Head of the Metropolitan District Celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Feodorovskaya Church of the Intercession Convent in Uralsk

April 25, 2026 – the day of commemoration of Venerable Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium; celebration in honor of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Murom.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Feodorovskaya Church of the convent in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God in the city of Uralsk.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archbishop Amfilokhiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk; Bishop Ignatius of Aktobe and Kyzylorda; Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, vicar of the Astana Diocese; Bishop Vianor of Uralsk and Atyrau; Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyev, rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”; Archimandrite Theodosius (Kuryanov), rector of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of Uralsk; Archimandrite Dionysius (Kozulev), cleric of the Intercession Convent in Uralsk; Archpriest Anatoly Robu, rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior of the city; Hegumen Dorofey (Dilmanayev), head of the information department of the Ural Diocese; Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of the Metropolitan’s protocol service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Protodeacon Alexander Mokiy; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko; clergy of the Ural Diocese.

The choir of the Intercession Convent sang under the direction of M. Kalyazina.

Praying at the service were: O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, choirmaster of the Metropolitan choir, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; Abbess Varvara (Morozova) with the sisters of the monastery; V.M. Kapsamun, President of the public foundation “Eleos-Meirim”; A.V. Gruby, Consul General of Russia in Uralsk; parishioners of the city’s churches; and pilgrims from nearby settlements.

At the memorial litany, the Head of the Metropolitan District offered special prayers for the repose of the ever-memorable His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, on the fortieth day since his repose, and Archbishop Anthony (Moskalenko), who reposed one year ago.

The sermon after the Communion verse was delivered by Priest Georgy Sidorov.

The service concluded with the glorification of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, after which the Metropolitan proclaimed “Christ is Risen!” in various languages, ancient and modern.

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated the hierarchs, the abbess of the monastery, the clergy, and the faithful on the Pascha of Christ and addressed those present with a word of instruction.

Abbess Varvara thanked Metropolitan Alexander for the archpastoral visit and the holy prayers. As a remembrance of the service, she presented the hierarch with a mitre.