lord, that He may protect us by the power of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, strengthen our feeble forces, sanctify our minds and hearts – so that we may worthily and righteously bear our own cross through life.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander

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