On the day of commemoration of St Peter of Moscow and Blessed Procopius of Vyatka, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy at the Dormition Church in the Kemel microdistrict

3 January 2025 – the Saturday before the Nativity of Christ, the day of commemoration of St Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Wonderworker, and Blessed Procopius of Vyatka, Fool for Christ.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Church in the Kemel microdistrict (formerly the settlement of Pervomaysky) of the city of Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archpriest Valery Zakharov, dean of the churches of the Southern Capital and rector of St Nicholas Cathedral; Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, rector of the church in honour of the Icon of the Mother of God «Joy of All Who Sorrow»; Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, dean of the Ili Church District and rector of the Dormition parish; Hegumen Philaret (Petrochenko), rector of the Iveron Church in the settlement of Boroldai, Almaty Region; Archpriest Alexander Ageev, rector of the St Seraphim Church in the settlement of Chapaevo; Archpriest Vadim Alekseev, rector of the church in honour of Righteous John of Kronstadt in the settlement of Zhetygen; Archpriest Vyacheslav Pugachev, head of the Metropolitan District Commission for Charity and Social Ministry; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat; Protopriest Deacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protopriest Deacon Roman Golovin, head of the Metropolitan’s protocol service; Protopriest Deacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; clergy of the churches of the Almaty Diocese.

The liturgical chants were performed by the choir of the Ascension Cathedral under the direction of E. Boguslavets.

The sermon after the Communion verse was delivered by Archpriest Vyacheslav Pugachev.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, a doxology was sung to the commemorated saints. Metropolitan Alexander congratulated everyone on the forefeast of the Nativity of Christ and the commemoration of St Peter of Moscow and Blessed Procopius of Vyatka, after which he addressed those gathered with words of exhortation.

The Head of the Metropolitan District congratulated Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, dean of the Ili Church District, on the anniversary of his birth. As a gift, His Eminence presented the pastor with a jewelled pectoral cross and a holy prosphora, wishing him good health, mercy from the Lord and many years of standing before the Throne of God.

The Vyatka wonderworker and man of spiritual insight, Blessed Procopius, reposed in the Lord on 21 December (old style) 1627 and was buried at the Dormition Trifonov Monastery. His relics rest beneath the floor in the southern part of the Dormition Cathedral.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, during his service as secretary of the Kirov Diocesan Administration, became in 1988 the initiator of the revival of the Dormition Trifonov Monastery – one of the most ancient monasteries of the Vyatka land, founded in the second half of the 16th century by St Trifon. For several centuries this monastery was a significant spiritual, cultural and educational centre of the region. Its more than 300-year history was interrupted after the October coup of 1917. On 8 September 1918, by order of the godless authorities, the Dormition Trifonov Monastery was closed. Archives, a laundry, a canteen, a bakery, a shoe workshop, various educational institutions, a dormitory and communal apartments were housed in the churches and monastic buildings.

In 1988, at the initiative of Archpriest Alexander Mogilev (now Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan), more than 12,000 signatures were collected in support of the opening of the Dormition Cathedral. In April 1989, the Dormition Cathedral was transferred to the diocese for free use. Under the guidance of the diocesan secretary, the faithful day by day cleared the monastery grounds of decades-old debris and laboured in repairing the church building.

In August 1991, the Kirov Regional Executive Committee adopted a historic resolution transferring the entire ensemble of the Dormition Trifonov Monastery to the Kirov Diocesan Administration. Soon thereafter, the Dormition Cathedral was consecrated and became the cathedral church of the diocese. On 25 September 1991, the Holy Synod blessed the opening of the Holy Dormition Trifonov Monastery in the city of Kirov. Today, the Dormition Cathedral of the Trifonov Monastery is the most ancient of the surviving stone churches of the Vyatka region.