Leavetaking of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord. Night Divine Liturgy Celebrated at the Kazan Cathedral of Almaty

19 February 2026 – the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.

On the night of 18–19 February, on the eve of Great Lent, and with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Diocese of Astana, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the oldest church of the city of Almaty – the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Concelebrating with His Grace were: Abbot Filaret (Petrochenko), Rector of the Iveron Church in the settlement of Boraldai; Abbot Onisim (Tulnikov); Hieromonk Arseny (Voloshin), cleric of St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iversky–Seraphim Convent; Hieromonk Roman (Chistyakov), cleric of the Ascension Cathedral; Hieromonk Sergius (Vnukovsky), sacristan of St. Vladimir Church; Hieromonk Gennady (Solovyov), cleric of the Church of St. John the Theologian; Hieromonk Cherubim (Levin), cleric of the Kazan Cathedral; Hierodeacon Afanasy (Kozel); Deacon Ioann Churkin; and Deacon Konstantin Volnyagin.

The male choir of the Almaty Diocese sang under the direction of Deacon Alexander Piven.

Praying at the service were staff members of the public foundation “ELEOS-MEIRIM,” headed by its president V.M. Kapsamun, as well as representatives of the Almaty Orthodox Youth Movement.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, before the festal icon, the clergy, choir, and faithful sang the troparion, kontakion, and magnification of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord.

Bishop Klavdian conveyed to the faithful the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, after which he delivered a homily, reminding those present of the significance of the approaching days of Great Lent.