On the Feast Day of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Almaty Church Dedicated to the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos

December 13, 2025 – the feast day of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

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

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: vicars of the Astana Diocese – Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, and Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan; Dean of the churches of the Southern Capital, Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral Archpriest Valery Zakharov; Rector of the Almaty Church dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov; Head of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Metropolitan District, Rector of the Intercession Church and the Church dedicated to the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos Archpriest Evgeny Bobylev; Archpriest Dimitry Dubovenko; Sacristan of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul Archpriest Kirill Shklyar; Head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Head of the extramural department of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary Priest Daniil Bobylev; Sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral of Almaty Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Sacristan of the Adrian and Natalia Church Priest Ioann Konoplev; Protodacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service Protodacon Roman Golovin; Deacon Rustik Yakupov; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

Prior to the beginning of the service, a holy relic was brought to the church for prayerful veneration and spiritual strengthening of the faithful – a reliquary containing relics of the Twelve Apostles of Christ, preserved at the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern Capital.

During the Liturgy, prayers were offered by: teachers and students of the Theological and Missionary Faculty of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary, teachers and pupils of the parish Sunday school named after the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, and parishioners of the church.

The liturgical chants were performed by the choir of the Church dedicated to the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos under the direction of O. Kartauzova.

The sermon after the Communion hymn was delivered by Priest Georgy Rublinsky.

The Liturgy concluded with the glorification of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called before the reliquary containing the relics of the disciples of Christ.

Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the hierarchs, clergy and laity on the feast day of the Apostle Andrew and delivered a sermon. After that, the archpastor sprinkled the worshippers with holy water.

“The feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew, called the First-Called, reminds every Orthodox Christian of the calling to apostolic ministry, of the necessity to follow Christ until the end of one’s days. All of us – archpastors and pastors, monastics and laity – must be disciples of the Savior and proclaimers of the Gospel truth not only in name, but in essence. As continuers of the apostolic work, we bear a special responsibility before God not only for the salvation of our own souls, but we also answer before the Creator for our relatives and loved ones. Through prayer, kind words of exhortation, and the example of a life according to the commandments of the Lord, we can and must contribute to the salvation of those who walk the path of life alongside us.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.