On Sunday, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Liturgy at the Main Cathedral of the Southern Capital

August 23, 2026 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost; commemoration of Martyr Archdeacon Lawrence.

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

His Eminence 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; Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov), Spiritual Father of the Alma-Ata Diocese; 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 Alexy (Cherevtsov), Rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the Akzhar microdistrict; Hieromonk Roman (Chistyakov); 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; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko; Deacon Iosif Lopatin; and Deacon Alexander Goncharov.

Praying at the divine service were V.M. Kapsamun, President of the Eleos-Meirim Public Foundation; employees of the Alma-Ata Diocesan Administration; and numerous parishioners of the cathedral.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District (Choirmaster – O.N. Ovchinnikov, Honored Art Worker of Russia; Assistant Choirmaster – V. Dudareva) and the cathedral’s small choir under the direction of E. Boguslavets.

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

Following the dismissal, the glorification of the Transfiguration of the Lord was performed, after which the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan congratulated those present on Sunday – the “Little Pascha” – and addressed the faithful with a word of archpastoral instruction.

The Metropolitan sprinkled those present with holy water.

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

“In today’s Sunday reading at the Divine Liturgy, we heard the Gospel account of Christ’s encounter with the rich young man. The Gospel presents to us a man who from his youth had striven to live according to God’s commandments: he did not steal, did not kill, did not commit adultery, honored his parents, and loved his neighbor. When Christ asks him about keeping the commandments, he sincerely replies: ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Christ sees the purity of this young heart and his sincere aspiration toward goodness. And He offers him something breathtaking – the highest degree of spiritual perfection: ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’

“This Gospel episode is a mirror for each of us. Our ‘wealth’ is not always money. It may consist of our habits, grievances, pride, fear of losing comfort, or attachment to earthly ease – everything for the sake of which we are prepared to compromise our conscience and forget Christ.

“When the Savior calls us to trust Him and free our hearts from these bonds, we often become afraid and turn away with the same spiritual burden, unwilling to sacrifice the lesser for the sake of the eternal. Hearing this, the disciples asked in bewilderment: ‘Who then can be saved?’ And Christ answers: ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’

“Let us therefore ask the Lord for the strength and courage not to cling to earthly things, but to entrust our lives to the Savior, Who alone can heal our souls and lead us into the Kingdom of Heaven.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.