On the Sunday Honoring the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Iveron

October 26, 2025 – the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

At the Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron–Seraphim Convent in Almaty, where a revered copy of the wonder-working Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is kept, the festive Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were Archbishop Barnabas of Pavlodar and Ekibastuz, Archbishop Sebastian of Karaganda and Shakhtinsk, Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Archbishop Varsonofy of Kokshetau and Akmola, Archbishop Vladimir of Petropavlovsk and Bulaevo, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Bishop Ignaty of Aktobe and Kyzylorda, Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese, Bishop Khrisanf of Shymkent and Turkestan, Bishop Veniamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Astana Diocese, Bishop Vianor of Uralsk and Atyrau, Dean of the parishes of Almaty and Rector of Saint Nicholas Cathedral Mitred Archpriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the parishes of Astana Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev), Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Almaty Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, Rector of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary and Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District, Candidate of Theology Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov, Key Keeper of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Metropolitan District’s Department for Public Relations Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, Key Keeper of the Nativity of Christ Cathedral Archpriest Alexander Gaychenya, Rector of the Epiphany Church Archpriest Valery Shavrin, clergy of the parishes of the southern capital; the deaconal rank was headed by Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich.

At the beginning of the service, a reliquary containing a great Orthodox relic – a portion of the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, kept in the domestic Iveron–Seraphim Chapel of the Metropolitan’s residence in Almaty – was brought to the Sophia Cathedral for the prayerful veneration and spiritual strengthening of the faithful.

Praying at the Liturgy were Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) of the Iveron–Seraphim Convent with the sisters of the monastery, Abbess Ekaterina (Malgina) of the Holy Trinity–Saint Nicholas Monastery in Tashkent, Secretary of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Choir Director of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, and member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing O. N. Ovchinnikov, Head of the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Kazakhstan M. S. Simakova, students of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary, staff of the departments and commissions of the Metropolitan District, staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration, parishioners of Almaty churches, and numerous pilgrims.

The guest of the feast was the President of the charitable foundation Eleos-Meirim, V. M. Kapsamun.

The choir of the Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron–Seraphim Monastery sang under the direction of O. Usoltseva.

During the service, memorial prayers were offered for the ever-remembered Kazakh hierarchs buried in the monastery – Archbishop Sophronius (Sokolsky, †1877), Bishop Nikon (Bogoyavlensky, †1897), and Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov, †1975); for the departed abbesses of the Iveron–Seraphim Convent – Nun Paisia (Kryuchkova), Abbess Nectaria (Dmitrieva), and Abbess Euphrosyne (Bakurevich); and for all those who labored in the monastery both before the Revolution and in modern times.

The sermon after the Communion verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov.

The Liturgy concluded with the glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos before the reliquary containing Her holy Belt and before the Iveron Icon of the Queen of Heaven, as well as with a litia at the tomb of Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov). Afterwards, Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the bishops, the abbesses, the clergy, and the faithful on the patronal feast and addressed them with an archpastoral homily.

Many Years was proclaimed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, to the Head and hierarchy of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, to the President of the Republic K.–Zh. K. Tokayev, and to the authorities, armed forces, and peoples of Kazakhstan and Russia.

The Head of the Metropolitan District sprinkled the faithful with holy water.

The festive service was filmed by the Orthodox television studio Semirechye (Director – Honored Worker of Culture V. Posadneva, Cameraman – A. Schmidt); photography was carried out by A. Khalin.

A live broadcast of the entire Divine Liturgy was conducted on the YouTube channel Proobraz with the support of the public foundation Eleos-Meirim (President – V. M. Kapsamun).

“For every Orthodox Christian, the name of the Most Holy Theotokos is precious and beloved, for through Her Christ the Savior came into the world. We glorify Her as ‘more honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim,’ that is, higher than all the angelic powers. The Mother of our Lord is the mother of every Christian, for during His sufferings on Golgotha, Christ, in the person of the Apostle John the Theologian, entrusted the human race to Her. Therefore everything connected with the name of the Mother of God is especially revered by the Orthodox people – the holy places, the churches and monasteries, and, of course, Her wonder-working icons. The fulfillment of our petitions and hopes is possible only when our hearts contain sincere faith in God and trust in His mercy. The holy Apostle Paul teaches: ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him’ (Heb. 11:6). Prayerful labor cannot be fruitful without the cleansing of one’s own soul, without repentance and correction of life. As the great teacher of the Church, Saint Gregory the Theologian, said: ‘Just as a cloud hides the radiance of the sun’s rays, so a sinner who does not wish to recognize and renounce his sins closes himself off from the rays of God’s love and from the mercy of the Mother of God.’ Therefore, as we venerate the icon of the Queen of Heaven, let us ask the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins, for the overcoming of weaknesses, and for victory over passions. Let the chief theme of our petitions and prayers be the attainment of a virtuous Christian life, the bright example of which is given to us by the Most Holy Theotokos Herself.”

From the homily of Metropolitan Alexander.