The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord – Patronal Feast of the Principal Cathedral of Alma-Ata

May 21, 2026 – the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. For the principal church of the Southern Capital, this day is its patronal feast.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Alma-Ata.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolitan District were: Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk; Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; Archpriest Valery Zakharov, dean of the churches of the Southern Capital and rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Archimandrite Gerontius (Borisevich); Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Alma-Ata; Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov), spiritual father of the Alma-Ata Diocese; Archimandrite Joseph (Yeremenko), head of the diocesan department for the canonization of saints; Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, head of the Metropolitan District’s department for public relations and dean of the Ascension Cathedral; Hegumen Philip (Moiseev), member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports; Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek), secretary to the Head of the Metropolitan District; Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky), head of the Metropolitan’s Secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, rector of the Kazan Cathedral of Alma-Ata; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Protodeacon Sergiy Kulikov; Deacon Ilya Kvan, secretary of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Diocese; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Hierodeacon Sofonia (Mazurenko); Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov; and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

The hymns were performed by the Choir of the Metropolitan District (regent – Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov; choirmaster – V. Dudareva) and the Choir of the Ascension Cathedral (regent – E. Boguslavets).

For prayerful veneration, a reliquary containing a fragment of the stone from the Mount of Olives bearing the imprint of the Savior’s footprint was brought into the church. The shrine was a gift of the ever-memorable Beatitude Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem.

Praying during the Liturgy was V.M. Kapsamun, president of the public foundation Eleos-Meirim.

In accordance with the liturgical Typikon, special antiphons composed of prophetic psalms are appointed for the Liturgy of the Feast of the Ascension: Psalm 46, “O clap your hands, all ye peoples”, with the refrain “Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us”; Psalm 47, “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised”, with the refrain “Save us, O Son of God, Who ascended in glory, we who sing to Thee: Alleluia”; and Psalm 48, “Hear this, all ye peoples”, with the feast’s troparion refrain: “Thou hast ascended in glory, O Christ our God.” The Apostolic reading at the Liturgy recounts the event of the Ascension itself (Acts of the Holy Apostles, chapter 1, verses 1–12). The Gospel reading (Luke 24:36–53) tells of the appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples after the Resurrection, His final instruction, blessing, and the very moment of His Ascension into Heaven.

The sermon after the communion verse was delivered by Archimandrite Joseph (Yeremenko).

The Liturgy concluded with a procession of the cross, after which the Head of the Metropolitan District blessed the four directions of the world with the icon of the Ascension of the Lord, invoking God’s saving grace upon the city of Alma-Ata and the whole land of Kazakhstan. The hierarch then sprinkled the faithful with holy water.

Many Years was proclaimed for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’; for the Head, hierarchs, clergy, and flock of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; and for the President, authorities, armed forces, and all the people of Kazakhstan.

Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful on the feast and delivered a sermon on the significance of the Gospel event of the Savior’s Ascension into Heaven for the salvation of the human race.

Special words of congratulations were addressed to Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov), spiritual father of the Alma-Ata Diocese, who this year marks the 40th anniversary of his ordained ministry. In connection with this memorable date, and in fulfillment of the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, Metropolitan Alexander presented Father Ioann with a high church award – the Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Second Class. His Eminence wished Father Ioann health, long life, and God’s help in the continuation of his pastoral labors for the benefit of the Holy Church in the land of Semirechye.

A live broadcast of the entire festal service took place on the YouTube channel Proобраз with the support of the Eleos-Meirim public foundation (director – V.M. Kapsamun).

Video coverage of the Metropolitan service was carried out by the Semirechye television studio of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District (director – Honored Worker of Culture V.L. Posadneva; cameraman – A. Schmidt); photographic coverage – by A. Shcheglov, сотрудник информационного отдела and the Eleos-Meirim foundation.

“Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. In great glory our Savior ascended from the Mount of Olives into Heaven – to God the Father. By His Resurrection, the Lord conquered death and raised human nature together with Himself, and by His Ascension He opened for mankind the way into the Heavenly Kingdom. Saint Nicholas of Serbia likened the ascended Christ to ‘an eagle making a path for its eaglets’ or ‘a swallow flying ahead and showing the way to others.’

‘I am with you always, even unto the end of the world,’ Christ said to His apostles.

After the Ascension, the visible earthly presence of the Lord gave way to His invisible, yet constant and real abiding in the Church. Paradoxically, by ascending into Heaven, the Savior became much closer to every person. Each of us can experience this gracious nearness – in reading Holy Scripture, in sincere prayer, and in the Holy Mysteries of the Church. It is felt especially when, after sincere repentance, we approach the Chalice of Life with humility and contrition of heart and partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord. It is precisely in these moments that we reverently experience God’s closest participation in our lives, gain our own spiritual experience, are strengthened in faith, and abundantly receive joy from the knowledge that the Lord is with us. Truly, Christ is in His Church, which He founded and which He acquired by His precious Blood.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.