Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District Meets with Metropolitan Mark of Vyatka and Slobodskoy and Visits Holy Trinity Church in Makarye

June 5, 2026. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, who is visiting the Vyatka land with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, met with Metropolitan Mark of Vyatka and Slobodskoy.

Participating in the meeting was O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing.

The Head of the Metropolitan District thanked Vladyka Mark for the opportunity to visit the churches of the Vyatka land and offer prayers before its ancient holy shrines.

The Head of the Vyatka Metropolitanate informed Metropolitan Alexander about this year’s All-Russian Velikoretsk Cross Procession, noting that, according to regional authorities, on June 3 a total of 31,000 pilgrims departed from the Dormition Cathedral of the Trifon Monastery – 10,000 more people than last year.

The hierarchs discussed the forthcoming celebrations at the Velikaya River, dedicated to the appearance in 1383 of the wonderworking icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, which will take place on June 6.

In turn, the Kazakhstani hierarch shared with his brother-archpastor information about the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan. Vladyka Metropolitan spoke about the anticipated significant events in the Metropolitan District connected with the 25th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of the heavenly patrons of Kazakhstan – the Venerable Martyrs Seraphim and Theognostus of Alma-Ata – and the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Seraphim-Theognostus Men’s Hermitage in the Aksai Gorge, at the site of their ascetic labors and martyrdom.

Metropolitan Mark warmly congratulated Oleg Nikolayevich Ovchinnikov – a native of the Vyatka land – on being awarded the honorary title “Honored Worker of Kazakhstan” by decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, for outstanding achievements in the field of culture and exceptional service to the state.

At the conclusion of their meeting, the hierarchs wished one another health and God’s help in ecclesiastical labors. At the church, the archpastor was welcomed by the rector, Priest Vladimir Putintsev.

On the same day, the Head of the Metropolitan District visited the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Makarye.

In the late 1980s, the future Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan – Archpriest Alexander Mogilev – organized an initiative group of parishioners and actively sought the return to believers of one of the many churches closed in the Kirov Region. Holy Trinity Church in Makarye became the first church returned by the Soviet authorities within the regional center, not only in the city of Kirov, but in all of Russia.

For many years of service for the benefit of Orthodoxy, Vladyka Metropolitan presented Fr. Vladimir Putintsev with a high award of the Metropolitan District – the “Enbek Üshin” Order (For Labors).

As a gift to Holy Trinity Church, the hierarch presented an icon of the Prophet Elijah.

At the cemetery near Holy Trinity Church, Metropolitan Alexander served a memorial lity at the graves of the ever-memorable ascetics of Orthodoxy – Mitred Archpriest Seraphim Isupov (†2021), Nun Seraphima (Gordeyeva; †1995), Kalisa Vasilyevna Ovchinnikova (†1998), and Protodeacon Vladimir Zhukov (†2016).