The reading of the Penitential Canon of St Andrew of Crete was concluded during the first week of Great Lent

26 February 2026 – Thursday of the first week of Great Lent; the commemoration of Venerable Martinian and of St Seraphim (Sobolev), Archbishop of Boguchar.

In the morning, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan prayed at the appointed service in the Iveron-Seraphim house church of the metropolitan residence.

In the evening, His Eminence celebrated Great Compline at the Ascension Cathedral of the city of Almaty.

At the service, the concluding portion of the Great Penitential Canon of St Andrew of Crete was read.

Praying at the service were heads of departments of the Metropolitan District, clergy of the Ascension Cathedral, staff of the Almaty diocesan administration and parishioners.

The hymns of Compline were sung by the choir of the Metropolitan District under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral under the direction of E. Boguslavets.

After the reading of the Canon, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan addressed those gathered with words of instruction.

A live broadcast of the reading of the Canon of St Andrew of Crete was carried on the YouTube channel of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District “Semirechie.”

The Canon of St Andrew of Crete, which was read in parts from Monday through Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, will, in accordance with the Typikon, be read in its entirety at Matins on Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent at the service traditionally known as the Standing of Mary of Egypt – on the evening of 2 April.

“On Thursday of Clean Week of Great Lent, the reading of the Penitential Canon of St Andrew of Crete is concluded in Orthodox churches. Through this great work of liturgical poetry, during the evening services of the first four days of the Fast we immersed ourselves in an atmosphere of repentance and sought to awaken in our souls the resolve to enter upon the path of righteous and God-pleasing life. As it is said in an ancient ecclesiastical instruction, the Canon of St Andrew is capable of ‘softening even the most hardened soul and raising it to good vigilance, if only it be sung with a contrite heart and attention.’ Everything of which the Cretan archpastor speaks—dogmatic and moral truths, historical examples—has one principal aim: to contribute to our salvation.

Salvation is the spiritual rebirth of a person who leaves the path of sin and draws near to God. And the first step toward this is deep and sincere repentance. It is precisely tears of repentance that can open a person’s spiritual sight. Today we heard these words: ‘Let my tears be unto me as Siloam, O Master Lord, that I also may wash the eyes of my heart and behold Thee noetically, O Light Eternal.’ A Christian who weeps over his sins is compared with the Gospel blind man who washed in the Pool of Siloam and received the ability to behold the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Of particular importance in the Canon of St Andrew of Crete is the kontakion in the sixth tone, which tradition attributes to Venerable Romanos the Melodist: ‘O my soul, my soul, arise! Why sleepest thou? The end draweth near, and thou shalt be troubled. Awake, then, that Christ God may spare thee, Who is everywhere present and fillest all things!’ The kontakion is always sung by the choir to a special compunctionate melody. It expresses a firm conviction in the capacity of every person for spiritual renewal. A person cannot be identified with his sins and passions. They do not constitute his essence; they can be overcome through spiritual labor and by the power of divine grace. To this labor our efforts are devoted throughout Great Lent. I wish that we all may not grow weary in our efforts in the arena of Holy Forty Days, so that we may joyfully meet the feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.” From the instruction of Metropolitan Alexander.