Feast of the Finding of the Precious Relics of St. Nicholas the Confessor, Metropolitan of Alma-Ata, Prayerfully Celebrated in the Southern Capital

September 8, 2026. Alma-Ata. On the feast of the finding of the relics of St. Nicholas the Confessor, Metropolitan of Alma-Ata, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Metropolitan District, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral in the Southern Capital.

His Grace was joined in the celebration by: Archpriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the churches of Alma-Ata and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek), Personal Secretary to the Head of the Metropolitan District; Archpriest Valery Shavrin, Rector of the Church of the Epiphany; Priest Ioann Livinsky, Vice-Rector for Educational Work of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Oleg Nasymov, cleric of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Priest Sergiy Slesarchuk, cleric of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the Akzhar microdistrict; Deacon Alexiy Kanushin; Deacon Alexander Voronin; and Deacon Ioann Churkin.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral under the direction of O. Solomonova.

Present in prayer at the service were staff members of the Alma-Ata Diocesan Administration and numerous parishioners.

During the Liturgy, prayers were offered for the repose of Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), confessor of the faith; Archimandrite Isaac (Vinogradov), fellow ascetic and spiritual son of Metropolitan Nicholas (Mogilevsky); and Orthodox Christians “who, during the years of fierce persecution by the godless, were tortured and slain, and who died from hunger, cold, wounds, illnesses and exhausting labor.”

Following the Prayer Before the Ambo, a service of glorification to St. Nicholas the Confessor was held before the reliquary containing his precious relics.

At the conclusion of the service, Bishop Gennady congratulated the clergy and faithful on the feast and addressed those gathered with a sermon on the life and Church ministry of St. Nicholas of Alma-Ata.