On the Feast Day of Great Martyr Paraskeva, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Almaty

November 10, 2026 - the commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, St. Demetrius of Rostov, and Venerable Job of Pochaev.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan presided over the Divine Liturgy at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Almaty.

The cathedral complex includes a church dedicated to Great Martyr Paraskeva, which houses an icon containing a particle of the holy relics of the martyr of Christ. The icon originally belonged to Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) of Almaty and Kazakhstan.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolitan District were Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan; Bishop Gideon of Malotimofeevka, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Archpriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the Churches of the Southern Capital and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, Dean of the Ili Church District; Hegumen Onisim (Tulnikov); Hieromonk Dimitry (Baidek), Personal Secretary to the Head of the Metropolitan District; Archpriest Alexander Gaichenya, Sacristan of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ; Archpriest Ioann Lopatin, Rector of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St. Paraskeva’s Church; Archpriest Georgy Kharlov, Rector of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the village of Guldala; Archpriest Kirill Shklyar, Sacristan of the Church of Ss. Peter and Paul in Almaty; Hieromonk Sergiy (Vnukovsky), Sacristan of St. Vladimir’s Church; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan’s Secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Daniil Bobylev, Head of the Correspondence Studies Department of the Almaty Theological Seminary; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Rector of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty; Priest Ioann Konoplev, Sacristan of the Church of Ss. Adrian and Natalia; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Ioann Churkin; Deacon Dimitry Yachmenev; Deacon Georgy Tkachenko; and Deacon Joseph Lopatin.

The liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral under the direction of A. Kulmetov.

Among those praying at the service were staff members of the Almaty Diocesan Administration, benefactors of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and parishioners of the churches of the Southern Capital.

Priest Georgy Sidorov delivered the sermon after the Communion verse.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, a service of glorification was held before the icon of Great Martyr Paraskeva containing a particle of her holy relics. The clergy, choir, and parishioners sang the troparion, kontakion, and magnification in honour of the saint.

The Head of the Metropolitan District congratulated the bishops, the rector, clergy, and parishioners on the patronal feast and addressed those assembled with a sermon on the sufferings, miracles, and veneration of Great Martyr Paraskeva by Orthodox Christians.