At the Conclusion of Bright Week, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrated the Liturgy at the Dormition Cathedral in Astana

18 April 2026 – Bright Saturday; the commemoration of the translation of the relics of Saint Job, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy according to the Paschal rite at the Dormition Cathedral in Astana.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archbishop Amfilokhiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk; Bishop Ignatiy of Aktobe and Kyzylorda; dean of the Astana church district Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev); rector of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Church in Alma-Ata Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov; personal secretary of the Head of the Metropolitan District Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek); key-keeper of the Sts. Constantine and Helena Cathedral Archpriest Sergius Kaliyev; acting key-keeper of the Dormition Cathedral Archpriest Evgeny Korolkov; secretary of the Kostanay Diocese Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha); cleric of St. Seraphim of Sarov Church in Astana 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); Priest Sergiy Pinigín; Priest Viktor Drozhnikov; Priest Nikolai Goryachev; the diaconal rank was led by Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich.

By the beginning of the service, great holy relics were brought into the main church for veneration and spiritual strengthening of the faithful – particles of the relics of the Holy Apostle Peter and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene.

Praying at the Liturgy were: the abbess of the monastery of the Icon of the Mother of God “Recovery of the Lost” in Astana, Abbess Sevastiana (Plotnikova), with the sisters of the monastery; staff of the diocesan administration; and parishioners.

The hymns were performed by the choir of the Dormition Cathedral under the direction of O. Varentsova.

After the communion verse, Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek) read out the Paschal message of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the glorification of the Bright Resurrection of Christ was performed, after which the hierarch broke the Holy Artos – the Paschal blessed bread – and blessed it for distribution to the faithful, “that all who partake of it may be granted bodily and spiritual blessing and health.”

The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District warmly thanked the hierarchs, clergy, and all participants of the service for the common prayer and congratulated those gathered on the Paschal celebrations.

Exchanging the Paschal greeting with the clergy and faithful, the metropolitan delivered a sermon.

In recognition of his labors for the benefit of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, the Head of the Metropolitan District awarded S.V. Kuznetsov, Second Secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Order of the Venerable Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda.

“Artos, translated from Greek, means leavened bread. By this name is called a special bread blessed on the feast of Holy Easter. Throughout Bright Week, the Artos occupies the most prominent place in our churches together with the icon of the Resurrection of Christ and is carried in procession around the church. Today, at the conclusion of the Paschal week, it is broken into pieces and distributed to all the faithful. The use of the Artos dates back to apostolic times. In the Gospel we read that on the fortieth day after His Resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven. The disciples and followers of Christ found consolation in prayerful remembrance of the Lord. Gathering for common prayer, they recalled the Last Supper, partook of the Body and Blood of Christ, and shared a meal. At such gatherings they left a special place for the Savior. In that place, as a sign of the real presence of the Lord among those who believe in Him, the apostles placed bread. For all participants in the service, the Artos reminded them of the words of the Lord, in which He called Himself the Bread of Heaven who came down from Heaven. Following the apostles, the Church established on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ the placing of the Artos in the church as a visible expression that the Savior, who suffered for us, has become for us the true Bread of life and remains inseparably with us. In the prayer for the blessing of this Paschal bread, we asked the Lord to make all who partake of the Artos participants in heavenly blessing and to remove every illness and infirmity from us by His power, granting health to all. Prayerful petitions for the gift of blessing and of spiritual and bodily health were also offered at its breaking. Let us therefore carefully keep this sacred bread in our homes and partake of it with reverence and prayer to Christ the Giver of Life, who for our sake was crucified and rose again on the third day.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.