Metropolitan Alexander celebrated a Lenten Liturgy with the participation of all the clergy of the Astana Diocese

4 March 2026 – Wednesday of the 2nd week of Great Lent; the day of commemoration of Venerable Theodore of Sanaksar.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Dormition Cathedral of the city of Astana.

According to ancient tradition, the Presanctified Liturgy was served in the evening hours.

Before the beginning of the service, great shrines were brought out from the altar of the main church of Kazakhstan for the prayerful veneration of the faithful – reliquaries containing the relics of St Luke of Crimea and Blessed Matrona of Moscow.

Concelebrating with the archpastor were: Dean of the Astana Church District Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev); spiritual father of the Astana women’s monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost”, Hieromonk Modest (Drozdov); key-keeper of the St Constantine and Helen Cathedral Archpriest Sergy Kaliev; key-keeper of St Seraphim Church Archpriest Evgeny Korolkov; cleric of the Church of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov Hieromonk Siluan (Sinegubov); head of the Orthodox youth movement of the Astana Deanery Priest Grigory Kulikov; head of the Metropolitan’s Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky); assistant to the dean Priest Sergy Dianov; head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Ilya Davydov; clergy of the Astana and Almaty Diocese.

The choir of the Dormition Cathedral sang under the direction of O. Varentsova.

Praying at the Liturgy were: staff of the Astana diocesan administration, activists of the Astana Orthodox youth movement, and parishioners of the city’s churches.

The homily after the Communion verse was delivered by Hieromonk Siluan (Sinegubov).

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District thanked the clergy, monastics and laity for the joy of common prayer at the holy altar and addressed those gathered with words of instruction.

Metropolitan Alexander bestowed liturgical-hierarchical awards upon clergy of the Astana Deanery:

• the Dean of the Astana Church District, Archimandrite Sergy (Karamyshev) – the right to celebrate the Liturgy with the Royal Doors open until the hymn “We who mystically represent the Cherubim”;
• the rector of St Nicholas Church in the village of Akkaiyk, Akmola Region, Priest Vladislav Kovalenko – the right to wear the palitsa;
• the cleric of St Seraphim Church in the city of Astana, Deacon John Artemyev – the right to wear the double orarion.

After the service, at the Spiritual and Cultural Center named after the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the archpastor held a working meeting with the clergy and church servants of the Astana Church District.

During the meeting, the Metropolitan spoke about forthcoming events in church life, the celebration of commemorative dates, and discussed issues concerning the development of spiritual and educational work.