Children’s Divine Liturgy Celebrated at the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern Capital

21 February 2026 – the day of commemoration of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Almaty.

A distinctive feature of the service was the participation of pupils from children’s Sunday schools of the churches of Almaty and the Almaty Region, as well as singers of the Moscow Orthodox choral studio “Tsarevich” (choirmaster – E.S. Tugarinov).

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, and Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Diocese of Astana; Archpriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the parishes of the Southern capital and rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Archimandrite Iosif (Yeremenko); Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral and head of the Metropolitan District’s Department for Public Relations; Archpriest Alexander Gaichenya, sacristan of the Nativity Cathedral; Hegumen Philip (Moiseev), member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports; Archpriest Alexander Ievlev, cleric of the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern capital; Hegumen Onisim (Tulnikov); Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral of Almaty and head of the Metropolitan District’s Youth Department; Priest Bogdan Boyko, head of the Metropolitan District’s Department of Culture; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of the Metropolitan’s protocol service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko; Deacon Daniil Pasyuk.

Praying at the Liturgy were: O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Honored Worker of Arts of the Russian Federation, choirmaster of the choir of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing; V.M. Kapsamun, president of the public foundation “ELEOS-MEIRIM”; staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration; teachers and pupils of the Sunday schools of the Southern capital; parishioners of the principal church of Almaty.

The hymns were sung by the singers of the Moscow Orthodox choral studio “Tsarevich” (choirmaster – E.S. Tugarinov, chorus master – A. Tugarinova) and the combined children’s choir of the Sunday schools of the Southern capital (choirmaster – N. Golovina, chorus master – O. Kartauzova).

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

The many young participants in the service partook of the life-giving Mysteries of Christ.

The Liturgy concluded with a glorification of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, after which the hierarch thanked the choral ensembles for their prayerful singing and addressed those present with a word of archpastoral instruction.

His Eminence sprinkled the faithful with holy water.