Monument to the First Hierarch of the Land of Kostanay, Confessor of the Faith – Bishop Timon (Rusanov) Unveiled in Kostanay

October 12, 2025. Kostanay.

Following the Sunday Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Sts. Constantine and Helen, a monument was unveiled next to the spiritual, cultural, and administrative diocesan center in memory of the ever-revered Bishop Timon (Rusanov; † 1930).

The bust of the first hierarch of the land of Kostanay – confessor of the faith and ascetic of piety – was created with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and installed as part of the celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Kostanay Diocese and the 95th anniversary of the repose of the hierarch.

The commemorative monument now adorns the square in front of the spiritual, cultural, and administrative center of the Kostanay Diocese, which bears the name of His Grace Bishop Timon.

Metropolitan Alexander sprinkled the monument with holy water and addressed those gathered with words about the life and labors of the first hierarch of Kostanay. The clergy and faithful chanted “Memory Eternal” to the saint.

Attending the event were: Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese – clergy of the Kostanay and Almaty Dioceses – parishioners and pilgrims who came for the celebrations.

“The passage of time distances us from those terrible years when the godless authorities carried out a policy of total annihilation of the Orthodox Church across the entire country.

The present younger generation of clergy and laity, fortunately, no longer has the bitter experience of those sorrows that inevitably had to be faced by those who dared to openly confess the Christian faith during the atheist era. But, thanks be to God, the memory of those who suffered for the Gospel truth is alive, and their veneration among the Orthodox people grows year by year.

Bishop Timon (Rusanov) of Kostanay, in that difficult era, accepted the cross of hierarchical service and became one of the pillars of faith and piety – a fighter against godlessness and schism, a fearless preacher of God’s truth, and a reprover of unbelief.

Gazing upon the image of the ever-revered bishop, studying the details of his life, analyzing his actions and character, we are inspired by the incorruptible beauty of the heavenly realm, which is revealed to us in his person – and we strive to draw closer to the spiritual joy of communion with God, which the hierarch acquired.

‘The love of God, which illumines the righteous, radiating from them, can also be contemplated by others who have not yet attained spirituality,’ says the priest and philosopher Fr. Pavel Florensky.

Today, in a time of heightened conflicts and contradictions, of growing hatred and malice, it is especially important for all of us – inspired by the example of our pious and courageous predecessors – not to forget our calling to be peacemakers, to embody kindness and love, compassion and mercy, and to bear witness to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).”

From the address of Metropolitan Alexander in memory of Bishop Timon (Rusanov)