On the day of the commemoration of the Synaxis of New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern Capital.

On September 22, 2024, the 13th Sunday after Pentecost, during the Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the day of the commemoration of the New Martyrs and Confessors, who shone forth in the land of Kazakhstan, was observed.

The Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan are prayerfully commemorated on the first Sunday following the day of the commemoration of the Holy Hieromartyr Pimen, Bishop of Verny and Semirechye.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, the administrator of the affairs of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Bishop Chrysanth of Chimkent and Turkestan; Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; the Dean of the Almaty parishes and Rector of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, Mitred Protopriest Valery Zakharov; Rector of the church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow," Protopriest Evgeny Vorobyev; the spiritual father of the Almaty Diocese, Archimandrite John (Sazonov); Keyholder of the Christ Nativity Cathedral, Protopriest Alexander Gaichenya; Keyholder of the cathedral and Head of the Department for Public Relations of the Metropolitan District, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov; a member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports, Igumen Philip (Moiseev); Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and Head of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District, Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov; Rector of the Epiphany Church, Protopriest Valery Shavrin; Dean of the Ili Church District, Protopriest Alexander Zyryanov; Protopriest Alexander Sokolov, Head of the Personal Secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; Head of the Correspondence Department of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary, Priest Daniil Bobylev; Keyholder of the Adriano-Natalievsky Church, Priest John Konoplev; Keyholder of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty, Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Deacon John Churkin; Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon John Zhuchkov; and Deacon Ilya Vorobyev.

During the service in the main cathedral of the Southern Capital, the reliquary containing relics of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan was present for prayerful veneration and the spiritual strengthening of the faithful.

The hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District (conducted by the Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, with choir director V. Dudareva) and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral (conducted by N. Zubrevich).

Prayers were offered for the repose of the hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and all Orthodox Christians "who were tortured and slain in the time of cruel persecution by the godless, and those who perished from hunger, cold, wounds, illnesses, and unbearable labor in the camps, prisons, and in bonds."

The homily after the Communion hymn was delivered by Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, a glorification was offered to the Most Holy Theotokos and the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan before the reliquary containing their holy relics. Following this, a Many Years was proclaimed for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; for the Head, the Right Reverend Archpastors, the clergy, monastics, and the God-preserved flock of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan; for the President, the authorities, the military, and all the people of Kazakhstan.

Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the clergy and laity on the Sunday and the celebration in honor of all the saints of Kazakhstan, and addressed the gathered with words of edification.

His Eminence then sprinkled the faithful with holy water.

"Kazakhstan was destined to occupy a special place in the recent history of the Russian Orthodox Church. This entire ancient land, during the time of fiery trials (1 Pet. 4:12), became a place of feats, confession, courageous sufferings, and martyrdom for such a vast number of believers of different ranks and ages that it is now justly called 'the Antimension spread under the open sky.' These elevated words were first spoken by the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy II. Across the endless expanses of Sary-Arka, in Semirechye, in the foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau, and in Turkestan, they bore their heavy cross, weakened by hunger and illness, suffered from the cold and the heat, were worn down by unbearable labor, and died in terrible agony for their faith in God. Even today, many decades later, the names of places of mass repression and the deaths of innocent people resonate in our hearts with pain: KarLag, ALZhIR, StepLag, and Lisya Balka. The Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan united the faithful sons and daughters of our Church from various provinces of the former Russian Empire – from the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The martyrology of the Great Steppe contains the names of such renowned hierarchs as Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan – an unyielding, uncompromising defender of the holiness and purity of Orthodoxy; Archbishop Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol – a world-famous surgeon, professor of medicine, state prize laureate, and author of many unique scientific works; Archbishop Nikodim (Krotkov) of Kostroma; Archbishop Alexy (Orlov) of Omsk; Archbishop Zachary (Lobov) of Voronezh; Bishop Uar (Shmarin) of Lipetsk; Bishop Boris (Voskoboynikov) of Ivanovo; Bishop Seraphim (Zvezdinsky) of Dmitrov; Archbishop Procopius (Titov) of Kherson; Bishop Ambrose (Polyansky) of Podolsk, and many others. Wherever an Orthodox Christian may live today – in Central Russia, the Far East, Siberia, Ukraine, the Baltics, or Belarus – their diocese, parish, or home church will always be connected in a special way with Kazakhstan through the name of a particular martyr for Christ, who shed their blood or served prison terms in exile and camps here. Our duty is to remember each of these martyrs for the name of Christ, to recreate their shining image, to immortalize their names in the memory of the people, and to ensure that future generations of Christians are raised on these examples. Thanks be to God that in recent years much has been done in the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan to make the martyrdom of the confessors of faith, who shone forth in the Central Asian region, as widely known and studied as possible, both in our country and beyond its borders. The sacrificial feat of the multitude of hierarchs, pastors, monastics, and laity has become clear evidence of the truth and inviolability of the words of Christ the Savior, Who said to His disciples: 'I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Matt. 16:18). Those who shed their blood for the Gospel truth, faithfully and truly served God in the time of fiery trials, endured exiles and camps, courageously withstood persecution, oppression, and humiliation, laid the foundation upon which we can now build and develop full-fledged church life. Today, decades after the horrific persecution of Holy Orthodoxy, we see that the All-Good Divine Providence has turned all the sufferings, sorrows, and hardships that befell them into glory and honor for Christ’s faithful servants. 'In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ' (1 Pet. 1:7-9), the foremost Apostle Peter addressed the martyrs for the name of Christ. Today's celebration in honor of all the saints of Kazakhstan urges us to test and examine ourselves for our faithfulness to the Gospel commandments, to strengthen our souls with the examples of the martyrs' life feats, to tirelessly labor for the salvation of our souls, and to preach the Word of Christ’s Truth to those near and far." From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.