Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the oldest church in Almaty, celebrating the patronal feast day

July 21, 2024 – 4th week after Pentecost, commemoration of the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Kazan.

 

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan performed the Divine Liturgy in the oldest church in the city of Almaty - the Cathedral in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the “Malaya Stanitsa”, celebrating the patronal holiday.

 

The Kazan Cathedral contains two special shrines - the revered Kazan image of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the 17th century, donated to the parish by the confessor of faith and devotee of piety of the 20th century, Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), and an exact copy, “measure and likeness,” of the Vatican copy of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The rite of consecration of the copy of the miraculous Kazan icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was performed by Metropolitan Alexander in the city of Kazan at the ancient icon on October 16, 2021.

 

His Eminence was served by: the dean of the parishes of the southern capital, the rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; clergyman of the Ascension Cathedral, head of the Metropolitan District's public relations department, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, acting Rector of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, head of the information department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; the head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), the head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, the sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral of Alma-Ata, Priest Georgy Rublinsky, the sacristan of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church, Priest John Konoplev; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Konstantin Volnyagin.

 

The following people prayed during the service: the abbess of the Iversko-Seraphim convent, Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the sisters of the monastery; employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration, headed by the secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; benefactors and parishioners of the cathedral.

 

A mixed choir sang under the direction of regent M.S. Chistyakova.

 

The sermon on the sacramental verse was delivered by Priest Georgy Rublinsky.

 

At the end of the Liturgy, glorification took place in front of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, after which a religious procession took place.

Next, a funeral litany was served for the funeral in the necropolis at the altar of the Kazan Church.

 

Metropolitan Alexander warmly congratulated the clergy and parishioners on the patronal feast day and spoke about the veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos.

 

“Of the many icons of the Most Holy Theotokos known in the Russian Orthodox Church, not one is as widespread as the Kazan icon. All over the world she is revered sacredly, millions of believers turn their gaze to her. Human life is full of sorrows, sorrows and trials, but for Christian hearts there is always an inexhaustible source of consolation - when in straitened circumstances, experiencing difficulties or being exposed to danger, we always resort with faith and hope to the prayerful intercession of the Most Pure Mother of God. And in response to our requests and sighs, to the aspirations of our hearts, She, with her maternal love, warms our cold hearts, delivers us from troubles and temptations, and guides us to the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. “The Virgin Mary hears us in every possible way. Because in a bright place, in the land of the living, the Mother of Salvation dwells,” St. John Chrysostom teaches us.

However, it is important to remember that all the benefits we receive from the Kazan image of the Most Holy Theotokos are performed by God and His Grace, invisibly given to us through the prayers of the Queen of Heaven through the icon. Receiving what we ask for, fulfilling our desires and fulfilling our hopes is possible only if we have in our hearts sincere faith in God and trust in His mercy. The Holy Apostle Paul teaches us about this this way: “without faith it is impossible to please God; For he who comes to God must believe that He exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

Prayerful work cannot be successful without cleansing one’s own soul, without repentance and correction of life. According to the words of the great teacher of the Church, Saint Gregory the Theologian, “just as a cloud covers the radiance of the sun’s rays, so a sinner who does not want to acknowledge his sins and renounce them, blocks for himself the rays of God’s love and the mercy of the Mother of God.”

 

Therefore, as we worship the glorified Face of the Queen of Heaven, let us with special zeal ask the Lord for forgiveness of our sins, overcoming weaknesses, and victory over passions. Let the main theme of our requests and prayers be the acquisition of a virtuous Christian life, a shining example of which is the Mother of God Herself for us. According to the words of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, the Ever-Virgin “was always cheerful in persecutions and troubles, was not upset in needs and poverty, was not angry with those who insulted Her, but even did good to them; she was meek in prosperity, merciful to the poor and helped them as much as she could, she was a teacher in piety and in every good deed.” May the mercy of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos be with us all.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.