On the day of the commemoration of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Almaty prayerfully celebrated its patronal feast.

On August 1, 2024, the celebration of the uncovering of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonderworker, took place.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan led the Divine Liturgy in the Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Almaty, marking the patronal feast.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were the vicars of the Astana Diocese: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; the dean of the churches of Almaty, rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, Protopriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow," Protopriest Evgeny Vorobyov; acting rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District, Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov; sacristan of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, Protopriest Igor Svetlichny; sacristan of the Christ Nativity Cathedral, Protopriest Alexander Gaichenya; rector of the Epiphany Church, Protopriest Valery Shavrin; sacristan of the St. Peter and Paul Church, Protopriest Kirill Shklyar; Protopriest Alexander Sokolov; secretary of the Kostanay Diocese, Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha); Priest Peter Andrusenko, rector of the St. Xenia parish in the city of Kapchagai; Hieromonk Pimen (Tkachenko); head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); cleric of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church in the village of Otegen Batyr, Priest Vyacheslav Sidorovsky; prorector for educational work of the Almaty Seminary, Priest Peter Bakhtiyarov; head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest George Sidorov; sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty, Priest George Rublinsky; cleric of the church at the compound in honor of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, Hieromonk Savva (Kulbakin); head of the Metropolitan's protocol service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Hierodeacon Athanasius (Kozel); Deacon John Churkin; Deacon Andrey Plakhuta; and Deacon Roman Karaman.

On the day of the patronal feast of the monastery, a reliquary with great relics was brought from the Iveron-Seraphim house church of the Metropolitan's residence in Almaty for the prayerful veneration of the faithful: the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, a piece of the stone on which the venerable elder prayed for a thousand days and nights, a lock of the saint's hair, as well as parts of his clothing and vestments.

The hymns of the Liturgy were performed by the choir of the Sophia Cathedral under the direction of O. Usoltseva.

Praying in the church were: the Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; the abbess of the Iveron-Seraphim Women's Monastery, Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the sisters of the monastery; staff members of the Almaty Diocesan Administration; parishioners of Almaty churches and numerous pilgrims.

During the Liturgy, memorial prayers were offered for Metropolitan Chrysanthe of Vyatka (Chepil), the ever-memorable Kazakhstani hierarchs, including the first prelates of the Turkestan region, Archbishop Sofonia (Sokolsky, †1877) and Bishop Nikon (Bogoyavlensky, †1897), who are buried near the altar of the Sophia Cathedral, and the devout ascetic Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov, †1975), whose tomb is in the Sophia Cathedral; the late abbesses of the Iveron-Seraphim Monastery were especially commemorated: Nun Paisiya (Kryuchkova), Abbess Nektaria (Dmitrieva), and Abbess Euphrosinia (Bakurevich), as well as the parents of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the ever-memorable Isidor and Agafia Moshinina.

After the communion hymn, the sermon was delivered by Protopriest Valery Zakharov.

Following the Liturgy, a procession took place to the chapel dedicated to St. Seraphim of Sarov. Hierarchs, clergy, and believers performed a glorification before the icon and the reliquary containing the relics of the holy elder.

As a prayerful memento of the event, His Eminence presented the monastery with a copy of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Healer." Abbess Lyubov gratefully accepted the sacred gift from the archpastor.

Many years were proclaimed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; to the Head and Eminent Hierarchs of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; to the President of the country, K.-J.K. Tokayev; to the authorities, the military, and all the people of Kazakhstan.

On August 1, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrates the anniversary of his diaconal ordination. In 1983, on the feast of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the late Archbishop Chrisanph (Chepil; †2011, later Metropolitan of Vyatka and Slobodskoy) ordained his secretary and subdeacon Alexander Mogilev to the diaconate in the Holy Seraphim Cathedral in the city of Kirov.

Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen congratulated the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan on behalf of the clergy and laity on the memorable date of his ordination.

Metropolitan Alexander, in his address, thanked Bishop Gennady, the hierarchs, the clergy, and the faithful for their words of well-wishes expressed towards him and delivered a sermon.

"St. Seraphim left us many profound and wise, yet simple teachings, which he based on the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers. We draw many salvific lessons from the well-known saying of Father Seraphim:

“Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.” The good and righteous spiritual state of a person filled with the Holy Spirit extends to many. However, it is important to remember that sin, once it enters the heart of one person, gradually infects more and more people. Therefore, desiring salvation for ourselves and our loved ones, and wishing to eradicate sins and vices in society, we must start with ourselves – lead a virtuous life, acquire holiness, and be transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. St. Seraphim considered prayer to be an important means of acquiring grace: “Prayer more than anything else brings the Spirit of God, and it is easiest for everyone to perform... For its fulfillment, there is always an opportunity for the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the healthy and the sick, the righteous and the sinner.” St. Seraphim, by his example and teachings, calls everyone to follow the path shown by Christ. He urges us to fight against sin and our shortcomings, being a beacon and a lamp for all who seek salvation.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.