Feast of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God: The Head of the Metropolitan District Celebrated the Liturgy at St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Kaskelen

On August 10, 2024, the celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, known as the "Hodegetria," took place.

 Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in the city of Kaskelen, Almaty region.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Bishop Vianor of Uralsk and Atyrau; Protopriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the Almaty churches and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Protopriest Valery Shavrin, Rector of the Theophany Church; Protopriest Alexander Zyryanov, Dean of the Ili Church District; Protopriest Pavel Pridatchenko, Rector of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kaskelen; Hieromonk Iakinth (Katan), cleric of the Church of the Archangel at the Chudov metochion of the Seraphim-Theognost Hermitage; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan's Personal Secretariat; Hieromonk Bartholomew (Mostovshchikov), cleric of the Uralsk Diocese; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service; and Deacon Alexander Piven.

An exact replica, "measure for measure," of the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God "The Healer" was brought to the service.

The choir of the Christ the Savior Church in Almaty, directed by E. Skorova, sang during the service.

The archpastor offered prayers for the increase of love and the eradication of all hatred and malice.

The sermon after the Communion hymn was delivered by Protopriest Alexander Zyryanov.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy, a glorification was performed in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which Metropolitan Alexander addressed those present with a word of instruction.

The hierarch warmly congratulated Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), the Head of his Personal Secretariat, on the occasion of his name day. The Metropolitan presented Father Prokhor with a holy prosphora and wished him God's grace, spiritual and physical health, and diligent service to the Church of Christ.

“Today we celebrate the feast of one of the most renowned icons of the Most Holy Theotokos—the Smolensk Icon of the Queen of Heaven. Its ancient name is ‘Hodegetria,’ meaning ‘Guide’ or ‘She Who Shows the Way.’ ‘Icons of the Mother of God,’ says Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), ‘work miracles throughout the earth, preach, testify, and seal with signs the truth of Christ’s teaching.’ Veneration of the icons of our Sovereign Lady, the honoring of holy relics associated with the Most Blessed Theotokos, and sincere heartfelt sighs before them open the gates of divine mercy for each of us. In relation to the Mother of God, we are all Her children, adopted on Golgotha during the Crucifixion of the Savior. The words of the Lord, originally spoken to the Apostle John the Theologian, ‘Behold, your Mother!’ (John 19:27), are addressed to each of us. Therefore, all our prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos must be offered with the awareness of this profound truth. A Christian’s relationship with God, the Most Holy Theotokos, the angels, and the saints cannot be limited to requests alone. ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments’ (John 14:15), the Lord says to each of us. The appropriate response to the blessings bestowed upon us from above is to cultivate good qualities within ourselves, to fulfill the commandments, and to actively love our neighbor.
Saint Philaret of Moscow teaches us: "If we wish to worthily bless the Most Holy Mother of God, then let us love with all our hearts Her virtues and merits." Another eminent hierarch, Saint Theophan the Recluse, offers this spiritual advice: "Hasten to those who are sorrowful, and the ray of mercy from the Most Holy Theotokos, overshadowing them, will also overshadow you." May the mercy of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos be with all of us who honor Her miraculous icon and bow before Her in faith."

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.

Through the efforts of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, during his tenure as Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich, the ancient fresco—the miraculous Smolensk-Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria"—was reopened, one of the sacred treasures of the Epiphany-Anastasia Convent in Kostroma.

The fresco icon, a replica of the Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, was created in 1672 on the wall of the southwest corner tower of the Epiphany Monastery by a group of iconographers led by the renowned icon painters Guriy Nikitin and Sila Savin, who were working at that time on the frescoes of the monastery's cathedral church.

A hundred years later, in 1779, a devastating fire broke out in Kostroma, destroying half of the city's buildings. The entire Epiphany Monastery, including its churches and fortress walls, was engulfed in flames. However, the wall image of the Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, protected by the miraculous power of God, remained completely unharmed.
In 1824-25, through the efforts of Venerable Macarius (Glukharev), Enlightener of Altai and one of the most prominent Russian missionaries and scholars of the 19th century, who was then the abbot of the Epiphany Monastery, the monastery's southwest tower, which housed the iconographic depiction of the Mother of God, was rebuilt into a church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In 1847, Kostroma was struck by another devastating fire. The relentless flames destroyed the interior of the Smolensk Church, but, as in the fire of 1779, the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God once again remained unharmed.
The news of this miracle spread rapidly throughout Kostroma, and according to a contemporary witness, "many crowds of people, standing near the Smolensk Church, with faith and reverence, prostrated themselves before this image of the Mother of God, pleading for Her protection and for the salvation of the burning city."