The Transfiguration of the Lord. Head of the Metropolitan District Celebrates the Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in the Southern Capital

August 19, 2026 – the great Twelve Great Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.

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

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was concelebrated by: Archpriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the churches of the Southern Capital and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, Rector of the Church of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon of the Mother of God in Alma-Ata; Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, Head of the Public Relations Department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District and Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral; Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov, Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary and Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; Archpriest Konstantin Balakai, Secretary of the Pinsk Diocese (Belarusian Exarchate); Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek), Personal Secretary to the Head of the Metropolitan District; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan’s Personal Secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Rector of the Kazan Cathedral in Alma-Ata; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko; Deacon Daniil Pasyuk; Deacon Iosif Lopatin; and Deacon Alexander Goncharov.

Praying at the divine service were employees of the Alma-Ata Diocesan Administration and numerous parishioners.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District under the direction of O.N. Ovchinnikov, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Honored Art Worker of Russia, with V. Dudareva serving as choirmaster.

The sermon following the Communion verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, in accordance with the Church Typikon, grapes of the new harvest, as well as various fruits that had ripened by this time, were blessed.

The clergy and choir performed the troparion, kontakion, and magnification of the feast. The archpastor read the prayers of blessing and sprinkled the newly ripened fruits and the faithful with holy water.

His Eminence congratulated the clergy and laity on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and addressed those gathered with a sermon.

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov, Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, on the 20th anniversary of his priestly ordination, thanked him for his labors, and wished him strength of soul and body and God’s mercy in his further service to the Holy Church. As a prayerful remembrance, the hierarch presented the pastor with a jeweled pectoral cross.

The Divine Liturgy was broadcast live on the “Proobraz” YouTube channel.

The divine service was filmed by the “Semirechye” television studio of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District (Director – V.L. Posadneva, Honored Worker of Culture; cameraman – A. Schmidt); photographs were taken by A. Shcheglov, an employee of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District.

“Every one of the Twelve Great Feasts dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ or His Most Pure Mother opens for us a new page of spiritual life. During the profound and moving festal divine services, our genuine encounter with God takes place and human nature is renewed. Instructed by the words of Holy Scripture and inspired by the liturgical texts, in which the refined gold of patristic wisdom shines forth, the Christian is strengthened amid trials and receives strength to perform good works.

“The Transfiguration of the Lord, which enlightened the hearts and minds of the Apostles, also calls us to moral transformation and spiritual renewal. The manifestation of Divine glory on Mount Tabor reminds all people of the imperishable glory of the coming eternal Heavenly Kingdom, where ‘God may be all in all’ (1 Cor. 15:28) and ‘the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father’ (Matt. 13:43).

“On the radiant day of the Transfiguration, we are called to transform the world around us. How can we do this? Through our participation in the lives of our neighbors. We must share with our relatives and loved ones the grace and spiritual joy that we have received today at the Liturgy, offer it to the people with whom we communicate, whom we meet, or with whom we work, and show active love and mercy to everyone in need.

“May the light of the Lord’s Transfiguration strengthen and inspire us to perform good works, grant us courage and strength amid the raging waves of the sea of life to preserve endurance and tranquility, to resist temptations and trials, and to walk the path of the Gospel with firm hope in the eternal salvation granted to us by God.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.