A monastic conference took place in Almaty.

On August 3, 2024, in Almaty, an educational conference for the monastics of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan took place in the throne hall of the spiritual and cultural center of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov).

The theme of the scholarly forum was: "Increasing the Brotherhood of the Monastery. What Does It Depend On?"

The conference was chaired by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The presidium included: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Bishop Chrysant of Chimkent and Turkestan; and Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Astana Diocese.

The organizing committee for the preparation, conduct, and moderation of the scholarly event was headed by Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese.

Participants in the conference included: Archimandrite Theodosius (Kuryanov), rector of the Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Uralsk; Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev), dean of the Astana church district; Hieromonk Modest (Drozdov), spiritual father of the Astana women's monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Search of the Lost"; Igumen Philip (Moiseev), member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports; Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), secretary of the Kostanay Diocese; Hieromonk Moses (Patrikeev), head of the Public Relations Department of the Karaganda Diocese; Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) and the sisters of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent; Abbess Marionilla (Pomelnikova) of the Znamensky-Abalatsky Peter and Paul Convent in Semipalatinsk; Abbess Varvara (Morozova) of the Intercession Monastery in Uralsk (Uralsk Diocese); Abbess Olympiada (Salopeko) of the Monastery of the Nativity of Theotokos in Karaganda (Karaganda Diocese); Nun Sebastiana (Plotnikova), abbess of the Monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Search of the Lost" in Astana; Nun Seraphima (Bolibok), abbess of the Peter and Paul Monastery in Pavlodar (Pavlodar Diocese); and monastics from the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan.

Opening the forum, Metropolitan Alexander addressed the gathering with a welcoming speech. "I greet the organizers and participants of the traditional monastic conference of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, which is held with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The theme of this gathering of Kazakhstani monastics is very relevant—we will be discussing the issues of replenishing the monasteries with new brothers and sisters. Monasticism is the ideal of evangelical life in Christ. As Saint John Climacus says, 'The light of monks is the angels, and the light for all men is the monastic life.' Therefore, our monasteries are called to become centers of pilgrimage, catechesis, charity, and spiritual enlightenment. This is a common task for all monastics, regardless of whether the person devoted to God serves in a monastery, a parish, or in diocesan departments.

Currently, the understanding of Christianity as a religion of strictly personal, individual salvation is spreading and taking deep root. Often, this distorted perception of spiritual life displaces concern for the salvation of one's neighbor and turns into spiritual egoism. True Orthodox asceticism is foreign to this. Real monks do not close themselves off but warm the whole world with their prayers and labors. Saint Silouan the Athonite speaks of true asceticism: 'He who bears the Holy Spirit within himself feels compassion for every creature of God, especially for people who do not know God.' It is high time for monastics to reflect on this, to try to understand more deeply the meaning of their renunciation of the world and the measure of their responsibility before God and their neighbors. According to the Gospel, 'From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked' (Luke 12:48). I hope that the substantive presentations of the speakers and the exchange of ideas within the framework of the discussion will help us identify pressing problems and outline ways to resolve them. I wish us all successful and fruitful work," Metropolitan Alexander said in his address.

After the address of His Eminence, the following presentations were made to the attendees:

• "The Main Problems of Creating Monastic Communities in Kazakhstan" – Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan;

• "Missionary Activities of Monasteries as a Means of Replenishing the Monastic Brotherhood" – Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese;

• "Spiritual Guidance as the Formation of the Spiritual Culture of Monastics" – Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Astana Diocese;

• "Temptations and Trials of the Modern World as Obstacles to Entering the Monastery" – Igumen Philip (Moiseev), member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports;

• "Spiritual and Personal Qualities Necessary for Monastic Life" – Hieromonk Modest (Drozdov), spiritual father of the Astana women's monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Search of the Lost."

At the end of the conference, the participants discussed the presented reports, followed by a discussion on a wide range of issues.

The session concluded with the adoption of a final document.