Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Church in the Village of Volkovo in the Vyatka Land, Where His Priestly Ordination Took Place in 1983

June 7, 2026 – the First Sunday after Pentecost, the Feast of All Saints who from all ages have pleased God.

The Synaxarion (a collection of historical information about the feast) of the Pentecostarion explains the principal reason for the establishment of the Feast of All Saints as follows: “The holy fathers established its celebration after the Descent of the Holy Spirit in order to show us the fruits brought forth through the apostles by the coming of the Holy Spirit. How it sanctified people akin to us by nature, made them wise, exalted them to the rank of angels, and led them to God: crowning some for the struggles of martyrdom and others for a virtuous life… Human nature, in the person of All Saints who have been glorified in various ways, now offers to God, as it were, its first fruits.”

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, who is making a pilgrimage to the holy sites of Vyatka with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, presided over the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Church in the village of Volkovo, Slobodskoy District.

In the St. Elijah chapel of Holy Trinity Church, on August 2, 1983, the feast day of the Holy Prophet Elijah, the ever-memorable Bishop Chrysanthos (Chepil) (later the first Metropolitan of Vyatka) ordained Deacon Alexander Mogilev (now Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan) to the priesthood.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolitan District were the rector of the church, Archpriest Vladimir Orlov, and clergy of the Vyatka Diocese.

Praying at the service were: O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing; T.S. Vorobyova, People’s Artist of Russia; E.N. Usmanova, Candidate of Sciences and senior researcher at the Vyatka State Agrotechnological University; residents of the village of Volkovo and pilgrims from Vyatka.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexander addressed those gathered with a homily, after which he celebrated a memorial litia at the grave of the ever-memorable rector of Holy Trinity Church, Archpriest Ioann Evdokimov, who is buried near the church walls.

As a gift to the church, the hierarch presented an icon of the Holy Prophet Elijah. In recognition of his many years of pastoral ministry, the rector of the parish, Archpriest Vladimir Orlov, who has served at Holy Trinity Church since 1999, was awarded the high distinction of the Metropolitan District – the Order “Еңбек Үшін” (“For Labors”).