Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the church of the Representation of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District in Moscow

11 March 2026 – Wednesday of the 3rd week of Great Lent; the day of commemoration of Saint Porphyry, Archbishop of Gaza.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia at the Patriarchal Metochion of the city of Moscow – the Representation of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: dean of the parishes of the city of Astana Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev), assistant to the Head of the Metropolitan District Hieromonk Antoniy (Drobyazko) and the clerics of the metochion.

The hymns were performed by the parish choir under the direction of Anna Rozhnova.

Praying at the service were employees of the Representation, benefactors of the Patriarchal Metochion and parishioners of the church.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy, the Head of the Metropolitan District addressed those praying with a word of instruction.

After the conclusion of the service at the Representation of the Metropolitan District, Metropolitan Alexander met with the leadership and staff of the Saint Dimitry Orthodox General Education School of the city of Moscow.

The Metropolitan presented awards of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District to the participants of the meeting.

In recognition of their labors in the spiritual and moral upbringing of children, the Order “Parental Glory” was awarded to:

Priest Alexander Lavrukhin, director of the Saint Dimitry School, and Matushka Alexandra Arkadyevna Lavrukhina

Archpriest Alexiy Spassky, cleric of the Church of Saint Tsarevich Dimitry at the First City Hospital of Moscow, and Matushka Polina Sergeyevna Spasskaya

For a significant contribution to the revival and strengthening of church singing traditions, the Order “Enbek Ushin” (For Labors) was awarded to the head of the Orthodox children’s choral studio “Tsarevich” of the Saint Dimitry School of Moscow Evgeny Svyatoslavovich Tugarinov.

For their labors in the spiritual and moral upbringing of children, the medal “Parental Glory” was awarded to Dmitry Petrovich Almazov and Varvara Vladimirovna Almazova, head of the ensemble “Sophia”.

Metropolitan Alexander expressed words of gratitude to the participants of the meeting. During the conversation that followed, the hierarch spoke about the implementation of educational and youth projects in the Metropolitan District and about the work of Sunday schools. The Metropolitan also shared plans for holding in May of this year the all-Kazakhstan festival of Orthodox choral ensembles, which will take place in Alma-Ata under the direction of Honored Worker of the Arts of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing and conductor of the Metropolitan Choir O.N. Ovchinnikov.

“Seven weeks of Great Lent – this is a time when we are called to correct our relationship with God, with ourselves and with our neighbors, to place everything in accordance with the wise order originally established by the Creator. Through the observance of the fast, with its rules and laws, we learn according to the Gospel word to render ‘to God the things that are God’s’ (Matt. 22:21) and to ‘please our neighbor for his good, to edification’ (Rom. 15:2). Another serious spiritual problem with which fasting helps a person to cope is complacency, the conviction, if not of righteousness, then at least of a certain personal sinlessness: ‘I have not killed, I have not robbed, and so on.’ But, as Blessed Augustine testifies: ‘Even if we do not have individual mortal sins such as murder, adultery or others similar to these, nevertheless taken together they are deadly because of their multitude.’ In the eyes of God an evil word and an outburst of anger are equated with murder – about this Christ Himself warns us in the Sermon on the Mount: whoever says to his brother, ‘fool,’ shall be liable to the hell of fire (cf. Matt. 5:22). According to Saint John of Shanghai: ‘A small blade of the grass of lawlessness is as accursed before the Lord as the great tree of crime.’ Having accepted and realized this fact, we will be able truly to repent before God, remove Pharisaical arrogance from the heart and set ourselves on the path of correction. Venerable Theodore of Damascus teaches: ‘The first sign of the beginning health of the soul is the vision of one’s sins as countless as the sand of the sea.’” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.