Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and the rite of blessing koliva at the main church of Almaty

27 February 2026 – Friday of the first week of Great Lent; the commemoration of Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril, Teacher of the Slavs.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts of St Gregory the Dialogist at the Ascension Cathedral of the city of Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archimandrite Joseph (Yeremenko); key-keeper of the Ascension Cathedral and head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov; Hieromonk Dimitry Baidek; Hieromonk Onisim (Tulnikov); Hieromonk Roman (Chistyakov); head of the Metropolitan’s Secretariat, Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky); head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; Hieromonk Paisiy (Tishakov); and the cathedral clergy. The diaconal rank was led by Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich.

The choir of the Ascension Cathedral sang under the direction of E. Boguslavets. The hymn “Let my prayer arise” was performed by Deacon Alexander Piven, D. Kochua and M. Ababakriev.

The homily before Holy Communion was delivered by Hieromonk Dimitry Baidek.

After the prayer behind the ambo, Metropolitan Alexander led a service of supplication to the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit and blessed the koliva.

At the conclusion of the moleben, the archpastor congratulated all those praying in the church on the completion of the Lenten services of the first week and delivered a sermon.

In the tradition of the Orthodox Church, koliva is a simple Lenten food consisting of boiled wheat or rice with the addition of honey, dried fruits and nuts. The tradition of blessing koliva on the Friday of the first week of Great Lent dates back to the fourth century. The Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, wishing to hinder Christians from observing the Fast, ordered the prefect of Constantinople to sprinkle all food supplies in the markets during the first week of Great Lent with blood from pagan sacrifices. The holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, appearing in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, instructed him to announce to all Christians that no one should buy anything in the markets, but instead eat boiled wheat with honey—koliva (kutia or sochivo).

The holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit especially protects Christians during the days of the Fast, guarding the faithful by his prayerful intercession from temptations and trials. In remembrance of this event, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates his commemoration on the Saturday of the first week of Great Lent. On Friday, at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, a moleben canon to the Great Martyr Theodore, composed by Venerable John of Damascus, is read, after which the koliva is blessed and distributed to the faithful.

The outstanding preacher of the Russian Orthodox Church, St Innocent of Kherson, points to this miracle performed by the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit as vivid evidence of the significance and importance of fasting: “If fasting could be neglected as something of little importance, heaven would not be so concerned with it, and the holy Great Martyr would not have left the radiant abodes of the Heavenly Father merely to show his earthly brethren how to avoid violating the Fast. Such manifestations of the saints in our world occur only for the most important reasons. How then can some dare to think and say that it makes no difference whether one fasts or does not fast?”