On the Feast Day of St. Job of Pochaev, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Shymkent

October 10, 2026 — the feast day of St. Job, Abbot of Pochaev.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Shymkent, where a reliquary containing the holy relics of St. Spyridon of Trimythous had been brought the previous evening.

The bringing of this sacred relic was organized by the Eleos-Meirim Public Foundation, whose president is V. M. Kapsamun.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Archbishop Sebastian of Karaganda and Shakhtinsk; Bishops Gennady of Kaskelen and Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicars of the Astana Diocese; Bishop Chrysantheus of Shymkent and Turkestan; Protopresbyter Evangelos Koutras, a cleric of the Holy Metropolis of Kerynia of the Church of Greece; Archimandrite Antony (Solovyov), Dean of the South Kazakhstan Church District; Archpriest Evgeny Glushchenko, a cleric of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Shymkent; Archpriest Alexy Lazutin, Rector of St. Nicholas Church in Saryagash; 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 Alexy Gorobchenko; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; and Protodeacon Alexander Mokiy.

Praying at the service were O. N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; V. M. Kapsamun, President of the Eleos-Meirim Public Foundation; parishioners of Shymkent’s churches; and pilgrims from nearby settlements.

The hymns of the Divine Liturgy were sung by the choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral.

Following the prokeimenon before Communion, Archpriest Evgeny Glushchenko read an address by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan marking the arrival of the relics of St. Spyridon of Trimythous in Kazakhstan.

The service concluded with a glorification in honor of the hierarch of Trimythous.

The hierarch governing the Shymkent Diocese expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, who had blessed the bringing of St. Spyridon’s relics to Kazakhstan. He also warmly thanked Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and V. M. Kapsamun, President of the Eleos-Meirim Public Foundation, who had arranged and organized the pilgrimage of this great holy relic throughout the dioceses of the Metropolitan District. Words of gratitude were also extended to Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu, Paxos, and the Diapontian Islands, and to the clergy of the Holy Metropolis of Corfu accompanying the venerable relics.

The Head of the Metropolitan District sprinkled the numerous faithful gathered in prayer with holy water, after which the faithful began venerating this great sacred relic.

Throughout the day, the clergy of the diocese will serve prayer services with Akathist Hymns to Christ’s saint before the relics of this great servant of God at St. Nicholas Cathedral.