On the Feast of St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in Astana

July 28, 2026 – the feast of St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Grand Prince of Rus’, who received the name Basil in Holy Baptism.

On the feast of St. Vladimir, the countries within the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church traditionally observe the Day of the Baptism of Rus’.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen, the oldest church in the city of Astana.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov, Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary and Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; Hegumen Agafangel (Gagua), Vice-Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, Candidate of Theology, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and Professor; Hieromonk Modest (Drozdov), spiritual father of the Monastery of the Mother of God Icon “Recovery of the Perishing” in Astana; Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), Acting Secretary of the Diocese of Kostanay; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Andrey Ivashinin, a cleric of St. Sergius Church; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service; Protodeacon Sergiy Kulikov; Deacon John Yanchuk; and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen under the direction of N. Mazurina.

Praying at the service were O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Figure of Kazakhstan and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; Hegumenia Sevastiana (Plotnikova), abbess of the Monastery of the Mother of God Icon “Recovery of the Perishing” in Astana, together with the sisters of the monastery; N.V. Parshikova, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation; members of the Astana Diocesan Administration; and parishioners.

During the Litany of Fervent Supplication, special petitions composed for the feast of the Baptism of Rus’ were offered.

The sermon before Holy Communion was delivered by Priest Georgy Sidorov, Lecturer in Homiletics at the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary.

The Divine Liturgy concluded with a service of glorification to St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Following the service, the clergy, staff of the Diocese of Astana, and parishioners congratulated the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan on the sixteenth anniversary of his elevation to the rank of Metropolitan.

Metropolitan Alexander thanked the clergy and faithful, offered his congratulations to those celebrating their name day in honor of St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and sprinkled those present with holy water.

In his sermon at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexander noted in particular:

“The life of the Baptizer of Rus’, preserved in remarkable detail by the ancient chronicles, is precious to everyone who considers himself a faithful child of the Russian Orthodox Church, regardless of nationality, language, culture, or place of residence. Having embraced the apostolic faith, Prince Vladimir fully understood what lies at the very heart of the Christian spiritual life and at the center of the Gospel’s moral teaching: the two commandments—love for God and love for one’s neighbor—upon which ‘hang all the Law and the Prophets’ (Matthew 22:40).

‘I cannot describe all his acts of mercy,’ marvels the Cave Monastery monk Jacob at the virtues of the prince. ‘In cities and villages alike he showed compassion everywhere: clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, providing shelter for travelers; honoring, loving, and caring for the ministers of the Church, supplying all that they needed; showing mercy to the poor, orphans, widows, the blind, the lame, and all who suffered, clothing them, feeding them, and giving them drink.’

St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, teaches us that there can be no division in our religious life between the doctrinal and theoretical confession of faith and the practical fulfillment of the commandments. Contemplating with the eyes of faith the sacrifice of Christ and beholding His condescension in love for mankind ‘even unto death, even the death of the Cross’ (Philippians 2:8), we come to understand that love is, above all, the willingness to give oneself for others.

As His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Primate of our Church, once said in a sermon: ‘The willingness to give another person a part of your own life—your time, your care, your resources, your human warmth and compassion—is what love truly is. Love is not beautiful words but the ability to share your life with another.’

To preserve the holy Orthodox faith with reverence, to love the Church of Christ, to study ourselves and pass on to our children the foundations of the apostolic and patristic faith, and, above all, to live according to the Gospel’s commandments of love and truth—these are the principal legacies left to us by the great and right-believing Prince Vladimir.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.