On the Feast of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Liturgy at the Znamensk-Abalak Convent in Semipalatinsk

August 17, 2026 – the commemoration of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus, and Antoninus.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the “Sign-Abalak” Icon of the Mother of God at the convent of the same name in the city of Semipalatinsk.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was concelebrated by: Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk; Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek), Personal Secretary to the Head of the Metropolitan District; Archpriest Roman Sychuk, Dean of the Semipalatinsk Church District; Hieromonk Agapit (Nikonov); 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 Andrey Dudnik; Deacon Ilya Kvan, Secretary of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Diocese.

An icon of the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ containing a great Gospel relic – a particle of the Wood of the Life-Giving Cross – was brought to the monastery church for the prayerful veneration and spiritual strengthening of the faithful.

Praying at the divine service were: O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation; Abbess Marionilla, Superior of the Sts. Peter and Paul Znamensk-Abalak Convent in Semipalatinsk, with the sisters of the monastery; parishioners of the churches of Semipalatinsk.

The hymns of the Divine Liturgy were performed by the choir of the Resurrection Cathedral under the direction of choirmaster Yu. Khokhryakova.

The sermon following the Communion verse was delivered by Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek).

The Liturgy concluded with a glorification before the Cross of the Lord, after which the Head of the Metropolitan District delivered a word of instruction.