On the commemoration day of Venerable Alexy, the Man of God, the Head of the Metropolitan District celebrated the Liturgy at St Nicholas Church of Kostanay

30 March 2026 – Monday of the 6th week of Great Lent; the commemoration day of Venerable Alexy, the Man of God.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts of Saint Gregory the Dialogist at St Nicholas Church of the city of Kostanay.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolitan District were: Secretary of the Kostanay diocese Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha); personal secretary of the Head of the Metropolitan District Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek); key-keeper of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral Archpriest Vasily Korolev; clerics of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral of the city of Kostanay Hegumen Innokenty (Pomogalov) and Archpriest Vitaly Kleba; rector of St Nicholas Church of the city of Kostanay Archpriest Vitaly Gutsan; Head of the metropolitan’s secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov; Head of the metropolitan’s protocol service Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; rectors and clergy of the churches of the Kostanay diocese.

The choir of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral of the city of Kostanay sang under the direction of T. Zhebrak.

For prayerful veneration and spiritual support of the faithful, a reliquary containing the relics of Venerable Alexy, the Man of God, was brought to St Nicholas Church.

The sermon after the Communion verse was delivered by Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek).

The Liturgy concluded with the glorification of Venerable Alexy, the Man of God, after which the hierarch addressed the faithful with words of instruction.

The Metropolitan sprinkled the numerous faithful with holy water.

«The life of Saint Alexy stands apart and is markedly distinguished from the entire corpus of hagiographical literature of the Orthodox Church. The подвиг of Saint Alexy is very unusual. At a young age, in fact, from beneath the wedding crown, leaving his bride and parents, Alexy departs from his native city, causing those who loved him to grieve over his loss. Yet after some time he returns and lives, unrecognized by his parents, in the guise of a beggar at the threshold of his own home. Having deprived his relatives of the possibility of loving him with a natural feeling, as is proper to human nature, Alexy, upon returning, brings into his family home a higher, supernatural, Divine love. The life of Venerable Alexy was a beloved reading in large Orthodox families. This life was loved because it taught families a lesson. The life instructed Orthodox families in the truth that only such a family can be truly strong whose members are united by religious feeling, lofty love and common service to God and neighbor. For a family to be strong, human feelings alone are not enough. A shared household, family enterprises, common secular interests – do not give true unity, which is possible only in Christ. And may Venerable Alexy, whose soul burned with love for Christ, make our Orthodox families firm and strong!». From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.